This issue of Teaching Young Children provides information about what is developmentally appropriate assessment, and it offers recommendations for how to assess in practical ways.
In this article, we discuss the role of contrasting cases when introducing mathematical concepts to young children, especially with regard to integers, the various uses of the minus sign, and number operations.
Teachers can help children build the foundations of algebraic reasoning in preschool and elementary school by focusing on topics critical to algebra by using concrete objects found in any early learning setting or home and by offering simple activities.