True or False?

This afternoon I presented our mathematicians with a series of numbers statements. I asked the children if they were true or false. This led to some interesting conversations.

3 + 5 = 8
8 = 3 + 5
8 = 8
3 + 5 = 3 + 5
3 + 5 = 5 + 3
3 + 5 = 4 + 4

The children all agreed that the first number sentence is true. The next two were more controversial. Some children thought they were true, others thought they were confusing. This led me to ask the children, "What does = mean?" The most popular answer is the sign you put after an addition sentence (interesting... :o). But a few children answered that = is the "same", or "is". As in 3 + 5 is the same as 8, or
3 + 5 is 8.

We will continue this conversation next week. These conversations will help us all to better understand equations and numbers. You may also begin to recognize the beginnings of algebra!