Kindergarten Problem Solvers

First, a brief walk down memory lane:
So you may have seen or heard some of the crazy math that older grades are doing now... this is because things are constantly being shaken up and reassigned to different grade levels. Just a few years ago for instance, some 7th grade level material was reassigned to 4th graders (say what?! yep, true!). 2nd grade got some stuff that was once taught in 4th, 1st got stuff previously taught in 2nd and 3rd... and on and on. Totally crazy, right! Now teachers weren't cool with this, so some changes have been made to help bridge the gap and are still being made... however, it doesn't lighten the work load for the content expected to be taught in that grade level. It's mega important that we teach everything that is "in our lane" because the following year the next grade level will be building a High 5 over that lane, and without understanding the previous year kids will miss the exit ramp to get on the High 5. Math builds on itself. Teachers call this spiraling (where we go deeper into a concept. like a drill bit spirals). Why did the content get shifted you ask? Well I'm not really sure... that's a question/ comment/ concern for your representatives in the State of Texas (none of which are educators). However, as an educator and an educated person actively involved in my community and helping to mold 21st century learns here's my guesstimate of why things have shifted so...

The world is changing.

That's it. Expectations for mathematical thinking in the world around us are so changing! What once was OKAY and ENOUGH to get by on is now not at all enough (say "ohhh scary"). We are developing kids that are going to be part of a high-tech world with complex math and problem solving-type situations and the world that is developing around us is becoming even more mathematical and problem filled... As a teacher and an educated, observant individual it's my opinion that these shifts in when we teach things is due to keeping up with and preparing kids, as best as we can, for said changes in the world. After all, in order for the public education system to be a success, we have to produce successful, independent, contributing members of society. If society is changing then we too must change our system (basically).

So, how in the world does this apply to kindergarten?

Answer: We aren't just playing.

Things that were taught in 1st and 2nd grades are now being taught in KINDERGARTEN. (Let me pick your jaw up off the floor mom and dad.) Don't freak out though because your kids can do it.

Say it with me: YES THEY CAN! 

Kindergarten is all about the expectations and pushing kids. It's instilling a drive to work and question things, and a want to find the answer!

Say it with me again: YES THEY CAN! 

That is you mantra now, from kindergarten, all the way to their senior year of high school (and higher education should that be their path).

How can you help at home? The first and foremost thing for your child's mathematical success in the remainder of their academic and adult career is having a good understanding of numbers. Here's how you start with 3 easy steps:

1. Rote memory of what the numbers look like- Can they recall the name of the number? Can they recall it when in order and scrambled order? Can they write the number?

We LOVE Jack Hartmann's videos for learning our numbers, letters, calendar, etc. Here's his YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVcQH8A634mauPrGbWs7QlQ .

Jack Hartmann has a lot of math videos, just go to the playlist tab and find his counting playlist of videos. Every video has some sort of movement with it as well which helps them memorize.

Websites: ABCMouse, StarFall, ABCYa

Apps: Splash Math Kindergarten, Preschool and Kindergarten Learning Games, 10 Frame Fill, Friends of Ten, Animals Counting Writing Game Free, Number Rack, Count Sort, Number Sense HD, Virtual Manipulatives!, Sushi Monster, Aahh! Math Zombies, Math Ninja.

2. Ordering the numbers/ Counting with 1-1 Correspondence- Once we know their names we need to be able to put them in order and say which number comes before and after a number. They need to be able to do this first with numbers in front of them and then be able to do this from their memory. For example, driving down the road, they don't have numbers in front of them to manipulate. You see the number 10. Ask them what comes one before 10? One after 10? etc. Counting with 1-1 Correspondence means they can count in number order (1,2,3,4,5,6,7) and touch 1 object at a time, giving that object the number name and NOT miscounting or touching an object more than once.

Putting the numbers in order and using 1-1 correspondence to count them would be like this video has done:

Here's a video explanation of 1-1 Correspondence

3. Subitize the numbers- Subitizing is when we can see a set of items (like the dots on playing cards/ dice/ dominoes) and quickly tell how many are there. When they get it with regularly patterned dots, move onto randomly placed dots. They love this game! You can also have them subitize with their fingers. A big part of subitizing is the discussion. Ask them how they know it is that number. This is when they will explain to you how they saw it for example if there are 7 dots they may tell you it was a group of 2 and group of 5 or group of 3 and group of 4. Subitizing is when kids start to build their basic math facts because they can recall those simple facts quickly.

Here's a great video explanation of what subitizing is!

These are the skills I want you to focus on at home this year with your child (unless otherwise told based on your child's independent needs). Please do not have them working on other skills like adding and subtracting number sentences, greater than/ less than (unless they are right near each other on the number line), fractions, place value... these are way out of our lane in kindergarten!

Here is another teacher with some great overall math tips!

Words in the Great Outdoors!

Outdoor word work is so much more than side walk chalk! Here are some supply ideas:

• Chalk (most common) - there is an endless supply of ideas out there for chalk. Your child probably has endless ideas of what they could do with chalk! Swing on over to The Home Teacher to see some great sidewalk chalk activities!

• Sticks- use sticks and build the words/ letters.

• Leaves- use leaves to build the words/ letters.

• Silly string- 1) use silly string to write words 2) write words with chalk and then tag the word said with silly string.

• Fly swatters- swat words that are written with fly swatter.

 (now just imagine this outside!)

• Pebbles/rocks- use pebbles/ rocks to spell words and letters.

• Sand/ dirt- use a stick or finger to spell words in the sand/ dirt.

• Water/squirt guns- write with the guns, tag the words that are already written, for rhyming words (or any other spelling rule)- spray the beginning sound to erase it and change out the word to another word in that family.

• Hopscotch pad- chalk out a hopscotch pad or if you want to make it more permanent paint it, hopscotch spell the word or recite the alphabet as you hopscotch.

• Cardboard letter tiles (think of this like giant Scrabble pieces) - cut cardboard squares (about 1ft x 1ft) and write letters on them like Scrabble. Then use to recite ABCs or spell out words.

• Jump ropes- use the ropes to spell or jump rope and spell the words.

• Paints- paint the word on a stone then you can hide the stones around the yard and have a scavenger hunt.

Intro Activities to Outdoor Learning

(Let me preface this with stating, none of these ideas are my own genuine creations. As a teacher we beg, borrow, and steal from anyone with a good idea we think may work. These are off of other blogs/ Pinterest/ moms that I know/ my own childhood...etc.)

Measurement/ Classification Scavenger Hunt

Chalk number lines + imagination = a whole world of possible math thinking going on!

Here are a TON of number identification, classification, sorting, addition, subtraction starter ideas in this pic!

In the pic above, I would suggest activities like these:

• Bull's Eye- adjust the numbers inside for the learner's age. Throw the sponge and that learner must do that many jumping jacks, find that many items in the yard, count to that number, give an equation to equal the number...use your imagination!
• Sorting- this could be a great, fun scavenger hunt. Like the pic shows you could use stones OR colored plates/ bowls/ buckets/ towels, etc. They could be natural object being found or objects you've placed intentionally.
• Number lines- I love number lines! I like the bike pick above. This could be where you have a number caller and a biker/runner/ skater/ you name it-er...the number caller says a number and that person uses their mode of transportation to move over that number on the number line. 

Use found objects to create shapes...then take the simple shapes even further to create pictures. This is a fun thing for students when we learn about shapes. We will look at pictures and identify what shapes it takes to make that picture (real photos). Then using construction paper shapes students make their own pictures. They can do this with found objects in the yard as well!

Experiment.

Have fun.

Research- Pinterest is great.

I am beginning outdoor centers this week in class. Each post in this series past the intro will be from the classroom. Going to be a fun time! Check in next week!

Easy Math Centers

I don't believe in worksheets. They are not engaging and don't require the student to use their brain in higher levels of thinking. If you would like to use a worksheet, please supplement it with hands-on activity!

That being said, centers in my classroom use few supplies. I like to keep my centers this way so that we use objects that are commonly found at home. Why? Well when we use a deck of cards, dice, dominoes, chopsticks, clothespins... the student will see it at home in their environment and remember the activity. This way the student is more likely to recreate the center at home. So, here are some examples of centers my kids use for math practice:

Shown above: In this math centers student use ice trays and fuzzy balls or pom poms. 

• Beginning of the Year (BOY):The student rolls a die and places that many fuzzy balls into the ice tray to develop number sense.
• Middle and End of the Year(MOY/EOY): The student rolls a die and writes the number down and puts that many pom poms in the ice tray. Then the student flips a coin- heads = addition, tails = subtraction. The student writes the symbol. Then the student rolls the die again. This gives the 2nd number. The student writes it down and completes to problem. 

Shown above: In this center the students pull sticks with simple addition and subtraction problems. If they get it right they keep the stick. Wrong, then the stick goes back in the container. This container once was Lysol wipes :)

Shown Above: In this activity students give the sharks teeth.

• BOY: We use this as number sense. The student rolls a die and places that many teeth on the shark.
• MOY/ EOY: The student rolls a die and writes the number down and puts that many teeth on the shark. Then the student flips a coin- heads = addition, tails = subtraction. The student writes the symbol. Then the student rolls the die again. This gives the 2nd number. The student writes it down and completes to problem. 

Shown Above: Students place 10 counters at the top. Then student selects a number sentence card (4-3). The student brings 4 counters down into the box. The student takes 3 away and places them in the cup. What is left in the box is the answer.

Shown Above:

• BOY: We use this as number sense. The student pics a rocket ship and places that many clothespins on it.
• MOY/ EOY: The student selects 2 ships and puts the clothes pins on them. Then the student writes the number sentence and solves the problem in this one we only use it for addition.

Shown Above:

• BOY: We use this as number sense. The student pics a paint sample and puts that many links on it. At home the links could be paper clips.
• MOY/ EOY: The student selects 2 paint samples and puts links on them then writes the number sentence and completes the problem. Again, I only use this one for addition.

Shown Above: My kids LOVE this center. I've just labeled the bottom of cups with different ways to show numbers. The students match the cups and build a tower for each number, so there's a tower for 1's, 2's, 3's, 4's, and so on! IT IS A HIT! The can is just a decorated Pringles can :)

October Homework BINGO

September Homework

Here is our September homework, a paper copy is going home in your child's MOOSE Tuesday, September 3. Please read the directions and e-mail me if you have any questions!