Now I know it... now I don't

We have been working hard on improving our recognition of numbers on tens frames recently. It seems that sometimes we know it... and sometimes we don't! I put together some resources and activities to help to develop instant recognition. These include... * Good, old fashioned flashcards. In a group we play tens frames speed (flip a card over, first to read it correctly gets it and the winner is the person with the most at the end). Handy hint... enlarge the tens frames, laminate and attach a magnet on the back for whole class work on the whiteboard.

* Roll and Cover Tens Frames games. I made two versions of this game (apologies as I made the clipart, it could do with some refinement). One version is for a 1-6 die, the other is for a 10 sided die (if your die has a '0', use a fine permanent marker to turn it into a ten). Just click here to go to my GoogleDrive and download the PDF file. * Tens frames timed powerpoint. My children love this one. I made a powerpoint presentation with tens frames representations, one on each page. I then adjusted the transition time so there was only 3 seconds between each slide. We watch the powerpoint and record the numbers that we see on our whiteboards. We then recap and look for patterns (e.g. 5 and 1) that could help with faster recognition. *Friday I will introduce them to Tens Frame Memory. Just match the frame representation with the correct digit card. I will share this file once it is student approved. We are going a little tens frames crazy. The games will go into the pattern making box on our Math Tumble and the children will continue to re-enforce their knowledge while we move on to the next topic. Fingers crossed it works!

Comments

10 Alternatives to Plastic Counters

Shifting classrooms always requires a scramble to inventory current equipment and to replace those old regulars that you use a lot. I know that almost every classroom must need counters at some point in time! Having a range of alternatives can often pique children's interest, but can be a budgetary stretch at the same time. Here are 10 alternatives that I have rustled up with a minimum cost. 1. Smooth stones come ready made and freely available from your local beach or stony river. Small pebbles are perfect as game tokens, or collected for use in Math lessons. They look great with stickers and glitter glued on and are REALLY durable. However, they can be heavy when stored en masse. 2. Wooden shapes are available in packs of 12-20 from your local dollar shop. These are particularly awesome to use for number stories (i.e. 6 bumble bees were sitting on a flower and 3 flew back to the hive, how many were left?). They are more durable than paper cut outs, intriguing and reasonabl...

A Plague Upon All Your Houses

I find Math to be an absolute headache in terms of resource management. There is never enough resources, occasionally too many, and they are often in bad repair. This is why my next few posts are about Math resources. Enjoy! As I teach in NZ and follow the Numeracy Projects, place value houses are a common material to work with. I printed mine off A4 size from http://www.nzmaths.co.nz/sites/default/files/Numeracy/2007matmas/Bk4/MM%204_11.pdf . Each 'house' was copied onto a different coloured paper, and then cut out and laminated. I didn't cut them out again after laminating, as it made it easier to punch a hole in the corner and thread a ring through (are they 'magazine' rings?). My awesome set can now hang from the wall if there is space. No more scrunching up in the bottom of a drawer! They are also really quick and easy to unclip and use, then pack up again. I started off using a whiteboard pen to write the digits directly onto the laminated charts...

Handy Dandy Glue Pots

Crafting almost always requires glue. Hot glue, paste, PVA... we school teachers love them all. However, they can be a messy wee substance to manage. So here is a teeny tiny tip for keeping your PVA manageable... milk bottle tops! Milk bottle tops are plentiful, free and don't take up much storage space. They are easy to collect, and are darn useful. When using them as mini glue pots, I like them because they don't hold much (less waste), you can throw them out after one use (easy clean-up), and they are easy to prepare, so you can have many of them scattered around the room if necessary. In the photo, I have used cotton wool buds (new ones) as glue applicators, and found them really good. In the past, I have also used scraps of cardboard, strips cut from ice-cream container lids... almost anything, except paintbrushes. Glue tends to ruin paintbrushes very quickly.

The Destitute Teacher

Search This Blog