Patterns

We begin our pattern unit with an observation walk-looking for patterns throughout the school. The children learn early on that a pattern is something that is predictable, and that helps  you identify  "what comes next." We now know that numbers are patterns (4 comes after 3 every time!) and we will begin to take apart our patterns to discover units of the patterns.  

The children are given a variety of materials with which to construct patterns during free choice time. 

 We played a game which was about figuring out "what comes next" in a pattern.

Until Next Time,
Michele

Measuring

In kindergarten we learn about the basics of measuring-we ask questions such as "Why do we measure?" and How do we measure?" We read books about measuring, like Inch by Inch by Leo Leoni.  We trace our feet and measure them, and compare the footprints of all of the children. We don't use rulers, but do use units such as cubes so that we have a hands on comparison of lengths. 

Until Next Time,

Michele

Exploring Counting, Continued!

We explored counting and relative amounts when we read the book Chrysanthemum and counted up all of the letters in her name. We made towers of cubes representing the letters in our names, and then played comparison games, and filled in papers that showed shorter or longer.

 We played an inventory "game" which motivated the mathematicians to open mystery bags, count up the objects inside the bags, and record their results. Some children chose more than one bag to count up!

Until Next Time,
Michele

And the Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins

We are exploring the book And the Doorbell Rang  by Pat Hutchins.  Everytime the doorbell rings, the children have to share their cookies out fairly. Today we practiced sharing "one for you, one for me;" and we made sure to share out the cookies evenly. We will try to act out the story with props in the coming days. The children all realized that each time the plates would have fewer cookies-and checked my work dividing the cookies up evenly.

The book brings to life for the children the combining of groups, even numbers, dividing, counting out even groups, and anticipation. What will happen if more children show up? Can we divide the cookies?

Until Next Time,
Michele

Literature and Math Work Together!

Literature adds an element of creativity and familiarity to our classroom work. The K mathematicians were very proud of their work as they constructed a book based on the Donald Crew Book Ten Black Dots ! Creating the book required choosing a number from one to ten, gluing that  number of dots to the page,  and coloring a picture to include the dots. The children then told me their stories; I think that their favorite part was when we read the pages together as a group!

Until Next Time,
Michele

Some Writing and Counting

There's such focus as we learn to write our numbers! This dice game, called "roll and record" calls for the children to roll a dice and count, then write the number that they rolled. It's a very HIGH interest way to practice writing skills! We've also been comparing attributes and sizes, and this cube tower game helped us to organize by size, compare numbers and sizes, and work together! The children began creating a counting book with the numbers 1 through 12 and we will "read" them to the prek classroom when we feel that they look finished.

Anno's Counting Book is a beautiful book of changing seasons and simple number sense. 

Until Next Time,
Michele

Early Days in Kindergarten Math

 Kindergarten math in it's early stages is about following a routine, getting to know the math materials, and valuing the power of our math minds! The children take attendance by counting each day, sometimes constructing a block tower, sometimes counting, and then we participate in a group activity. We have described attributes and found objects that matched with at least one attribute. We played a game of sorting people in which the children were grouped according to one attribute and then we all tried to figure it out. The attribute  might be wearing the color green, or wearing crocs, or wearing sneakers. We'll continue with these math concept explorations through the year. The children are also given a large space of free choices with the math manipulatives. Later in the year, there will be games to play and rules to follow, but we've found that offering this free choice gives the children space to truly explore materials which they are then ready to count, categorize, sort, and follow rules with.

Until Next Time,
Michele