In Math, we are delving into measurement, equivalency, and number models. The boys and girls of Room #7 have been working hard to really challenge themselves and do their very best!
- Attribute Spinner Game – We have been talking a lot over the last two weeks in Room #7 about attribute. There are so many attributes (or characteristics) by which one can sort: color, shape, size, thickness, number of sides, etc. Using 2 different spinners, one for shape and this week, one for size, students spun and then had to find the corresponding shape. This is a great way for kiddos to use their math vocabulary and practice identifying the various attributes!
- Combo Toss, Part 2 – This game provides a visual display of the number combinations that make up each sum from 1 to 10. With a partner, a cherub rolled 2 number cubes and built two stacks of cubes to match the numbers rolled. He/she then placed the two stacks in a column of the game board according to the sum of the numbers rolled. For an extension, as the students built their sums, they wrote down the corresponding number sentences! This was an extra challenge that the Kindergartners were excited to face!
- Comparing Containers – At this station, the kiddos filled 2 containers of different sizes with cubes. Next, they had to determine which container held more and which held less cubes. After they labeled the containers with more, less, or same cards, they recorded their results using our “alligator” symbols.
- Comparing Cube Train – After getting a cube train of 10 cubes, students explored the classroom to find four items that were shorter than the train and four items that were longer than the train. The cherubs certainly put their thinking caps on for this one!
- Tell Me Fast – This station encourages instant recognition of quantities to ten. The boys and girls of Room #7 were asked to use their subitizing and number combination skills to discern how many dots were on each card. The kids absolutely loved stating the number as quickly as they possibly could!
- Give and Take – At its simplest level, this game is an enjoyable way to practice counting. It also provides our cherubs with the opportunity to develop visual images of numbers, and it increases their ability to count on and count backward. After counting a certain number of cubes, the boys and girls hid them underneath a tub. Then, cubes were either added to or taken away from the tub, and the mathematicians were required to figure out how many there were hidden! A tricky and exciting game!
- Dr. Seuss Addition Mats: 1 Fish, 2 Fish – Using animal manipulatives, Room #7 mathematicians created various addition number sentences!
On Friday, the Kindergartners in Room #7 were introduced to maps. In the book, Me on the Map, the readers got a playful introduction to maps, and they learned how easy it is to find the places they know and love. It helped the cherubs to discover their special place on the map! In order to illustrate this sometimes tricky concept, we have begun creating a flip book moving from small circles to very large, starting with the kids on the map moving to their town, state, country, and finally planet. In this manner, the boys and girls obtained a real visual idea of their small, but important (!), location on the map!
The children are learning to solve new words by making connections to words they already know. In class, we’ve been changing the first letter or letters of a word to form a new word, such as cat to bat or may to day. This understanding is helping the children take words apart as they read and
spell as they write. You can practice this at home too with the word families your children have learned (-at, -ay, -and)! Ask your child to change the first letter of each word to form a new word. Your kiddos can tell them to you orally or write them down! Then, ask your child to read the word pairs to you. Happy word making!
Room #7 continues to learn to recognize common word patterns. This recognition helps the children learn about writing words and solving new words as they read. As the word workers break down words into patterns or parts, they can easily hear the break between the first part of a word and the rest of the word, such as h-and, b-and. The pattern we’ve been studying is the –and ending in words. How many words can you make with your cherub? Have a gr-and time!
Hoping for some more lamb days this weekend! Enjoy :)