What have we been working on in MATH?

Our first math unit is all about exploring numbers!  Each day we begin our Math period by counting the number of days we have been at school, and representing that number in numerous ways.

The 'Special Helper of the Day' gets to add a bingo dabber dot to our ten frames, and put a straw in our place value pocket chart.  We also show the number of days we have been at school using tally tick marks and by writing the number on a hundreds chart.

We have been chanting little rhymes to help us remember how to print numbers correctly...

1) Straight line one is lots of fun!
2) Around and back on the railroad track... two-two!
3) Around the tree, around the tree, this is how you make a three!
4) Down and over and down once more, this is how you make a four!
5) Fat old five goes down and around, put on his hat and see what you've found!
6) Down with a loop, six rolls a hoop!
7) Across the sky and down from heaven, this is how you make a seven!
8) Down and around and up you skate, this is how you make an eight!
9) A ball with a line, this is how you make a nine!
10) A one and a zero and you're at the end, this is how you make a ten!

If you happen to notice your child printing a number backwards or incorrectly (or a letter), be sure to point it out to them and have them practice writing that number the correct way a few times.

Here are some of the math videos we have used to get our math brains warmed up at the start of a math session...

Today we started learning about the math terms MORE (Greater, Bigger), LESS (Smaller) and EQUAL (the same) and how we can use these terms to help us compare numbers and groups/sets of things. 

Alligators help us remember which way the "Greater than" > and "Less than" < symbols should point. We worked in partners using manipulatives (counters) found around the classroom to complete an Alligator Math challenge.

Al the alligator is always hungry,

and NUMBERS are his food.

He always eats the BIGGEST NUMBER, 

no matter what his mood.

He opens up his big old mouth

and points it toward his snack.

And to the smaller number, 

he always turns his pointy back.

We have also been working on a little math project called "Math About Me" in which we use numbers to tell about ourselves (eg., the number of pets we have, the numbers that represent our birth date, the number of people in our family, the number of teeth we have lost, and so on). Once these projects are complete and I have them displayed in the hallway, I will take a photo and post it on this blog.