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Category: Grades K-2

Name Patterns: A Fun First Week of School Activity

Name Patterns: A Fun First Week of School Activity

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Patterns. It was always a theme throughout the school year in my mathematics classes. So to kick-off patterns, during the first week of school, the students create a color pattern using their name. Then, we discuss the patterns made by names of different lengths. It may seem like a simple activity, but some great conversations can be generated when students focus on the reasons why certain patterns appear. For example, in the photo above, there are 15 squares in each…

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Identify, Describe, Analyze, Create, and Reason with Shapes and their Attributes

Identify, Describe, Analyze, Create, and Reason with Shapes and their Attributes

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Here’s something super easy to do with kindergartners and first graders that covers a lot of the Common Core geometry standards. You will need one geoboard per student and some geobands. Working in small groups, ask students to design different shapes on their geoboards. Discuss the attributes of the shapes and compare different shapes such as rectangles and triangles. Next, have students create different shapes within specific parameters. For example, design a triangle that touches exactly 4 pegs. See photo…

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Subitizing with Dominoes

Subitizing with Dominoes

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I love doing this activity with kindergartners and first graders! Not only is it a great way for them to practice their addition facts but these little guys LOVE writing on their individual white board, so it’s a win/win! And it’s so simple. Here’s what you do: Without turning it on, put ONE domino on the overhead projector or doc camera. Tell students that you are going to flash a domino for a few seconds and their job is to…

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Reason Abstractly and Quantitatively

Reason Abstractly and Quantitatively

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Estimates help us predict the reasonableness of an answer. Having students make an estimate before they perform the calculation, and even writing the estimate next to the problem, can help them to focus on making the numbers (and the problem) make sense. Example: 3.2 x 9.8 = Students use benchmarks to determine that 3.2 is close to 3 and 9.8 is close to 10, therefore, a reasonable estimate would be 3 x 10 = 30. If students perform the actual…

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Multiplication Facts the Fun Way

Multiplication Facts the Fun Way

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Here’s a super simple activity that helps students to “see” multiplication facts. It’s also a great way for them to see the connection between addition and subtraction as they “use addition to find the total number of objects arranged in rectangular arrays” (CCSSM 2.OA.C.4) and to “interpret products of whole numbers” (CCSSM 3.OA.A.1). Using inch graph paper, have students make rectangular arrays and record the rows (horizontal) and columns (vertical) as multiplication equations. This is a good time to discuss…

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