In math right now, the kids are taking an inventory of classroom materials. They need to figure out how many pencils, colored bears, geometrical shape blocks, etc., we have. This calls for organization at the very least, and an understanding of a number system based on 10 at the most. Fingers crossed, in a couple days we're going to discover place value. Mystery revealed!
In the meantime, there is hilarious and purposeful confusion all around. One group is organizing some books, and they can't decide if there are 34, 35, or 36 of them. Maybe because their tactic is to spread them around and hop from one to the other counting out loud....
Another group is counting shells, and they organized by making a triangle with 1 at the bottom, then 2, then 3, upward to 12. Maybe they're better at math than I am, but that took some thinking on my end.
Two groups are definitely on the right track. One was working with popsicle sticks and made tally marks out of them. Four sticks squished together parallel with one stick intersecting.
The other group had pencils, and they put them in 5s. But they really wanted to do tens but didn't have a way to put them together. They demanded rubber bands. Which we didn't have. So they ran around and got some tape and made do.
Brave Bunny, who has been through more meetings and organizational conferences than he can count (maybe he can use some of the techniques of the 1st graders), notes that nothing will likely change in the future---some will be super organized, some will jump around, and others will use some very creative but somewhat unfathomable method.
ReplyDeleteI work with a company called Dreambox that specializes in math software directed toward 1st and 2nd graders. Many of the activities in our programs resemble this style of organization and problem solving. If you are looking for any other lesson styles or resources, please let me know. Otherwise, I would very much like to keep an open dialogue about how your math lessons are going. Hope the organizing goes well.
ReplyDeleteMy school is using the Mind Institutes GIGI computer programs to supplement our math curriculum for second and third grade. The kids love it! The program even has a musical component (key boards) that has been successful as well. Other school in our district have had great results with this program and we will be expanding it to other grades. Our entire school uses the SAXON Math Curriculum.
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