Abstract

In this article, we aim to address the following research questions: What algebraic understandings are evidenced when a group of 9–10-year-old students invent numerical sentences and mathematical stories? And what contributions do these tasks make to the development of algebraic thinking from both structural and analytical perspectives? We analyse students’ responses by focusing on the operations and properties involved, the meanings attributed to the equal sign, and the ways in which students refer to and reason about unknown quantities. The results show that students invent sentences involving numbers and unknown quantities, drawing on different properties of operations and demonstrating relational understandings of the equal sign. When inventing stories, they relate unknown quantities to everyday situations and construct narratives that are coherent with the given equation. We discuss the role of problem invention in the construction of algebraic thinking in the early years of primary education. © de la autoría