We use these subitizing cards for many games in our classroom. This past week we invited children to play a 'roll and record' game. Using one die or two dice, children would roll, subitize or add, and cover that number on their card using a holiday trinket. Click on the image of the card to download your own copy of the four subitizing cards!
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Math talks are a great way to engage children in open-ended explorations that invite them to think critically and creatively about a concept. Math talks are like number talks, yet include any area of math that an educator would like children to explore. An effective math prompt to facilitate a rich math discussion will be layered; it should be open-ended with multiple entry points for engagement. Even children as young as kindergarten are capable of participating in complex math conversations. In our classroom I aim to invite children into a math talk at least once a day; I sometimes use the numerical date on our morning message as the spark for exploration. Other times an interesting photo or collection of loose parts will be engaging and incite children into further exploration. I try to vary the invitations I provide in order to diversify the math we discuss and to reach as many learning interests as possible.
In our program we have a morning circle time. This circle is our first whole group gathering time for the day and helps set a positive atmosphere in our classroom. It is also a time to celebrate being together, and share news from our homes. We often use it as an opportunity to read a story and discuss any new and exciting activities or additions to our classroom space about which the children should know in order to be successful for the day.
Over the years I have shared my math talks on social media and have been asked repeatedly to create a guide to support educators who wish to engage their students in math talks. This inspired my collection of monthly math talk books. Each book contain 25 prompts to engage children in regular conversations in the classroom. The prompts do not need to be followed in order. In order to help educators I have also created free downloadable PDFs that can be printed and used with students.
Click on the book's image to be linked to where it can be purchased.
Click on the printable to be linked to where it can be printed.
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It's almost Labour Day! This time of year always fills me with hope. Although
it's sometimes sad to be leaving the fun and comforts of summer -
spending time with my children, sleeping in, enjoying the back yard with
my pup - it's exciting to think of the possibilities of another school
year. Like a blank canvas waiting to be painted our classroom evolves
and changes over time as the children and I learn and explore together.
As we head back into the school year many educators are working
thoughtfully to create environments that are rich with math possibility.
In Reggio Emilia the environment exists as the 'third teacher'
inspiring, supporting, and extending children's learning in rich and
complex ways. I have been contacted by many educators asking for advice
on how to best set up their classroom and routines in order to create as
many opportunities for authentic math as possible. This has inspired
today's blog post - how to cultivate a math rich learning space for
children at the beginning of another school year.
I thought it would be easiest to create this as a 'math check list' with
points to read and consider. When I reflect upon my own math pedagogy
and practice, these are what I think stand out as mathematically
meaningful for the educators, children and families that share our
space. Although this check list isn't all inclusive, I thought it might
spark some ideas to support and inspire as we enjoy the final weeks of
summer and return soon to our classrooms with open eyes, minds and hearts.
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5. Find the math in everything. Many educators plan forward by
choosing curriculum and programming expectations and then building
activities to fulfill these. Try back-mapping activities from time to
time; embrace child-centered, organic experiences and then deconstruct
them in order to identify the rich math concepts and curriculum
expectations that they utilize. You'll be surprised to find that math
happens in almost every experience children have in the classroom.
6. Try looking at life through a mathematical lens. When planning
invitations for learning in your classroom see what math you can sneak
in as well. Changing one or two elements of the experience might be
enough to engage children in rich math. It reminds me of how I used to
sneak veggies into my children's meals - a little can go a long way!
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"Exploring trees outdoors is an enjoyable experience that children love to do! Swinging from a branch, exploring leaves and bark, and observing gnarled roots are all favourite activities that also integrate rich learning. Heading outside to explore the yard uses children's excitement and enthusiasm for sensory and nature experiences to inspire rich mathematical and scientific inquiries about what they are seeing and experiencing."
I was excited to see a review of my book Tree Math in the MAMT Spring Journal! You can access the review here!
The solar eclipse of 2024 is an exciting event for children! Here are some resources I quickly put together to help educators and families explore the eclipse and use it to inspire a few activities!
Here is a great picture book to help explain what an eclipse is:
Here is a video that delves into the science behind the eclipse:
Here's a neat time lapsed video of an eclipse:
And here are three quick and easy math resources to use that capture children's excitement about the entire experience!
1. Roll, Subitize and Cover the Suns!
I have spent time reviewing many of the resources and materials I have created over the years. Over the next few weeks I would like to share some on this blog.
Learning the names and sounds of upper- and lower-case alphabet letters take time, patience and practice.
You can access the file here: 20 Instant Alphabet Activities
"Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky."
-Khalil Gibran
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During outdoor play children are drawn to the trees in the school yard. They love to feel bark with their hands and wrap their arms around the trunk. They collect artifacts for exploration including sticks and leaves and search for insects in the bark's crevices. Trees offer so many rich opportunities for wonder and discovery as children notice how they change with the weather and seasons.
To help supplement my book Tree Math (available from Amazon and Indigo) here are five easy, free printables that can be used to support children's work in nature!
Encourage children to spend time in nature and observe the tree they like best. Ask them to consider what it is they appreciate about this tree? Children can then sketch the tree on this page and compare their tree with others.
Over time children can observe the same tree and draw what they notice changing during the four seasons. This page can be kept over time and added to as the months change. Children can also draw on it at one sitting and hypothesize what the tree might look like in each season, especially after conducting research about how trees adapt to the weather.
Children can use a variety of materials to measure how big around a tree's trunk is (e.g., measuring tape, hand spans, links) and record it on this tracking page. Drawing a picture can help explain their math thinking.
Exploring the texture of bark appeals to many children who enjoy sensory experiences. Children can use magnifying glasses to examine the patterns in bark up close, or place a paper on top of the bark and use crayons to create a rubbing. Children can then describe what they see and compare their rubbings to others.
Encourage children to explore many trees in the school yard and neighbourhood. Ask children to observe what living things they observe on and in the trees (e.g., birds, insects, mould) and record their observations on the tracking paper. They can hypothesize how the tree might be a home for many living things at the same time.
St. Patrick's Day is a fun holiday that helps jump start the spring season! Here are a few easy to plan math activities for children!
1. Shamrock Subitizing- Write different numerals in the center of each shamrock and encourage children to place dominoes with the corresponding number of pips in each leaf.
Get the free printable here: Shamrock Printable
Recently we have been working with different fonts to help children recognize that the same letter can look many ways. These letter templates are easy to use in matching games. Get a copy here!
A fun activity this time of year is to decorate ugly holiday sweaters with a variety of loose parts! This activity promotes math as children create patterns on the sweaters. An interesting discussion of the differences between area and perimeter usually emerges as children use strings of beads to outline the sweater while filling it in with seasonal trinkets.
