Inchworm, inchworm, Measuring the marigold. You and your arithmetic... You'll probably go far! So here is the beginning of my Kindergarten Measurement Unit. This is a fun unit, and that's a great thing, because we spend a lot of time on it! The unit is divided into 4 sections: length, surface area, weight and capacity. (We're also supposed to do temperature, but we cover that so much in science that we skip it in math). As with everything, we start out with lots and lots of hands-on, concrete learning activities. But once I feel like they have had enough practice, I give them a more abstract problem so that they can apply what they've learned. So let's start with LENGTH! In Texas, kindergartners only need to be able to compare 2 or 3 objects and tell whether they are longer, shorter or the same (and the Common Core Standards look similar). But my children usually master that concept very quickly, so we move on to measuring with non-standard units. K(10) Measurement. The student directly compares the attributes of length, area, weight/mass, capacity, and/or relative temperature. The student uses comparative language to solve problems and answer questions. The student is expected...
Help kindergarteners compare length & use appropriate vocabulary with this FREE "Shorter and Longer" activity. Great hands on practice for comparing length.
These 5 fun 3D shapes activities for kindergarten are a great way for students to learn about shape attributes while having a blast.
I have a confession, number lines are not my favorite tools for adding and subtracting with my young learners. I always teach how to use them, but I don't spend very much time on them. My main issue is that, students will not always have access to a number line. I don't want them dependent on a tool that they may or may not be able to get their hands on. However, after doing a bit of research about some of the additional benefits of number line learning, I started to rethink my feelings about them. Besides solving basic addition and subtraction equations, familiarity with number lines helps students as they work with all sorts of other math tools. Graphs, thermometers, clocks, and rulers all include number lines. Not only can our work counting forward and backward on a number line help us to add and subtract, it can also lay the group work for upcoming mathematical concepts. Since I had a change of heart about the importance of number lines, I decided to devote more time to them this year. Here are a couple of quick activities I used with my students that they really enjoyed. First up is our Life-Size Number Line. I used this big number line for a whole group activity, but you can easily adapt it for a small group or center activity. I created it by printing the numbers 1-20 and laminating them. I made my line with some masking tape and then placed the numbers on top. The line wasn't straight and the numbers were't perfectly spaced, but that didn't matter at all. I made several slides for our interactive white board with basic addition and subtraction equations. (A regular white board will work just as well.) Students came to the number line individually. They read the equation to the class and then they solved it on the number line. They loved it so much that I used it with them the next day to solve word problems. (one prep and two activities #forthewin) Not only did the kids love it, I really liked using the Life-Size Number Line because it was an easy way to make sure students understood how to correctly move the number line. If you would like to use this activity with your students, click on the picture below for a free copy of the Life-Size Number Line . Another number line activity I incorporated was a quick and easy number line game. (I'm always looking for ways to use my Target Dollar Spot erasers and this activity was perfect.) All you need are some kind of game pieces, a number line, and a spinner (if you don't have a spinner, just use a paper clip and a pencil). This game works well with two to three players. To play, students take turns spinning. If a student lands on plus five, he moves his game piece forward five spaces. If he spins minus two, he moves his piece back two spaces. The game continues until the first player reaches the end of the number line. This activity was wonderful practice for students counting on and counting back. Since we've covered addition and are nearing the end of our subtraction unit, the Number Line Spinner game gave students a chance to begin mixing their facts. I plan on adding this game to our Early Finishers menu since the rules are so simple and there are so few pieces. If you'd like a FREE copy of this my Number Line Spinner game, click on the picture below. There you have it, two simple ways to add a little more variety to your number line routine. Thank you so much for stopping by. Happy teaching!
KINDERGARTEN MATH - UNIT 1 I am thrilled to be sharing this huge Counting and Cardinality Unit with you! This is the math unit we start the year with in kindergarten. The kids love all of the hands-on activities we get to do, and I love how easy it is to keep them engaged.
Successful early experiences in math have a powerful effect in how your child develops their mathematical thinking, a important skill to master for use in their everyday lives. Our math printable worksheets will help your young child learn their numbers, shapes and other basic math skills.
ACTIVITY 1: Learning Outcomes: By the end of this activity, students will be able to compare volumes of liquid using non-standard measure...
Hello again! I was browsing pinterest the other day (as I tend to do - a lot!) and I found this nifty idea that got me thinking. It is ...
Are you interested in using rekenreks with your students, but you’re not sure how? A few years ago, I was in the same boat. I had been to a math training that used rekereks and I couldn’t wait to use them in my classroom. I made a class set out of cardboard and proudly brought them to school. Except I had no idea what to do with them! I had learned a game or two, but needed guidance with how to teach my students about them. In this post, I’ll show
Use these shape play dough mats to help preschoolers and kindergarteners learn how to make 2D shapes and recognize shapes in everyday objects
What is Subitizing? Simply put, subitizing is the ability to recognize a small group of objects without counting. It is a fundamental skill in the development of number sense. I find that using a real-life example often helps in understanding certain concepts so let’s give it a try. Last week I baked some sugar cookies. If […]
Hi friends! I'm super excited to share with you how I made graphing in Kindergarten fun and independent this year! Every year my kids find graphing super fun and engaging but teaching JK/SK (that’s Pre-K/K for my American friends) it was always hard to make this an independent centre. This year I found a solution that worked well! Here is how I taught it: Day 1: Learning Goals & Success Criteria First I introduce the learning goal "We are learning to make graphs". Then we start by talking about the first step in the success criteria: I know I can do this when I can make a question. I give them a few examples first then have the kids share and added their questions to a chart. Then I typed up the questions and laminated a couple copies to keep in our question folder so that the students can reference them if they need help coming up with a question. Day 2: Make a Question and Collect & Graph the Data On the second day, I introduce the rest of the success criteria I can collect and record data on my graph. Data=information Sidenote: I followed some of the kids around as they graphed the first couple of days and asked them questions like "What do you need to do first?" and "How do we record _____'s answer?" etc. to uncover some student thinking. I took pictures and notes as I followed along and then printed a couple out as exemplars for the success criteria "I can collect and record the data on my graph." I can answer questions about my graph using the words most, least and the same. Then we practiced making our graph. I was going to start with a concrete graph (in theory that might be better) but I have a higher group of kiddos than usual this year and I wanted to introduce the graphing papers that we they would be using at the graphing centre so I could open it that day. So I put this graphing paper up on the smart board and we went through the steps together. First we read the question together and I showed them how to trace the question. Then we picked three colours for the choices. We talked about we could do a small scribble with crayon to indicate our colour choices if copying colour words from the word wall was too tricky. I also told them that even if they can copy the colour word to do a small dash of the colour with crayon underneath to help them remember what is what. Then I modelled how to ask the question to each student in the class and add the data to the graph. At the end we talked about which colour was the most popular, least popular and if any were the same. I left out this paper with clipboard, pencils and crayons for the kids to try. Here is an example of a completed "What is your favourite colour?" page. I told the kids that if there were no colours that were the same they could either put an X or write "none". The kids also used these "Photo Class List"'s to keep track of who they've asked. As they asked their question and graphed their data, they crossed out the person they asked. On the third day we made our first concrete graph. First we reviewed that the first step was to make a question. I told them that the question we are going to answer and graph today is "What is your favourite animal?" I then quickly taped 5 different animal pictures around the room. Then I had the students move to the picture of their choice. Then we called 1 group at a time and graphed the kids on the carpet. We have the perfect carpet for this as our carpet is a grid! We had the person at the front hold the animal picture, took a picture with the iPad and showed the image on the SMARTBoard. Then we talked about which one was the most, the least and the same. Here is a sample of an favourite animal graph they could complete at centre time: On the fourth day we made another concrete graph. This time we graphed siblings in our class! We followed the same steps as favourite animal but I taped the signs for "sisters only", "brothers only", "brothers and sisters" and "no siblings" instead. The rest was the same as the third day :) On the fifth day we created our birthday graph! First I had some of my kiddos write the months of the year for me. Then I put them up on the bulletin board. Then I printed out a square picture of each of my kiddos and mounted it on black construction paper. Then we added the pictures during whole group math time and we talked about which month has the most birthdays, which month has the least birthdays and if any of the months have the same. Next time I would have the students write their birth date on a whiteboard and hold it in from of them when I take the picture so that I could easily get that information from this graph. I also used this graph on my graphing wall and put it under "I can answer questions about my graph using the words most, least and the same." Then I put a velcro dot on top of each column and the words most, least and same on a velcro strip underneath. This way, the kids can come and practice identifying which month has the most, which month has the least and which months are the same number of birthdays on the graphing wall. If you would like to try the pre-filled favourite animal graphing sheets click on the button below to download them for free :) All of the printables above can be found in my newest product, Graphing for Little Learners! You can click on the image below to check it out in my TPT store :) My kids are still loving graphing and it is a popular centre every day. How do you teach graphing in Kindergarten? I would love to hear your fun ideas!
Tweet Clip art by Whimsy Clips My students are so engaged by the changing of the seasons and learning with a theme that I try to incorporate the seasons into what we do each day. Because some members of our school community are not really into celebrating holidays in the classroom, I try to stick with lots of activities around the different seasons rather than specific holidays. Fall is a great time to bring pumpkin, apples and leaves into the classroom. When I saw this great set of 10 frame clip art by Graphics From the Pond I knew I wanted to make a new set of 10 frame cards. When I made a set of cards and spend time and money putting them on cardstock or laminating them, I want them to serve more than one purpose. Ten frames (and twenty and five frames) have so many uses in the classroom, so I put together 10 ways to use these cards with kids. These activities work great in Kindergarten and first grade classes and can be used for whole group, math centers or interventions. With the mix of ten frame cards and numeral cards, it is easy to differentiate the activities to meet a diverse group of needs. 10 Frame Flash This makes an excellent whole group, small group or partner activity. Simply flash the 10 frame at your students for 1-3 seconds and then ask them how many pumpkin seeds they saw and how they know they are right. Read more about this here! Matching Numerals and 10 Frames As a whole group game this can be a lot of fun and a great way to work on numbers to 10! Pass out 10 frames and numerals and ask kids to find their match. You can then display them on a pocket chart and talk about what they see. Kids can also do this on their own or with a partner. Spread out all the numeral cards and make a pile of the 10 frame cards. Have the student(s) pick a card from the 10 frame pile and find it’s match in the numeral pile. You can also switch this around and spread out the 10 frame cards and have them pick a numeral card. 10 Frame Memory An easy twist on a classic game! This game is great for kids to play with a partner or in a small group. Simply mix all of the cards together, do a bit of shuffling and then arrange in a rectangular array. If your students are not ready for all the 10 frames you can pick and choose. Just make sure you have the corresponding numerals and 10 frames! Note: Your students should be familiar with matching 10 frames before trying this activity! Sequential and Non Sequential Ordering These activities can be done as a large group by giving each kid a number (until you run out!) and having them get in order from least to greatest. It also works great as an individual task or a partner activity. Once kids have the cards in order, it is a great time for kids to practice counting forward and backwards. Make sure your students get a chance to put numbers in order that are not sequential as well. This activity can be done with just the numeral cards or with both the numeral and 10 frame cards together. Roll and Build This is a simple and effective game! All you need is some blank 10 frames, 10 sided dice and pumpkin seeds. If you don’t have pumpkin seeds bingo chips or other small markers will work just as well. Students can play alone or with a partner. Roll the die, and build that number on the ten frame. This goes much faster if kids do not remove the bingo chips each time but just add more or take some off as they roll. The pumpkin seeds I used got rinsed off and left out for a few hours on a towel to dry. The kids had a lot of fun with them! Odd and Even Sort These cards are a great way to practice odd and even numbers. Using the 10 frame cards is easier than just the numerals but when your students are ready go ahead and use them all! Check out more ways to work on odd and even. Flip and Write Combinations of Ten You can never have to many games for combinations of 10 and this is a great one requiring little teacher prep. Give the student a stack of 10 frame cards or numeral cards if they are ready. Have them flip over a card and write an equation showing how many seeds they see and how many more they need to make 10. I usually have kids create their own record sheet for this activity on a piece of scrap paper. It saves prep time and money! You also might want to check out computer games for combinations of 10. Make 10 Go Fish This is one of my students’ favorite games for practicing combinations of 10. Mix two sets of the ten frame cards together. Shuffle and distribute 4-5 cards to each player. Have each kid look for matches that make ten. For example the 3 and the 7 are a match and the 6 and the 4 are another one. When all matches have been found in individual player’s hands, have them play go fish. If I have the 2 card in my hand, I would ask another player, “do you have the 8 to go with my 2 to make 10?” That player would respond “yes I do or no I don’t have the 8 to go with your 2 to make 10. This language can be challenging to students when you first start but they will catch on quick! Read more about how I use this game in the classroom and see some pictures of the game in action. Pyramid 10 This is played like the classic solitaire game pyramid. Mix two sets of ten frame cards together or use one set of ten frame cards and one set of numeral cards if your students are ready. Students make a pyramid and find matches that make ten. Read more about how my students play pyramid and see more pictures! Mystery Card (Addition and Subtraction) This is a fun game and a nice challenge when students are ready. This game must be played in groups of 3. Two players choose a 10 frame card and place them on their foreheads. The third player finds the sum of the two numbers on their foreheads and tells what it is. Then each of the players with cards on their heads looks at the other person’s card and tries to determine what card they have. This lets one student practice adding 2 numbers under 10 while the other two students practice solving missing addend or subtraction problems. The 10 frame visual really supports this learning. I like to change out the 10 frame playing cards with the seasons to keep things fresh for my students! You can grab the pumpkin playing cards here or the spring seeds card set here. Looking to extend these activities for older students or those who are ready for a challenge? Check out my Double 10 Frames Activity Set! If you are looking for more ways to get 10 frames into your classroom, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Using Ten Frames to Build Number Sense. It is full of great ideas that are easy to implement in the classroom.
What is Subitizing? Simply put, subitizing is the ability to recognize a small group of objects without counting. It is a fundamental skill in the development of number sense. I find that using a real-life example often helps in understanding certain concepts so let’s give it a try. Last week I baked some sugar cookies. If […]
We will be starting measuring when we get back from spring break. Yes, our spring break is NEXT week! So, so early! I am super excited for the break, but it will be a long stretch from the middle of March to May! We do not get any days off for Easter. Since we spent...
Today my gorgeous class increased their knowledge of 2D shapes by making a 'Shape Pizza'. We used paper plates as the base of our pizzas. Students then coloured the paper plates to make the pizza base. I printed off the shapes onto different coloured paper and students cut them out and added them to their paper plates (pizzas). Students then completed the worksheet provided by recognising and counting how many shapes they had used to make their pizza. What a fun time we had! If you wish to create this with your own class here is a link to my activity on Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Steffensons-Kindergarten
KINDERGARTEN MATH - UNIT 1 I am thrilled to be sharing this huge Counting and Cardinality Unit with you! This is the math unit we start the year with in kindergarten. The kids love all of the hands-on activities we get to do, and I love how easy it is to keep them engaged.
Looking for visuals to help your kids make sense of math? Grab this free set of printable math manipulatives for all the hands on resources your kids need.
These fun and engaging hands on measurement activities will help teachers plan and implement lessons on length, capacity and mass. Includes a FREEBIE!
Spring has FINALLY sprung in Atlanta…and it has brought with it a week + of rainy days and more POLLEN than can be imagined…my kids haven’t been outside ALL week! Thank goodness for GoNOODLE indoor recess and the relase of Pop Se Ko 2.0! “My hands are high, my feet are low…BUT outside, outside, we can’t go!” So, being stuck inside for some dreary days has meant I was desperate for some ways to brighten up our classroom and hallways…with bright paper and math crafts of course! My sweet, second grade owls have been studying arrays, as an introduction to repeated addition and beginning multiplication. I love this unit, because it is so hands-on and visual! Based on second grade Common Core standards, we are really just working on repeated addition sentences, but of course, I have many students who were ready to write some basic multiplication sentences too! To fully master this standard, students are also required to partition rectangles into correct arrays, using equal shares! We made Arrays of Sunshine after seeing the cute idea from Teaching with Maddeness. This activity is perfect for having students practice partitioning a rectangle into equal shares that model an array! Then, we made skyscrapers, with “window arrays”…I LOVE how our Array City turned out! This activity was perfect for students to see that there is usually more than 1 way to represent the same array! Finally, we went on an Array Scavenger Hunt all over our school with our iPads. I paired my kids up, had them search the school and “snap” quick pictures of real-life arrays. After we finished our hunt, I had my kids import their pictures into the FREE APP- PicWall. Through the use of PicWall, students were able to label all of their arrays with the correct corresponding repeated addition sentence. Then, they sent me their finished projects using another FREE APP called SHOWBIE! By the end of the day, I had all of my students’ Array Hunt Projects in one place to check and print! This was an AWESOME way to integrate technology AND for students to see that math truly is all around them. Interested in a “low-prep” game for your students to practice using and identify Arrays during math centers or groups? Check out this Arrays Memory Games in my TPTstore --there are actually 2 versions (multiplication sentences & repeated addition sentences) included in this set! Two games for under $4.00--what a steal! Hootfully yours! Lindsay, The Owl Teach
