Addition and subtraction

Using manipulatives (bears, counters, rabbits etc.) the students have been learning the mechanics and meaning of addition and subtraction. Addition was covered over the last two weeks and subtraction is ongoing. One thing I'm helping the students to begin to understand is that = is another way of saying "is the same as"; that "+" means "and this many more" and that "-" means "take this many away". Using hands-on materials is a more meaningful way for children to learn the concepts of addition and subtraction so I've modeled the process at the carpet many times, played games to demonstrate this, and now the students are practicing at their centres. Some students are keen to independently solve problems on paper while others prefer to solve the problems using the manipulatives.