Perception, Physical knowledge,
logical mathematical knowledge, social conventional knowledge, scientific understanding,
critical thinking skills
| Stage 1 | 2 and 3 year olds | begin to understan the use of numbers as they hear others using them; understand the use of numbers through exploring objects; work large-piece puzzles; understand direction and relational words; recognize geometric shapes, like a circle; and, sequence up to three items. |
| Stage 2 | 3 and 4 year olds | recognize and express quantities like some, more, a lot, and another; begin to have a sense of time; recognize familiar geometric shapes in the environment; sort objects by one characteristic; rote count to 5; notice and compare similarities and differences; and use words to describe quantity, length, and size. |
| Stage 3 | 4 and 5 year olds | play number games with understanding; count objects to 10 and sometimes to 20; identify the large of two numbers; answer simple questions that require logic; recognize more complex patterns; position words; sort forms by shape; compare size of familiar objects not in sight; and work multi-piece puzzles. |
| Stage 4 | 5 and 6 year olds | begin to understand concepts represented in symbolic form; can combine simple sets; begin to add small numbers in their heads; rote count to 100 with little confusion; count object to 20 and more; understand that the number is a symbol that stands for a certain number of objects; classify objects by multiple attributes; and can decide which number comes before, or after, another number. |
Source : MacDonal, S. (1997) The Portfolio and Its Use : A Road Map for Assessment.
Southern Early Childhood Association