CRA

CRA:  Concrete - Representational - Abstract

Students need a real experience to go with the symbols/equations they are be asked to write down.

Concrete:  manipulatives (see, understand, touch/manipulate)
Representational:  drawings/pictorial, mental images (dots, tallies, circles)
Abstract:  symbolic, verbal (math symbols, equations "bare numbers")

*Give at least 3 authentic experiences with a new concept.  Not just 3 in a row, 3 in one day, or 3 days worth.  It takes 21 days to change a habit!

*Arrow cards can help bridge the gap between pictorial and bare number.
*When teaching addition and subtraction you want to be sure that the children are thinking about the whole quantity that the number represents and then thinking about what would be an efficient way for solving the problem.
*Number lines provide a model for mental math thinking. However, before using this strategy you want to make sure your students can count forward and backward from any number ones, tens, and hundreds.  they also need to have sound structuring knowledge for numbers through nine. 

*Krystal Mattingly, Mary Gagne

The left side of the brain is the logic side (12-3).  The right side of the brain is the picture for the equation.  We need both sides to ensure understanding!  The CRA model ensures we are working both sides of the brain.