Kindergarten Kindergarten

Math/Literature Connections: Mouse Count

Here's something fun I found while setting up my room. It's a Mouse Count Jar.

Mouse count by Ellen Stoll Walsh is the perfect way to introduce the concept of counting (I'd do this as a warm-up). I made these story props from an empty animal cracker jar, a rubber snake and kitty mouse toys. The kids love retelling the story with them (and chasing each other around the room with the snake!)

Warm-Ups: Counting

What exactly are math warm-ups?

The name (taken from Larry Buschman's book Share and Compare) is a little misleading. Yes--I usually do one before we begin a problem as a "warm-up," to get all those little brains working. But I do them throughout the day, as well. I usually do 1-2 during my calendar time/morning meeting. I also squeeze them in whenever I have a few extra minutes to fill.

Sometimes they are whole-group mini-lessons. Sometimes they are skills practice. Sometimes they are centers. Sometimes they are games. Problem-solving takes up the majority of my math instruction, but these supplemental activities are also very important--and fun!

Base your warm-ups on your assessment data.

My warm-ups vary from year to year! Every class is different. If my class is really good at counting, we'll do fewer counting activities. The warm-ups you do with your class may look significantly different from the ones I do with my class.

Counting Warm-Ups

When re-reading my blog, I realized it seems like I do a few counting problems during week 1 and that's it. We've got it down! (Except NOT!) We count in my class every single day!

Some things to consider when planing your counting warm-ups:

1. Do the children in your class have good 1:1 correspondence? Do they touch each object as they count; line them up; push them away?
2. Can they subitize (pronounced soobitize)? That means can they "judge the number of objects in a group rapidly, accurately and confidently without touching them." Can they quickly read the dots on domino or dice? This a an essential step in developing good computational fluency!
3. Do they understand the concept of cardinality--that "the last word counted represents the numerosity of the set." (After they have counted the number of objects in a set, ask them how many there are. If they can tell you right away, they understand cardinality. If they have to count again, they don't.)

(If you want to impress your principal, casually throw a few of those big words into your next conversation!)

Here are some of my counting warm-ups:

• We rote count to 100 during calendar time. I don't expect every kid to make it to 100 right away--but we keep working on it. Sometimes we do it with funny voices (monster counting, robot counting). Sometimes we sing. (Mark D. Pencil and Friends is always a favorite!)

• We find any excuse to count that we can.I like to present the kids with authentic reasons to count: Count the boys and girls in class (attendance). Do the lunch count. Count the glue sticks to make sure each table has 6. Count the library books to make sure we have them all.
• We do counting activities in our math journals. Here is a counting jar. The students take a jar (recycled food containers), count the objects and then record it in their journal with pictures and words.

• Many times, I let the kids decide what they want to count. For example: Today I am going to count the windows in the room...the backpacks...the markers at my table. At the beginning of the year, I give them limits. I won't let them count the books in our library. But I encourage them to challenge themselves with bigger numbers as the year goes on, their skills improve and we develop advanced strategies (like making groups of 10).

• We play games with dice. Any game. Here's Roll and Count from Hubbard's Cupboard. She has lots of great counting activities in her Math Tubs.

• We also do the Counting Bags from Hubbard's Cupboard. If you've never been to her website, go now!

• Here's an activity where the kids sort dominoes by the number of dots. Very easy to put together!

• Here's a fun game--Gone Buggy! The kids roll a number cube and put that many bugs in the jar. If they roll the fly-swatter, they have to remove a bug. If they roll the bug spray, they have to remove ALL their bugs. Whoever fills their jar first wins!

• Here's another excuse for the kids to get the play-doh out!

 

So basically--any excuse you can use to get your kids to count will help them attain good numerical fluency, which will, in turn, help them become proficient problem-solvers!

 

Math Warm-Up: Position Words

So here is a fun activity I do to start my math unit on position words. I made a PowerPoint that has some of the scrapbook layouts I have created in it. We look at the pictures together as a class and I have the kids tell me everything they can about it. I am looking specifically for descriptions that contain position words--i.e. "The apples are in the basket." If somebody gives me a description that is not position-related, I guide them with questions, most obviously, "Where is it?"  

I record all of their position-related responses on a chart paper.

Then I tell kids that I am looking for words that describe position--or where things are. We work together to find them and underline them.

And then we transfer them to a chart we can keep up in the room for future reference. When we think of new position words, we add them to the chart. This activity works well with any picture that is engaging to kids and has a lot of details. Art posters work well, as do big floor puzzles, like the ones from Melissa and Doug.

 

Here is my PowerPoint if you would like to try it in your own classroom. There are 5 different pictures. I do one a day and just keep adding to the same charts.

Download Position Words Powerpoint

I'll be back later today with my Position Word problems and a few more warm-ups. Happy Friday!

Math Warm-Up: Which of these things is not like the other?

Here's a math warm-up I will be doing with my kids when we start our Attributes and Sorting unit.

It's really great for eliciting discussion and teaching kids how to express differing opinions respectfully. What's the right answer? Well, clearly, the milk does not belong because it is not a school supply. But wait--it must be the scissors, because they are not a liquid. Hmmm...

There are 5 problems included--all with multiple possibilities for answers!

Download Which of these things is not like the other

Where's the Worm? Number ID Game

Here's another warm-up activity I do with my kids to help with their number identification skills. It's very easy, but the kids LOVE it!

I simply arrange the apples in a pocket chart. (At the beginning of the year, I put the apples in order, but eventually, I mix up the apples to make it harder). Then I hide the worm behind one apple.

The kids take turns guessing which apple the worm is hiding behind by calling out the numbers on the apples. (They all love to be "Vanna White" and turn the apples over). When they find it, we all cheer! YAAAAAAY!

In a month or so, I switch out the apples for pumpkins and a spider (and the numbers have gone up to 21-40!)

Here are the apples I made:

Download Apple number id game

And here's one I made for the kids to color and take home to play with their families:

Download Apple Number ID Game

Have fun!

Our Big Math Notebook

Several people have asked me about my Big Class Problem-Solving Notebook. It is simply a chart tablet (I use the  24x16 " one) that we record our thinking and strategies in together as a class.

We go through several a year (and I don't always decorate them, but for you, I fancied it up!)

We often use it as a way to record our warm-up activities (see below for examples). More importantly, we use it during mathematician's chair for the kids to record and explain the different strategies they use to solve problems. I do not have any pictures of that, but as soon as I get some, I'll post them. It's a very important part of kindergarten problem-solving and I can't wait to tell you all about it!

In the meantime, here are some ways I use the notebook for "warm-ups." My warm-ups take many different forms, but these are little mini-lessons that address the math concepts we're currently covering, as well as review concepts we've already covered. I usually do one to begin math, but I also sneak them in during calendar time or any other time I have a few minutes.

We do this one during mathematician's chair after the How many eyes do you have? problem. I invite the children up to show me different ways to represent the number 2--->2 dots, 2 tally marks, 2 flowers, 2 triangles, etc. Later in the year, we will add in equations- 1+1; 4-2; etc. 

 

Same problem, different number:

We brainstorm different reasons people count and how counting helps us...

We brainstorm good counting strategies--line objects up, touch them, push them away, etc. 

 

We do this for mathematician's chair after this problem. Don't worry, I add 8, 9, 10 if we need them. (And 2! Once I had a Vu!)

We do this when we start talking about attributes. Here, we're comparing pictures. But we compare objects in the room and even kids! We do this a lot, all year long!  Here it is if you want it:

Download Same_Different 

Here's another one we do all year long. Of course, the numbers get bigger... 

Another same/different problem.

A great place to get ideas for these warm-ups is from The K-Crew's Buzz Book. They are a wonderful resource!