Shared Math Songs

We've been thinking about ways to parallel some of the balanced literacy components in math.

Let's consider shared reading with a big book. You read the big book with your class across the week, perhaps with a different focus after re-reading it each day.

One sample plan for SHARED READING of big book (there are so many ways this could go):
Day 1:
read the book for fun; focus on meaning
Day 2:
re-read the book; more comprehension work, vocabulary, self-monitoring and cross-checking
Day 3:
re-read; word work- ex. phonological patterns, high-frequency words, conventions
Day 4:
re-read; using meaning and punctuation to read with phrasing, fluency, intonation
Day 5:
re-read; acting out; shared writing/interactive writing response or text innovation

Could we do similar activities with a SHARED MATH SONG?!

Here's the song we started with during the first week of Kindergarten.

"Count 123" by Pancake Manor (click link to YouTube video)

We're still experimenting with what activities to do and the order in which to do them, but here's what we tried with this particular song.

Day 1:
watch the song video; check in on comprehension (ex. what's this song about, what did you notice? etc.)
Day 2:
re-watch & sing along; work on finger automaticity to 3 ("show me 2 [fingers]...show me 1...show me 3")
Day 3:
re-watch & sing along while showing quantities on fingers; focus on numeral writing and verbal path formation of 1, 2, and 3.

1. Let's 'sky write' number 1...Stand up. Hold up two fingers on the hand you write with, put your other hand on your arm muscle (for resistance). Start at the top. Straight line down....Let's do it again.
2. Let's 'sky write' number 2. Start at the top. Curve around. Slide down and straight across.
3. Let's 'sky write' number 3. Start at the top. Curve around and around.

Day 4:
re-watch/sing along while showing quantities on fingers; focus on number sequence; give 3 kids numeral cards and have them stand up in front of class. Each kid holds up their number card as it comes up in the song. Mix the kids up; have the class put them back in order.

Day 5+:
re-watch/sing along while showing quantities on fingers & use number cards again; focus on subitizing small quantities with quick images.

Here are some examples of the quick images we made. Right now, we are using Google Slides to make quick images so our teachers can eventually collaborate with us and add to the collection.

Set A: "1 or 2?"


Set B: "3 or not 3?"


Set C: "How many?" (1, 2, or 3 with dot die images)

We'll continue to post the songs we use, the plans. and possible resources to use with them.

Comment below if you'd like to pilot this work with your K class and we will share our Google Slides with you!

How would you extend this work to older grades?

Enjoy!
Chrissa & Stefanie

Counting Choir

Here's Chrissa conducting the "counting choir"! 

Grab your baton (pointer) and split your kids into groups. When you point to a group, it's their to count! You might start with counting by ones. 

In older grades, some groups might count by ones (ex. "1, 2, 3, 4"), another group continues the count by tens ("14, 24, 34, 44"), and maybe another group continues the count by hundreds ("144, 244, 344") or even thousands ("1344, 2344, 3344, 4444")! Whichever group you point to continues the count. Move from group to group in any order and often as you wish! 

Kids love to be the conductor too!

Check out this book for more information.

Happy counting!

:)

A Line Unit for your Little Mathematicians

Hey Everyone!

Are you looking for a unit for your littlest Mathematicians? Well here is the unit for you! We developed this as a well-rounded unit that incorporates motor skills, math language and important math concepts that will serve as important building blocks for your little math learners!

Purpose of the "Line Investigation" Unit

• to practice looking closely and notice details
• to practice describing figures/objects with precise language (ex. colors, sizes, straight vs. wavy vs. zigzag, etc.)
• to develop motor skills, improve handwriting and representational drawings
• to support math understandings about early geometry: lines, space, shapes
• to integrate skills across content areas

PART I:

BIG IDEAS:

*Dots can have different uses. (Ten frame, periods, dice, lowercase i and j, etc..).

*Dots can be different sizes and colors.

Read Alouds:

The Dot

Press Here

Ten Black Dots

Activities:

dot dice games

Dot Sticker Staircase (Click!)

dot painting with cotton swabs

dot-a-dot paint markers

PART II:

BIG IDEA:

*A line is the pathway of a point with direction and distance (length). We can connect dots with lines.

Videos:

A Line is Dot That Went for a Walk (Click!)

Marble Painting (Click!)

Activities:

marble painting

Dot-to-Dot

PART III

BIG IDEAS:

Lines have characteristics that can be described and named (ex. horizontal, vertical, diagonal)

Lines have relationships in space with other lines. (ex. connect, cross/intersect; parallel vs. non-parallel)

There are different kinds of lines (ex. curved, wavy, zigzag, sprial, etc.)

Read Alouds:

The Line

A Line Can Be

Videos:

Lines that Wiggle (Click!)

The Line Movie (Click!)

The Line Song (Click!)

Line Chart

Lines Sorting Mats (Click!)

PART IV:

BIG IDEAS:

*Lines can bend and curve, and eventually close to make shapes.

*Lines can be put combined to make letters, numbers, shapes, pictures.

     

            

     

We voted on our favorite emergent storybook and used different kinds of lines to create our culminating project! Can you guess which one we chose? :)

We hope that you found this unit useful! Please share with us if you tried it out and if your little learners loved it as much as ours did! Also, feel free to let us know any changes you made or ideas you'd like to share back with us! We would love to hear about your experiences with our line unit! :)

Cheers,

Stefanie and Chrissa

We're BAAAAACCCCCCKKKK!

Hey everyone!

            It has been a long time since we have posted, sorry for our absence. A lot has happened in both our professional and personal lives! So, let's recap:

Chrissa: 

          Professionally Chrissa is still crushing it as a math coach in 6 different kindergarten classrooms in a public school in Brooklyn, NY. Those classrooms consist of general education,  ICT and a self-contained classrooms. She also runs a STEM classroom!

          Personally- she has the cutest little new ballerina

Stefanie:

        Let's start with personal :)
I had a baby! (Hence the absence. As many of you mothers out there know- pregnancy and newborns take a lot of time and energy. Here is my little man! I could not be more in love!! His name is Ericksen. He is such a sweet little guy

Professionally:
         After going from kindergarten to second grade ICT classroom last year, this year I am split into working in a 5th grade ICT classroom with 3 teachers and being the K-5 math coach for my school. I am still in the same lower Manhattan public school and couldn't be happier to accept this new position with excitement! For me, this is a new and exciting journey because I have always been a "literacy person." In fact,  literacy speciality is what I went to school for (my Masters is in Reading: yay BGSU!) I am confident in saying I am very knowledgeable and experienced in literacy instruction K-5. Therefore, continuing to develop my professional pedagogy with this math coaching position is a next step for me to become a stronger and an even more well-rounded educator. I am looking forward to sharing this journey with all of you!

What does this mean for our blog?

           You will get to see an even wider range of learning! We will continue to share our experiences, materials, ideas and resources with all of you. This will not only be limited to math learning but we will also sprinkle in some literacy and other curricular topics. We can't wait to get this started up again and hear what you think about our ideas & resources and get some more awesome ideas & resources from all of you!

Cheers,

Stefanie & Chrissa