Mathematics: Our Favourite Videos!

Here are some of our favourite Jack Hartmann videos that we watch during our daily math. These should bring a sense of familiarity to your child. See how fast they can subitize, and if they get the answer right! 

Mathematics: Learning Quantity with Number Racks!

Yesterday we introduced something called a number rack! It's a very important tool we use in Kindergarten. We're using a 20 number rack, but you can have one that goes all the way up to 100. It's kind of like an abacus, but a bit more fine tuned ;) Each rod has 10 beads on it, 5 red and 5 white. We started by learning about how to use it, and then played a game of "How many?'. I would push some over and they would have to see how many there were. Watch this video I made ions ago to learn more about how we use it!

There are apps you can download on the iPad (search rekenrek) or you can make one out of cardboard, pipe cleaners, and beads. Number racks have the following benefits:

• when numbers get larger, so does the quantity
• understand the important of 5 and 10 as benchmarks (instantly recognizing 5, pulling 2 more over and knowing that that's 7)
• different ways to compose numbers (1 and 9 make 10, so does 8 and 2, etc.) 
• addition
• more or less than
• place value (15 is actually 10 and 5 more)

We will continue to explore this math tool during our daily math time :)

Mathematics: Subitizing Fun!

In Kindergarten, we love to subitize! Subitizing (soo-ba-tizing) is recognizing a quantity without counting. It's easier to subitize smaller quantities, or quantities that are in some type of pattern. The kids have become really good at it! Here are a couple of our favourite subitizing videos that you can watch at home :) The kids know what the word subitize means... not that it's important, but it's just a part of the song ;)

Why is knowing how to subitize important? It's attaches the quantity of a number to the numeral, and it's the perfect way to transition into addition. Subitizing goes hand in hand with counting on (starting at a number and counting on, instead of counting from 1 again). Once we acquire these two skills, it's makes adding easy! We can also maneuver dots or objects in our head, which actually leads to regrouping!

For example, one of our student's thought process for adding these was:

"I know that's 9, if I move 1 dot over here, it makes 10, which is 10 and 1, which I know is 11!". 

Watch one of our students perfect their subitizing skills below!

Mathematics: Early Numeracy

Here's a glimpse into our daily math! This is what our math looks like in Kindergarten :) Try at home!

Mathematics: Learning about 5!

During our daily morning math, we've been learning about something called a 5 frame! A 5 frame looks like this:

We first learn about a 5 frame, and then a 10 frame. There is so much learning that can be done! Feel free to print one out at home (or draw), use some of your child's favourite small toys, and play a 5 minute game with them! Here are some questions you can ask:

- What numbers can I show in a 5 frame?
- What numbers can't I show in a 5 frame? Why?
- What's the smallest number you can show? (0)
- What's the biggest number you can show?
- How many do you see? (place them in the frame)
- How many ways can we show 1? 2? 3? 4? 5?
- How many spaces do you see that are empty?
- What number matches how many you see? (have numerals written on post-its)

When you put 5 in a 5 frame, they shouldn't have to count. They should know because it's full, that there's 5! Children should be able to subitize how many they can see. This means they can recognize "how many" without counting. Everyone has the ability to subitize quantities less than 5. Quantities bigger than 5 are more challenging, which is why we use number frames! We use them to organize the objects so it's easier and faster for us to count! Which one is easier and faster to recognize?

We will practise our "subitizing" more soon!

Mathematics: Counting!

Today we started our daily math! Every day as a part of our morning routine, we will dedicate 5-10 minutes to math. During our daily math, we only focus on number sense (counting, estimating, more or less, etc.) We will explore other concepts of math such as shapes during other math lessons.

Today we started with something basic- counting objects! In the teacher world, we call this "one-to-one correspondence". This means that a child knows that every time you touch an object, you count it. If there are 3 objects, we count 3. Our oral counting has to match physically touching the object. Today we went over a couple of things:

1. We always start with the number 1!
2. We have to keep track of where we're counting to avoid counting the same object twice. We try to count in a "path", or use something call "tag and drag", where you physically move the object to account for it.
3. The last number we say is how many there are. This is called cardinality. For example, we counted 9 objects all together.... how many are there?

There are a lot of ways to practise this at home! Try counting your toys. Have your child help you set up for dinner... if there are 4 people in our family, how many plates will we need?

It's important that students can 'rote' count (verbally), but we need to move past this and connect it with a quantity. What does 8 really look like? How about 6? Explore this more at home, and we will obviously keep practising in class!

Mathematics: Shape Hunt

Yesterday, we went on a Shape Hunt around the whole school! We have been learning about 2D shapes. Students had a clipboard with 6 shapes on it to search for. We were amazed at how many shapes we saw. We made check marks or tally marks to put on our graph. We consistently found more rectangles than any other shape throughout the school! Try doing a shape hunt around your home and see what you find! Happy Hunting☺

Mathematics: Sorting!

For the last couple of weeks we have been learning how to sort items in our classroom based on their similarities. We have learned how to sort by colour, shape/type and size. We realized we are sorting all the time within our environment, for example, when cleaning up our toys we are organizing them in a bin based on their similarities. When students are sorting they are categorizing items based on their similarities or differences, they should be able to say how they grouped items together and why. 

Jasmine is sorting by shape during play!

We worked in groups to sort some items. First students had to figure out as a team how they wanted to sort the items they were given. Then they worked together to complete their task. 

Mathematics: 2D Shape Hunt!

For the past couple of weeks, we have been focusing on learning 2D shapes. We have learned about circles, squares, rectangles, diamonds and triangles. Today, we went on a shape hunt around our school. We quickly realized that shapes are everywhere in our day to day lives! Have a look at what we found:)

                                     

Mathematics: Exploring Math Bins!

Sorting by shape!

                                                   

Number stamps in play-doh

                                      

Number construction: Zoe made a zero!

                                         

     Math challenge: Making 10 in a 10 frame

Number stamps: Max made the ages of all his family members

                                               

 Working together to sort by colour!

                                         

    Number rack games with Miss Pliura:)

 Number construction: Hasan made the number 5