Today we reviewed the basics: when I add, I end up with more, when I subtract, I have less. Then, we talked about how to use the 100s chart to help us see the relationship between numbers. Each student received one to keep in their desk for the year and they are encouraged to use is whenever they need to.
We also read one of my favorite Math stories: 100 Hungry Ants. I love this book and I think I know it by heart! What a great story for teaching kids first of all, how we divide 100 into equal groups and for much younger kids, that no matter how you move a set around, it will still equal the same number. It always reminds me of this Bert and Ernie bit from Sesame Street. If I taught kindergarten, I would love to share this with my class! "If there's one thing I don't want, it's four cookies!"😂
I love the number-sense folder for a variety of reasons. In addition to reviewing many of the related concepts covered in grade 2, students learn about things like, following a set of very specific directions with respect to assembling the folder, what does the room sound like when we're doing these kinds of activities, what do I do if I need a glue-stick?
It's about Math as much as it's about routines and procedures. Routines build community and really give kids a sense of belonging and with this activity, we all start off on the same foot in more ways than one.
