Number Sense & Dice Patterns

I just finished participating in the KESAM institute for K-8 Math Teachers.  This eight day workshop covers all areas of math and focuses on how to use concrete models to teach concepts with special attention paid to the five math process skills. One of the great things that I took away from this training was tons of ideas for math centers and activities.

With young students, it is extremely important to develop good number sense.  One of the first things you can do to develop this is to teach students to identify patterns in numbers.  Our adult eyes are quick to identify any object found in groups based upon number patterns we have learned.  For example, look at the two pictures below.  How many ducks?  How many flowers?

I'm willing to bet none of you actually counted the objects in those pictures.  As adults, your mind has learned to identify a pattern of four as well as a pattern of six without counting.  Children have the ability to learn this skill at an early age.  It is a great way to start them on the way to developing number sense.

Dice are a great way to start developing number sense in children.  In my classroom, I begin by teaching students to identify the dice patterns using paper plates.  Much like flashcards, I use paper plates with dots in patterns to play a game called "Name That Number".  Students love it. I progress into students using dice to play the game with each other.  Eventually as students master the ability to identify numbers without counting the dots, I add more than one dice.  Great addition practice as well.

A Few Math Apps for Primary Grades

Number Rack
This abacus style app promotes students' ability to think in groups of five or ten.  In addition, it gives students concrete models where they can practice basic addition and subtraction concepts. FREE!

 Number Pieces
 I love, love, LOVE this app.  I do quite a bit of math instruction with base ten blocks.  This app is one of the best virtual base ten block apps I have seen.  It allows students to group and ungroup blocks. It offers a writing feature where students can write numbers, use as scratch pad, or even circle blocks to group them. What's my favorite four letter word?? FREE!!



 Geoboard
This is a great app for allowing students to explore shapes, symmetry, and more.  My students really enjoy using this app.  On the ipad, it offers two different sizes of geoboards with five band colors to choose from. Lots of possibilities with this app.  Oh, did I mention....FREE!!!! :-)

 

Tiny Tips for My Teacher Friends

Storage Solution -
I have rectangular tables in my classroom.  I enjoy having the tables to promote collaborative learning, but it makes storage a problem.  Seatback pockets are very expensive and haven't been something I could afford to do. Last year I saw numerous posts on using stretchable book covers as seatback pockets.  Sometime in September, I decided to purchase some that were on clearance at our local Walmart and try them out.  I have to admit the work fairly well.  Now, I wouldn't recommend putting textbooks in them, but my students were able to keep workbooks, work folders, white boards, and their computer headphones within easy reach. I paid around $1.00 for each cover, and I am happy to say that all but one will be usable again this year. If you decide to try book covers, I recommend purchasing jumbo size covers.  These hold wider folders better.

Brilliant idea!!!
I have seen these tiny latching containers for the past three years at Staples.  I've always wondered what in the world they would be good for besides holding a few paper clips. The other day I was browsing through Staples trying to decide what supplies I needed for the coming year when I stumbled upon these little babies again.  BAM! It hit me right in the forehead.  These would be awesome containers for dice. They latch securely, are the perfect size, and offer great visibility for students to see the dice. They even stack for easy storage. No more flying dice!! I even scored great on their price because they were on sale for .25 cents.  Normally priced at $1.00 a box, I think it is a decent price for such a great solution.

Dodecagons

 First grade has been studying the solar system, and we used a very creative way to display our research - DODECAGONS.  Students were give specific things to research:  The sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Earth's moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and the dwarf planet Pluto.  Using non-fiction books and online searches to find information, students filled out 12 sides to the dodecagon and folded and taped it together to form the shape.  Students learned about the etymology of the word dodecagon and compared it to words like hexagon, pentagon, and decagon.  Check out some pictures of various student's dodecagon.

 Sorry, I couldn't get this one to rotate.  :-(

All students chose their own facts to share.  This student found some very interesting information out about Uranus during his discovery research.

I found that the students absorbed so much more information when they had to discover it for themselves.  It was difficult at times to not offer too much assistance and instead, simply scaffold the research process.

Jupiter was a class favorite.  Students had to take turns researching this planet throughout the various activities that we have done so that everyone would get a chance to study it.

Students were given a rubric on how this activity would be assessed.  Guidelines were clearly expressed prior to beginning the task so that students would know what the expectations were to complete this project correctly.   Keep in mind this work was done by 1st graders! I am very proud.

Show Me!

Recently, I began taking part in twitter chats for professional development.  I have to say that if you are a teacher and you are not utilizing this totally free resource for ideas and continued professional growth, you are missing out!  One of my new favorites is a Sunday night chat under the hashtag #1stchat.  It makes it possible to network and collaborate with educators all over the world with a focus on the 1st grade.  The other night, I was really inspired by a program that was shared by another teacher.  The program, or app, is called ShowMe.  It allows students to make a recording of their voice while illustrating or writing whatever they want.  I found this a great tool for assessing students abilities and understanding while also activating higher order thinking skills.  I am now experimenting with how this app can be best used in my classroom to advance my 1st graders. Here is an example of one activity that I have already used this great app to do. The possibilities are endless.

A throne for the Queen.

I've always joked that I am the "Queen of my Classroom".  So I thought it was about time for me to get a throne!  LOL, just kidding.  I actually have had this plain wood stool in my classroom for the past two years.  I use it when I'm teaching and occasionally, the students will sit on it when they are sharing.  Well, I saw the cutest stool on Pinterest that someone had painted. Of course I wanted one of my own.  Here it is.  I'm pretty happy with it.  I used acrylic paint and applied a gloss sealer after finishing.  I used a paint pen for the zebra design on the top which I am quite proud to say I actually free handed the drawing.  For the name, I printed off my name using the computer.  Then I took transfer paper (you can get it a Hobby Lobby) to trace it on the stool.  I just filled it in with the paint pen after and hot glued a feather boa around the seat.  Voila!!! Fit for a Queen.

A sticky situation.......

So, I've been working on some classroom projects as I get ready for this school year.  One of my projects is just an improvement on something I used last year.  Teaching first grade, I like for my students to be able to go and select words from the word wall when they are writing.  It is hard for them to copy words from the wall.  Last year, someone shared the idea of using a plastic tablecloth sprayed with adhesive to create a word wall that was sticky.  I did it and it worked great.  However, the plastic tablecloth didn't last very long before tearing and wrinkling up. 

This year, I took my word wall a step further.  I purchased 3 yards of outdoor vinyl from the bargain store (you can find it at Hobby Lobby or other fabric stores as well).  I stapled it to my wall (you could use hot glue). I laid newspapers on the floor and then sprayed it heavily with spray adhesive purchased at Walmart in the craft section.  After the spray adhesive was applied, it became a sticky surface.  I used foam sheets cut out into rectangles to write my words on.  The foam can be peeled off and re-stuck as many times as the kids want to use it and the vinyl is very durable and will be able to be used several years.  I can even change the border to change themes.  It is really cool.  AND students think it is magic that they just stick up there.   See my attached picture of my finished word wall????  I love it.