Mathematical Emphasis
Investigation 2—Building Numbers in Different Ways

• Finding combinations of numbers up to about 15
• Finding the total of two quantities up to 10
• Finding the larger of two quantities up to about 20

Investigation 3—Counting

• Reading, writing, and sequencing numbers to 100
• Counting quantities up to about 40
• Finding the total of two quantities, one that’s just a few and another up to about 40

Investigation 4—Addition and Subtraction

• Visualizing combining and separating problem situations
• Developing strategies for solving combining and separating problems
• Recording strategies for solving combining and separating problems using pictures, numbers, words, and equations

Tips For Helping At Home
Questions To Ask:

• What is the problem about? Tell me in your own words.
• What did your teacher show you in class?
• Can you make a drawing (model) to show that?
• What have you done so far?
• What do you need to do next?
• Can you show it in a different way?
• How did you get your answer?

Helping At Home

• For homework, your child will be bringing home math games played at school. Playing the games frequently will help your child learn.
• Have a large collection of small objects, such as buttons, paper clips, or pennies. Your child can use these for working out solutions to math problems and use them in some of the games.
• As your child works on story problems at home, encourage written work that shows his or her thinking. Children can show their thinking with pictures, numbers, words, or a combination.

Vocabulary Terms

Addition

The mathematical term for combining problems

Combinations

Ways of grouping two different kinds of objects; students work on different combinations of cats and dogs that equal 12 in all

Combining

Putting groups of objects together

Separating

Breaking apart groups of objects into smaller groups or sets

Strategy

A method for solving a problem

Subtraction

The mathematical term for separating problems or finding the difference between two groups

Mathematics Vocabulary Web site

Mathematics Strategy—Representing Math Solutions

Children share their mathematical thinking, solutions and strategies using pictures, numbers, words, equations, or a combination of the four. The following examples show how students show their solutions to the math problem: Kim has 4 cookies. Jim has 7 cookies. Ted has 2 cookies. How many do they have in all?

Source: Investigations in Number, Data, and Space: Building Number Sense. Dale Seymour, 1998. (Page 157)

Mathematics Game—Double Number Challenge

Materials

Deck of Number Cards 0-10 (no wild cards)

Playing the Game

1. Mix up the number cards and deal them all out evenly. Both players place their stack of cards face down in front of them.



2. At the same time, both players turn over the top two cards in their stack.



3. Players look at each pair of numbers and find the sum of each pair. The player with the biggest sum gets to take all four cards and add them to the bottom of his or her pile./li>
   
   
4. If the two sums are the same, turn over a second pair of cards. The player with the biggest second sum gets to take all eight cards.



5. Keep turning over pairs of cards.



6. The game is over when one player runs out of cards or at the end of a specific amount of time.

Variations

1. The player with the smallest sum takes the cards.
2. Play with three people. Look at all three sums. The player with the largest sum takes all three pairs.

Get to Number Cards (for printing)