Pattern blocks are a type of math manipulative that you commonly find in primary grade classrooms and beyond. They are great for learning geometry and a fun way to build spacial awareness as well. I blogged about pattern blocks back in the summer - here.
Pattern blocks are a great teaching tool to have at home for your children to play and learn with. I started this post as a way to share this link for making Christmas themed pictures using pattern blocks: http://prekinders.com/2009/11/christmas-pattern-blocks/
(That should be where I stopped typing but instead...I wrote a short dissertation. Clearly I'm stalling on my holiday to-do list!)
I thought I'd re-cap some of the toys that we play with at our house that use pattern blocks and offer a couple good websites for free printables of templates for pattern blocks. All of the products listed can be bought at Amazon.com or locally at most toy stores. It's actually quite amazing the selection of pattern blocks that you can buy at Amazon - wood, foam, see-through, magnetic, template sets, kits, etc. (Hop over there if you aren't familiar with what pattern blocks are!)
Melissa and Doug makes a wooden set - "Pattern Blocks & Boards" which has pre-printed images that the child lays the blocks onto. This has been a favorite toy for years! To extend my kindergartners learning with this I have him record the number of each of the shapes that he uses to create the picture.
Melissa and Doug also makes a toy for younger children (2+) called Beginner Pattern Blocks. These are great for wee little ones because the blocks fit into place and do not slide around. Each pictures requires less tiles and they are simple to solve. My daughter is an expert at this and loves to sit and play with it. The other set is still a bit frustrating because the tiles slide but she plays with both now.
Mightymind Set - is a activity set that has 32 colorful design tiles that store in a plastic tray. It has sequentially numbered puzzle cards for the child to build increasingly difficult pictures. Clearly people have known about this toy for some time since "over 3 million sets have been sold in 20 countries around the world" but I just discovered it this past fall. It's marketed for ages 3-8 but my 2.5 year old enjoys it and my six year old finished it quickly. I like that it gets increasingly more difficult as they take the color and outline supports out from the cards as they get progressively more challenging. The brochure for the product states, "MightyMind encourages and entices a child to think, explore and discover the fascinating way simple shapes can be combined to form intricate delightful pictures and designs. Children learn to solve puzzles without assistance. No language or reading is required." I think this is a great set to buy but the blocks are smaller than free templates that I found online. The tiles are plastic and I prefer the M&D wood ones, but this company also offers a magnetic set which would be fun on the go.
Another choice is make paper pattern blocks using card stock. The drawback is the paper ones shift when making patterns and they don't have the same feel as wood one.
The paper ones do make fun craft projects, though I'd advise an adult precuting the shapes so building with them comes out symmetrical. Here's a site for paper pattern blocks. http://www.heidisongs.com/Free_Downloads/assets/Pattern_Block_Masters.pdf
Also check out Heidi's blog post about using pattern blocks to build letters - http://heidisongs.blogspot.com/2010/06/printed-alphabet-pattern-blocks-and.html
Other good sites for free pattern block templates:
One of my favorite preschool websites has a wealth of pattern block templates: http://prekinders.com/pattern-blocks/ (These come in both color and black and white so you can offer differing amounts of support.)
One of my favorite Kindergarten bloggers Mrs. Wills has free pattern block templates. Just click on the picture and it takes you to her Goggle docs for free. These are smaller than the pattern blocks that I own but I love that it challenges my son to 'free build' using the template as a guide. It doesn't allow him to just lay the tiles on tops of the template so his mind is working at another level!
http://www.mrswillskindergarten.com/2011/07/math-work-stations-blog-party-chapter-7.html
This site is geared for slightly older children but lovely designs. http://www.patternblocktemplates.com/category/science-technology/
Links to other learning using pattern blocks -- quilting, snowflakes, symmetrical building, art
Of my....I think I will be spending more time with pattern blocks this winter! But back now to my holiday to-do list!
Merry Christmas!
~April
Showing posts with label Math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Math. Show all posts
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Free Printable Math Games
My son loves math and he is always eager to play new games. Instead of buying board games or packaged products, I've decided to be on the look out for FREE printable math games online.
Today I found a new website that has a variety of math centers and games with free printables in PDF form. There are about 30 activities to choose from. It's not listed the age range but it looks like Kindergarten -1st grade work. I haven't tried out any of the games yet so I can't blog about specifics that he liked...but I'll keep you posted!
http://www.kidscount1234.com/mathcentersandgames.html
For games for children to play online, our new 'go to' website is www.abcya.com - which has K-5 grade work for both literacy and math.
Today I found a new website that has a variety of math centers and games with free printables in PDF form. There are about 30 activities to choose from. It's not listed the age range but it looks like Kindergarten -1st grade work. I haven't tried out any of the games yet so I can't blog about specifics that he liked...but I'll keep you posted!
http://www.kidscount1234.com/mathcentersandgames.html
For games for children to play online, our new 'go to' website is www.abcya.com - which has K-5 grade work for both literacy and math.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Post Trick-or-treat Activities
Our children had a very successful night of trick-or-treating. This year we got an early start, thinking that our two and a half year old wouldn't last long. Well our little "Princess Peach" was excited about the process and was in no hurry to stop! She had the cutest little way of saying "trick or treat", followed by a "more candy" when it was time to head to the next house!
Trick-or-treating in New England generally involves lots of layers and bulging costumes over top of snowsuits. This year we were bundled up but were pleasantly surprised by the mild temperatures (mid-40s and no rain). So the combination of good weather and and a happy toddler meant my sons dreams of trick-or-treating for as long as possible came true. Sadly that meant our candy collection is ridiculously large.
When we got home we weighed it and found we had collected 4.72 pounds of candy. Ummm, that is a dangerous amount of sugar to have in the house. So my first thought was ---I had better come up with some fun activities so we don't end up eating all of these candies. Of course the more educational the better. So here are the activities that I have come up with so far.
I'd love your feedback of ways you use up the candy at your house!
Math Activities:
SORT - logical first step with any candy collection is to sort it.
GRAPH - lay out the candy in a type of bar graph to see which type we have the most. Record the highest numbers onto a paper graph.
PAPER GRAPHS - In the past we've made graphs at Valentine's with conversation hearts and with M&Ms. It's always fun to do this with several packets and compare. Here's a free M&M graph: http://printables.atozteacherstuff.com/452/graphing-m-ms-candy-color-chart/
WEIGH- we used a kitchen scale to weigh the candies but a balance scale would be fun to play with as well.
CANDY STORE - today we are going to get out the cash register, a pretend candy vending machine and some of the candy. Each of the kids will get 6 cents to spend per day. Most the candy is 3 cents each, so they will get to buy two treats per day. (My son is learning how to skip counting by 3's and my daughter can count to 3, so that number will work for both of them.)
Science Experiments:
Floating S - take a bag of skittles and put them into a shallow bowl of warm water. Let them sit in the water until they begin to dissolve. Eventually some of the letter S's will float up to the surface of the water. Do not stir the water since it makes the edible dye dissolve. Also notice how the colors from the skittles stay separated at the bottom of the water. Out of a small packet of skittles we had 3 S's float to the top. We left the container on the table for a couple of hours and found a strange waxy cloud at the top, which I presume is the outer coating. When my son noticed it he said, "Yuck, we eat this stuff!" (ahhh, music to a mommy's ears)
M&M Chromatography - declare that all plain brown M&Ms are to be saved for a very important science project. Then go to this website- http://www.candyexperiments.com/ -- to find out how. All you'll need is brown M&M's, coffee filter paper, and water --- oh, and willing kids to give up some their M&Ms.
Sink/Float - take a small container filled with water and experiment with a variety of candies. Record your observations on paper.
Gingerbread House Idea:
I suggested that we save a portion of the candy collection to decorate our annual gingerbread house. I think knowing that the candy is going to be seen in a few weeks and will be used for a fun projects makes storing it away an easier task.
Donate:
A small portion of our candy loot will be donated to Daddy's classroom. We have done this for a number of years and my son is happy to send off anything sour, strawberry flavored, or that is too sticky (like Laffy Taffy).
Ideas from other folks:
"Halloween Fairy" comes at night and takes all the candy but leaves a book.
"Candy for Troops" - dentists in some towns pay kids $1 pound (up to 5 pounds) for their candy and then mail it to the troops.
"Store out of sight" so that kids just forget about it. (likely works for only younger children)
I'd love to hear you good ideas too!
Trick-or-treating in New England generally involves lots of layers and bulging costumes over top of snowsuits. This year we were bundled up but were pleasantly surprised by the mild temperatures (mid-40s and no rain). So the combination of good weather and and a happy toddler meant my sons dreams of trick-or-treating for as long as possible came true. Sadly that meant our candy collection is ridiculously large.
When we got home we weighed it and found we had collected 4.72 pounds of candy. Ummm, that is a dangerous amount of sugar to have in the house. So my first thought was ---I had better come up with some fun activities so we don't end up eating all of these candies. Of course the more educational the better. So here are the activities that I have come up with so far.
I'd love your feedback of ways you use up the candy at your house!
Math Activities:
SORT - logical first step with any candy collection is to sort it.
GRAPH - lay out the candy in a type of bar graph to see which type we have the most. Record the highest numbers onto a paper graph.
PAPER GRAPHS - In the past we've made graphs at Valentine's with conversation hearts and with M&Ms. It's always fun to do this with several packets and compare. Here's a free M&M graph: http://printables.atozteacherstuff.com/452/graphing-m-ms-candy-color-chart/
WEIGH- we used a kitchen scale to weigh the candies but a balance scale would be fun to play with as well.
CANDY STORE - today we are going to get out the cash register, a pretend candy vending machine and some of the candy. Each of the kids will get 6 cents to spend per day. Most the candy is 3 cents each, so they will get to buy two treats per day. (My son is learning how to skip counting by 3's and my daughter can count to 3, so that number will work for both of them.)
Science Experiments:
Floating S - take a bag of skittles and put them into a shallow bowl of warm water. Let them sit in the water until they begin to dissolve. Eventually some of the letter S's will float up to the surface of the water. Do not stir the water since it makes the edible dye dissolve. Also notice how the colors from the skittles stay separated at the bottom of the water. Out of a small packet of skittles we had 3 S's float to the top. We left the container on the table for a couple of hours and found a strange waxy cloud at the top, which I presume is the outer coating. When my son noticed it he said, "Yuck, we eat this stuff!" (ahhh, music to a mommy's ears)
M&M Chromatography - declare that all plain brown M&Ms are to be saved for a very important science project. Then go to this website- http://www.candyexperiments.com/ -- to find out how. All you'll need is brown M&M's, coffee filter paper, and water --- oh, and willing kids to give up some their M&Ms.
Sink/Float - take a small container filled with water and experiment with a variety of candies. Record your observations on paper.
Gingerbread House Idea:
I suggested that we save a portion of the candy collection to decorate our annual gingerbread house. I think knowing that the candy is going to be seen in a few weeks and will be used for a fun projects makes storing it away an easier task.
Donate:
A small portion of our candy loot will be donated to Daddy's classroom. We have done this for a number of years and my son is happy to send off anything sour, strawberry flavored, or that is too sticky (like Laffy Taffy).
Ideas from other folks:
"Halloween Fairy" comes at night and takes all the candy but leaves a book.
"Candy for Troops" - dentists in some towns pay kids $1 pound (up to 5 pounds) for their candy and then mail it to the troops.
"Store out of sight" so that kids just forget about it. (likely works for only younger children)
I'd love to hear you good ideas too!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Interactive Hundreds Charts
My son loves to work with the hundreds chart so I went looking online for some new resources. Currently he is learning how to count by 3s using the hundreds chart so I started my search there. I ended up finding a great site that has an interactive hundreds chart, which can be used for all sorts of number sequences!
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_337_g_1_t_1.html?from=category_g_1_t_1.html
The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a goldmine of resources. Be sure to bookmark it if you haven't already!! http://nlvm.usu.edu
This Hundreds Chart is a great tool to use to demonstrate skip counting. There are three modes which can be found BELOW the chart - practice, show and animate.
Practice mode- allows the child to counting by clicking on numbers in the chart. If the child clicks correctly, the number becomes highlighted in blue, but if it's incorrect it is highlighted red. To start over just click clear.
Other Interactive Hundreds Chart Games & Activities:
Fill in the missing numbers on a hundreds chart game = http://www.softschools.com/math/hundreds_chart/missing_numbers_game/
Answer questions using the hundreds chart =
http://www.softschools.com/math/hundreds_chart/games/
Paint different colors onto the hundreds chart, and can print out. http://www.abcya.com/interactive_100_number_chart.htm
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_337_g_1_t_1.html?from=category_g_1_t_1.html
The National Library of Virtual Manipulatives is a goldmine of resources. Be sure to bookmark it if you haven't already!! http://nlvm.usu.edu
This Hundreds Chart is a great tool to use to demonstrate skip counting. There are three modes which can be found BELOW the chart - practice, show and animate.
Practice mode- allows the child to counting by clicking on numbers in the chart. If the child clicks correctly, the number becomes highlighted in blue, but if it's incorrect it is highlighted red. To start over just click clear.
Show mode - when clicked all the numbers in the counting sequence are highlighted immediately. To change the sequences use the arrows to change the number to "count by" or change the number that you "start at". I love how visual this is for demonstrating skip counting!
Animate - when clicked the numbers in the sequence appear one at a time. It is slow enough that child could practice counting orally before (or at least with) the numbers as they appear.
I also love the "Starting at" button which allows you to change the number that you begin the counting sequence. For instance, my son can easily count by 10s to one hundred if he begins at 10, or by 5s starting at 5, or by 2s starting at 2. This button allows you to start at another number and skip count, which is a higher level of thinking. Try counting by tens if you start with 13...or by fives if you start with 4 ---- definitely a lot harder!
This would be an even greater tool if you could interact with it on a touch screen. If anyone reading knows of one, I'd love to have the link. (Well I guess that I'd also need an iPad or SmartBoard too!) But for now we are going to have fun with this FREE interactive hundreds chart that can just be used on the PC. Enjoy!
http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_337_g_1_t_1.html?from=category_g_1_t_1.htmlOther Interactive Hundreds Chart Games & Activities:
Fill in the missing numbers on a hundreds chart game = http://www.softschools.com/math/hundreds_chart/missing_numbers_game/
Answer questions using the hundreds chart =
http://www.softschools.com/math/hundreds_chart/games/
Paint different colors onto the hundreds chart, and can print out. http://www.abcya.com/interactive_100_number_chart.htm
Monday, August 15, 2011
Egg Carton Math
 |
| Sorry this photo is side-ways! |
I loved that it would take no time to prep and that we had everything we needed on hand. I labeled the egg carton as suggested and found our big foam dice to make it even more fun. For counters I decided to use pom poms since they fit in the spaces and our unifex cubes only have 10 per color.
To play: Each players takes a turn by rolling two dice. They find the total by adding the two dice together. Then they put one of their counters (pom pom) into the space of that number. The next player goes and puts their color counter in the space for the number they roll. The goal is to be the first person to have a counter in each space. Since you can't roll a one, the first space has a star. If you roll a number and the space is already filled with your counter then you put one in the 'star' space. After that, if you roll a number more than once you lose your turn.
Click on the link for the full instructions and a free printable version of the directions.
http://downunderteacher.blogspot.com/2011/08/freebie-eggs-act-sums.html
And so my sweet two year old has a similar game to play, I put together a tray for her. I added a strawberry huller, tweezers, and a spoon for her to practice her fine motor skills. The dice is just for fun. She is just learning one:one correspondence so I will talk to her about putting just one pom pom into each space.
This should keep them busy for a bit! And it will be a good activity to keep on the shelf for another rainy day! Thanks "Down Under Teacher" for this activity!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Math Teaching Resources
So we are at the last chapter of Debbie Diller's fabulous book Math Work Stations. My big question is..."How am I going to remember where all these wonderful on-line resources for teaching math are located? How will I be able to go back an find all those great posts from the blog party?"
My solution....create my own blog post that lists the direct links for each chapter. Each of these has links for up to 30-40 other blogs, many of which have freebies! And at the end of this post is a list of a few other of the math websites that I don't want to forget!
Hope this is helpful to someone else besides me!
Thanks for letting me a part of the blog party!
~April
Chapter 1&2
http://www.mrswillskindergarten.com/2011/06/math-work-stations-blog-party-chapter-1.html
Chapter 3
http://learningwithmrsparker.blogspot.com/2011/06/math-work-stations-chapter-3.html
Chapter 4 - Beginning Number Concept
http://kindergartencrayons.blogspot.com/2011/06/chapter-4-now-lets-explore.html
Chapter 5 - Addition & Subtraction
http://primarygraffiti.blogspot.com/2011/06/math-workstations-learning-resources.html
Chapter 6 - Place Value
http://oceansoffirstgradefun.blogspot.com/2011/06/math-work-stations-chapter-6-place.html
Chapter 7 - Geometry
http://pattonspatch.blogspot.com/2011/07/math-workstations-chapter-7-geometry.html
Chapter 8 - Measurement
http://loryevanspage.blogspot.com/2011/07/debbie-dillers-chapter-8-measurement.html
------------
Other math websites that I wanted to remember....I didn't have a chance to write a description for each!
http://mathematicallyminded.com/
Online Games and Activities for K-1
http://investigations.terc.edu/library/Games_K1.cfm
http://www.mathwire.com/
http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/index.html
Math Skills checklist for ages 3 - 6th grade
http://www.swiftriverschool.org/alignment%20for%20web/Mathbenchall.pdf
Free Math Clipart for Teachers - there are almost 10,000 images!
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/sitemap/math.php
http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/Rekenrek.html
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/maths/snmy/resourcelib.htm#4
http://www.edplus.canterbury.ac.nz/literacy_numeracy/maths/numdocuments/dot_card_and_ten_frame_package2005.pdf
My solution....create my own blog post that lists the direct links for each chapter. Each of these has links for up to 30-40 other blogs, many of which have freebies! And at the end of this post is a list of a few other of the math websites that I don't want to forget!
Hope this is helpful to someone else besides me!
Thanks for letting me a part of the blog party!
~April
Chapter 1&2
http://www.mrswillskindergarten.com/2011/06/math-work-stations-blog-party-chapter-1.html
Chapter 3
http://learningwithmrsparker.blogspot.com/2011/06/math-work-stations-chapter-3.html
Chapter 4 - Beginning Number Concept
http://kindergartencrayons.blogspot.com/2011/06/chapter-4-now-lets-explore.html
Chapter 5 - Addition & Subtraction
http://primarygraffiti.blogspot.com/2011/06/math-workstations-learning-resources.html
Chapter 6 - Place Value
http://oceansoffirstgradefun.blogspot.com/2011/06/math-work-stations-chapter-6-place.html
Chapter 7 - Geometry
http://pattonspatch.blogspot.com/2011/07/math-workstations-chapter-7-geometry.html
Chapter 8 - Measurement
http://loryevanspage.blogspot.com/2011/07/debbie-dillers-chapter-8-measurement.html
------------
Other math websites that I wanted to remember....I didn't have a chance to write a description for each!
http://mathematicallyminded.com/
Online Games and Activities for K-1
http://investigations.terc.edu/library/Games_K1.cfm
http://www.mathwire.com/
http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/index.html
Math Skills checklist for ages 3 - 6th grade
http://www.swiftriverschool.org/alignment%20for%20web/Mathbenchall.pdf
Free Math Clipart for Teachers - there are almost 10,000 images!
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/sitemap/math.php
http://www.k-5mathteachingresources.com/Rekenrek.html
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/maths/snmy/resourcelib.htm#4
http://www.edplus.canterbury.ac.nz/literacy_numeracy/maths/numdocuments/dot_card_and_ten_frame_package2005.pdf
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Beginning Number Concept
Giving children a strong start in beginning number concept is like building a strong foundation when constructing a house. I can remember my first year teaching first grade and thinking, these kids can count to at least 20. They learned number concepts in kindergarten, so lets move on. Why waste time on 10 frames and dot cards? Lucky for me our school's math lead teacher was right across the hall and she was quick to enlighten me to the need of explicitly teaching number sense (and reteaching it) to my first graders. Thank you Mrs. Phillips!
Debbie Diller has wonderful ideas for math work stations that teach beginning number concepts. I wanted to just jump right in and start doing them ALL with my own children (ages 2 & 5) this week. Then I realized that working through a couple of these games each week over the course of the summer would make more sense. So my plan is to take the 17 activities that she listed from pages 73-85 and do at least two each week. I plan on blogging about each of them and writing those posts geared to other parents. My plan is to use materials that could be found at home or a dollar store, so that parents could use the ideas with their children. Hopefully I will even figure out how to attach Google Docs correctly so I can offer parents some free printables to go along with the activities. So check back throughout the summer, if you can use this type of activities or want to share them with your students!
This past Saturday I was able to attend a great training called Mother Goose Cares about Math. This group has a wonderful website that teachers and parents may find useful in finding literature & activities to connect with math concepts. Go to their website: http://www.mothergooseprograms.org/math_science.php
Click on the search button, type in your topic (i.e. counting), click on books and then a wonderful list of quality children's literature will come up. They also have free activities that would be good to share with parents, as well as articles for professionals to learn more. This group also offers free webinars and has archived all their previous ones!
So Fran in her AMAZING post this week (www.kindgartencrayons.blogspot.com) suggests some retail therapy. I was one step ahead and spent an hour on Amazon making some important decisions. I knew that I wanted some fresh math materials to use this summer with my own kiddos, so I invested in some unifex cubes, tangrams, linking shapes, geoboard, and a Crayola Activity Center. I also got a full ream of card stock and pack of 50 of laminating sheets, which basically could be used up just on Fran's freebies this week!
If you aren't familiar with the Crayola Activity Center it's a great tool. Basically you slip a worksheet into a clear plastic sheet and insert it into the tablet. Then the child uses dry erase markers to do the activity and the worksheet can be used over and over. It is going to help cut down on my photocopies at home and it apparently is LOTS of fun and the kids both love to use it. One tip though, use Expo markers since they erase easier than the Crayola!
Debbie Diller has wonderful ideas for math work stations that teach beginning number concepts. I wanted to just jump right in and start doing them ALL with my own children (ages 2 & 5) this week. Then I realized that working through a couple of these games each week over the course of the summer would make more sense. So my plan is to take the 17 activities that she listed from pages 73-85 and do at least two each week. I plan on blogging about each of them and writing those posts geared to other parents. My plan is to use materials that could be found at home or a dollar store, so that parents could use the ideas with their children. Hopefully I will even figure out how to attach Google Docs correctly so I can offer parents some free printables to go along with the activities. So check back throughout the summer, if you can use this type of activities or want to share them with your students!
This past Saturday I was able to attend a great training called Mother Goose Cares about Math. This group has a wonderful website that teachers and parents may find useful in finding literature & activities to connect with math concepts. Go to their website: http://www.mothergooseprograms.org/math_science.php
Click on the search button, type in your topic (i.e. counting), click on books and then a wonderful list of quality children's literature will come up. They also have free activities that would be good to share with parents, as well as articles for professionals to learn more. This group also offers free webinars and has archived all their previous ones!
So Fran in her AMAZING post this week (www.kindgartencrayons.blogspot.com) suggests some retail therapy. I was one step ahead and spent an hour on Amazon making some important decisions. I knew that I wanted some fresh math materials to use this summer with my own kiddos, so I invested in some unifex cubes, tangrams, linking shapes, geoboard, and a Crayola Activity Center. I also got a full ream of card stock and pack of 50 of laminating sheets, which basically could be used up just on Fran's freebies this week!
If you aren't familiar with the Crayola Activity Center it's a great tool. Basically you slip a worksheet into a clear plastic sheet and insert it into the tablet. Then the child uses dry erase markers to do the activity and the worksheet can be used over and over. It is going to help cut down on my photocopies at home and it apparently is LOTS of fun and the kids both love to use it. One tip though, use Expo markers since they erase easier than the Crayola!
 |
| Yippe! New teaching materials to use with my kiddos this summer. |
 |
| It's like Christmas....lots of free materials & books from my Mother Goose training. |
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Math Vocab Cards
Being a part of the Math Work Stations Blog Party is amazing. I have read more blogs in the last two weeks than I have in last year.
The only problem is that there are SO many good resources that I am having to decided, "Is this worth printing?"
One resource that I found that is definitely worth printing is the Math Vocabulary Cards for grades K-5 (see link below). These are large enough that they could be used as a math word wall, but print two to a page so it wouldn't use too much card stock. I think the images are very clear & would help support an emergent reader.
Now to go order more ink!
http://www.sw-georgia.resa.k12.ga.us/VocabularyCards.html
The only problem is that there are SO many good resources that I am having to decided, "Is this worth printing?"
One resource that I found that is definitely worth printing is the Math Vocabulary Cards for grades K-5 (see link below). These are large enough that they could be used as a math word wall, but print two to a page so it wouldn't use too much card stock. I think the images are very clear & would help support an emergent reader.
Now to go order more ink!
http://www.sw-georgia.resa.k12.ga.us/VocabularyCards.html
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Math Work Stations - getting started!
I've continued on my quest to implement Debbie Diller's "Math Work Stations" into my summer "Kinder Camp" at home. Getting started with this project is much different than planning for a classroom so some of the tasks for this chapter don't apply.
I can see the importance of a management board to keep a classroom full of kids on task and have enjoyed reading other's blogs to see how they are implementing them into their classroom. Here at our house it won't be necessary, but I do plan to use a checklist to see which math work stations my son is using most often.
One idea from this week's reading that I really liked is to create 'anchor charts' WITH the children. This helps to reinforce what the kids are learning and serves as an on-going learning tool. I plan on using these regularly with my children. Thanks to Mrs. Parker for sharing a link on her blog that show wonderful examples of anchor charts: http://www.jmeacham.com/anchorcharts.htm
I have started a list of supplies to buy and poster board will definitely be on there! And copious amounts of card stock, laminating pouches, & ink for all the great on-line printables!
I also plan on utilizing the math talk cards. It is so important to model math vocabulary and these will be a great tool. Another link that I discovered this week from reading the MWS Blog Party was one that had great math vocabulary cards that could be printed for free. Once on the site click, look under the listing, Grade Level Vocabulary Cards, then click on the grade level of interest to you. There is K-5 available.
www.madison.k12.ga.us/elementarymath/mathresources.htm
My big project for the week is going through my math paper files, cleaning out the old, and making room for the new. That whole PURGE step is hard. Knowing that there are so many better resources than worksheets has made it slightly easier.
I was hoping to post a link to my own Google Docs that had math labels formatted for file folders. I thought others would appreciate this if they too were cleaning out their filing cabinets but I am still a novice. {The dilemna: The document saved on the PC is formatted correctly and prints in the margins of an Avery label sheet, but when I upload to Google Docs the words are there but the formatting isn't. Hmmm...any thoughts my blogging Google Doc fanatic friends?}
Another area that I want to learn more about is the Common Core Standards and how to organize my materials around them. I hope others will post how they are using these in their teaching. Being a stay-at-home-mom I don't feel like I'm in the loop of current eduational trends, but I know that my state (Vermont) has adopted the Common Core and want to be knowledgeable about them!
All of this MWS blogging seems less of a party and rather hard work. I love professional learning and this group has given me a kick in pants to get in gear. Seeing what you all are doing this summer to improve your instruction is inspiring!
As a reward for all my hard work, I am taking a day off from being a SAHM and going to a full day math training. Saturday will be spent at a Mother Goose Cares about Math workshop! I'm so excited to chat about math with other primary teachers! And the hour drive there and back will give me some quiet think time!
Can't wait for our next installment....Beginning Number Concept! See you then!
I can see the importance of a management board to keep a classroom full of kids on task and have enjoyed reading other's blogs to see how they are implementing them into their classroom. Here at our house it won't be necessary, but I do plan to use a checklist to see which math work stations my son is using most often.
One idea from this week's reading that I really liked is to create 'anchor charts' WITH the children. This helps to reinforce what the kids are learning and serves as an on-going learning tool. I plan on using these regularly with my children. Thanks to Mrs. Parker for sharing a link on her blog that show wonderful examples of anchor charts: http://www.jmeacham.com/anchorcharts.htm
I have started a list of supplies to buy and poster board will definitely be on there! And copious amounts of card stock, laminating pouches, & ink for all the great on-line printables!
I also plan on utilizing the math talk cards. It is so important to model math vocabulary and these will be a great tool. Another link that I discovered this week from reading the MWS Blog Party was one that had great math vocabulary cards that could be printed for free. Once on the site click, look under the listing, Grade Level Vocabulary Cards, then click on the grade level of interest to you. There is K-5 available.
www.madison.k12.ga.us/elementarymath/mathresources.htm
My big project for the week is going through my math paper files, cleaning out the old, and making room for the new. That whole PURGE step is hard. Knowing that there are so many better resources than worksheets has made it slightly easier.
I was hoping to post a link to my own Google Docs that had math labels formatted for file folders. I thought others would appreciate this if they too were cleaning out their filing cabinets but I am still a novice. {The dilemna: The document saved on the PC is formatted correctly and prints in the margins of an Avery label sheet, but when I upload to Google Docs the words are there but the formatting isn't. Hmmm...any thoughts my blogging Google Doc fanatic friends?}
Another area that I want to learn more about is the Common Core Standards and how to organize my materials around them. I hope others will post how they are using these in their teaching. Being a stay-at-home-mom I don't feel like I'm in the loop of current eduational trends, but I know that my state (Vermont) has adopted the Common Core and want to be knowledgeable about them!
All of this MWS blogging seems less of a party and rather hard work. I love professional learning and this group has given me a kick in pants to get in gear. Seeing what you all are doing this summer to improve your instruction is inspiring!
As a reward for all my hard work, I am taking a day off from being a SAHM and going to a full day math training. Saturday will be spent at a Mother Goose Cares about Math workshop! I'm so excited to chat about math with other primary teachers! And the hour drive there and back will give me some quiet think time!
Can't wait for our next installment....Beginning Number Concept! See you then!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)