Math stations this week honed in on addition and subtraction skills.
· Snowman Addition – Given a snowman sheet, students rolled dice for a starting number. Students then put that many buttons on their snowman. After they recorded their beginning number, the kiddos rolled again. They recorded that number and added that many buttons onto their snowman. Finally, they counted how many buttons they had in all and wrote that number. What a fun way to practice addition!
· Pan Balance – Using Play Dough and counting bears, the kiddos worked to balance the materials so that the pan balance was level. This required a bit of trial and error and they loved it!
· How Long is It? – Using necklaces of various lengths, students measured how long each was by using Unifix cubes and then recorded their answers. They paid special attention to make sure everything was lined up!
· Roll a Sum – At this station, students chose what type of die they wanted to use – a regular die or a double die (this clear die has another die inside it so that the result is a greater number). After choosing which die to use, the cherubs rolled, recorded, and added the sum together! Great addition practice!
· Number Card Games – Using number cards, the boys and girls of Room #7 were asked various questions about the numbers in front of them. For example, a number was said and then the kiddos picked out the corresponding card, or a number was said and the children picked out the number card that was one less or one more than that number. They certainly put their thinking caps on for this center!
· Comparing Numbers – Last week, as a whole group, the class began comparing numbers and determining which was greater, less than, or equal to. We noticed that the greater than and less than signs look like alligators! Those alligators like to eat only the greater numbers. Using these words, instead of bigger or smaller, is very important at this age. In this manner, it helps to alleviate any literal confusion relating to each number’s size.
At this station, students practiced using the signs to compare various numbers. They whizzed through it!
· Fix-It Strips – At this center, students continued to work on the tricky concept of “changing numbers.” Independently, the kiddos received a fix-it strip. Using cubes, they created an organized pile that represented their first number. Next, they changed that pile to match the second number. Lastly, they articulated if they added or took away cubes and how many cubes they needed to make the change. The cherubs have really gotten the hang of this station – they challenged themselves by doing this activity with teen numbers! Holy Moly!
· Stamp to 100 by Tens! – In preparation for the 100th Day, students are counting by tens constantly! At this center, they used various stamps to stamp to 100 in groups of ten! For an extra challenge, they used tally marks to represent each group as well!
This week, I introduced magnets to the class. We talked about three different kinds of magnets (doughnut, wand, and horseshoe). The class also learned two new Science words: repel and attract. The kiddos have loved exploring all that they can do with magnets and are constantly amazed with their “magical properties”. Next week, we will begin our Magnet Journals. The students will use illustrations to show what magnets look like when they repel as well as attract.
The children and I have been concentrating on saying and hearing the middle sounds in words. This is helping the class develop an understanding of how words are put together. The long vowel sounds, which sound like their letter names (a, e, i, o, u), are the easiest to hear. First, we listen to the sounds without looking at the letters, and, later we begin to compare words and connect sounds with letters.
The cherubs are also learning to recognize words that rhyme and make connections between the words. This is helping them take words apart to solve them and gives them a better understanding of sound/letter relationships. The class is learning that:
• Some words have end parts that sound alike. They rhyme.
• You can make rhymes by thinking of words that end the same.
You can play simple word games that will help your child focus on rhyming matching last sounds in words.
• While you’re going about your daily activities with your child – driving, shopping, cooking – say a word and see if your child can think of other words that rhyme. You might say, beet; then your child would think of words that rhyme: heat, seat, feet.
• Ask your child to give you a word, too, and then you come up with a list of words that rhyme.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. Day approaches, Room #7 read a few books about this wonderful man who helped to change America over forty years ago. As we read about his life, the climate of America, and his renowned “I have a dream” speech, the students asked thoughtful, insightful questions. We discussed how the United States has changed for the better as well as how unfair it was back then for people of color. We were even lucky enough to hear his famous speech at the beginning of All School Meeting. With our Book Buddies, the kiddos wrote and illustrated what their dreams are. Their conversations were amazing to listen in on!
This is our last week of Pattern Books! Last week, the cherubs learned about a different type of pattern books – an AB pattern book, or seesaw book. The kiddos worked hard to pick 2 separate patterns and repeat them in 3 different ways! They are fantastic! They are so excited to see them in our library, and they are reading each other’s work as well! There’s a lot of pride in Room #7! Next week, we will begin opinion or persuasive writing. We have already focused a lot on opinions. Often, I ask the boys and girls to express their opinion on a specific question in our morning message. The first step is always to practice orally. Next up, writing! Stay tuned…
Have a marvelous long weekend!