She told us that they gave our daughter 7 blue blocks and 3 pink blocks. Our daughter had no problem saying which pile had more blocks, but became confused when asked how many more blocks were in the bigger pile.
In CC math, this is the type of written response they are looking for from kindergarten students.
First, they should draw pictures of 7 blue squares and then 3 pink blocks, preferably right below the 7 blue squares, all nicely aligned.
Second, they should write a number bond that has 7 as whole and 3 and 4 as parts.
Third, they should write a number sentence. 7 - 3 = 4
Then, they need to explain their answer. It'd go something like: I needed to find the difference between the small and big piles so I subtracted 3 from 7.
IMO, it's a lot for 5/6 year olds but most of them get it and can do it, although the quality of written statements can vary quite a bit but they need to be taught, step-by-step and build up to this throughout the year.
