First, accuracy and truthfulness are important, period. It is important at the elementary level for several reasons. The value of having an accurate sense of the what the equal sign means is important at every level of mathematics. That is all the equal sign means - nothing more, and literally, nothing less. In summary, the equal sign means either simply is or simply is the same value as.This is where we have to bring in an alternate meaning of the equal sign, and in this example, "1 dollar is the same value as 4 quarters" is a better definition of what "equals" means. Sometimes, we can also say that "equals" means "is the same value as," such as when we say correctly that "1 dollar = 4 quarters." It is not quite correct to say that "1 dollar is 4 quarters," since it is not true that 1 piece of paper is 4 round pieces of metal.Sometimes, a child will correctly identify one of the proper meanings of the equal sign, but if not, after letting children try for a while, I will give the following multi-step explanation: So, to reiterate my point, my next question is, "Without using the word 'equal,' what does the equal sign mean?" Here are some common answers, along with my responses:īy now, I've really got their attention. Without this caveat, children often try to explain what the equal sign means by saying something to the effect, "Well, the equal sign means that things are equal." To show the importance of not using the same word to explain what a given word means, I take the relatively unknown English word gloaming and explain what it means by using that very same word: "Well, gloaming is when it's gloaming, so when it's gloaming, that's when it's gloaming, so that's what gloaming means."Īfter this self-referential go-around, I then ask the children, "Do you now have any better idea of what gloaming means?" Of course, they shake their heads "no," realizing that it is clearer and more precise to use other words to tell what a particular word means. But the question is, "What does the equal sign mean?" For this question we must add the caveat, "You cannot use the name of the symbol to tell what the symbol means." What does the sign of "=" mean? Of course, the name of the symbol is "the equal sign," or "equals," and it is valuable to know how to verbalize or say the proper words for a symbol such as this.
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