Assessing Writing Numbers
Task
- In a small group or whole group setting, give each student a piece of paper. It may be useful to use 1 inch graph paper and have the student write each number in a different box to help with spacing.
- Ask students to write the number that is spoken, and then say, âWrite (number name)â. Give the numbers from 0-10 in random order.
IM Commentary
Students may reverse numbers when writing them, such as the number 3 or 5 as well as 6 and 9.
Writing teen numbers can pose challenges for students because of the way they sound when spoken. Teen numbers (13-19) are read/spoken from right to left while other numbers are not. When â16â is spoken one hears the sound of â6â before the âteenâ part and so students will often start writing with a â6â and then pause and add the â1,â sometimes in front of the â6â but often behind it because they hear the âteenâ part second when speaking the number name.
This task is presented to the students orally to ensure that students are associating the symbol they write with a number name. Although it may seem like a way to modify this assessment you should not show the number â10â and then say âwrite 10â when giving this task. This presentation will make it hard to determine if a student is copying a visual image they have seen or actually is associating a number name with a symbol. It is also important to assess a studentâs ability to read and sequence numbers prior to or at least along with, the ability to write a number. In general, we should see some level of facility with reading numbers prior to writing them.
Solution
The student should be able to write the numbers from 0-10 and then from 10-20. Students may make errors in the teen numbers as noted in the commentary.
Assessing Writing Numbers
- In a small group or whole group setting, give each student a piece of paper. It may be useful to use 1 inch graph paper and have the student write each number in a different box to help with spacing.
- Ask students to write the number that is spoken, and then say, âWrite (number name)â. Give the numbers from 0-10 in random order.