ABSTRACT
Whole-number arithmetic is where children first learn to put the tools of numeracy—their number words, fingers, written numerals, and the number line—to work, as they figure out how to combine, subtract, multiply, and divide up ever-larger quantities in the most accurate and efficient ways. This chapter takes a close look at how children develop the most workable problem-solving strategies and in the process learn the fundamental principles governing arithmetic. It also discusses the importance of having several strategies at one’s fingertips. One of those strategies—retrieval of solutions from memory—requires building a store of basic arithmetic facts (number combinations). The chapter looks at which facts are most serviceable, how children remember them, and the sorts of problems for which children find retrieval most useful. Basic language skills are critical for arithmetic mastery, and the chapter discusses the common arithmetic difficulties experienced by children with various language-related learning difficulties. But first, the chapter examines the surprisingly stubborn problem of the equivalence meaning of the equal sign. Classroom activities begin with this most important concept of equivalence, followed by systematic introductions to basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
