Mathematical Emphasis
Investigation 1—Attendance

• Counting the number of students in class
• Establishing one to one correspondence
• Exploring color tiles, pattern blocks, and Geoblocks
• Establishing routines

Investigation 2—Counting Jar

• Counting a set of objects
• Creating a set of a given size
• Recording numerical information

Investigation 3—Calendar

• Developing a sense of time
• Viewing the calendar as a tool for keeping track of time and events
• Counting on the calendar
• Connecting number names, numerals, and quantities

Investigation 4—Today’s Question

• Collecting data that fall into two groups
• Counting and comparing the number of students in different groups
• Establishing one to one correspondence between a group and the data collected

Tips For Helping At Home

• Take advantage of any opportunities you might have to count with your child. Children learn to count by having many opportunities to see and hear other people count and to count on their own. You can model counting out napkins or plates for the table or crackers or fruit for snack. It would also be helpful to have a collection of objects your child could use to practice counting, such as beans, buttons, or pennies.
• Help your child explore your use of the calendar at home. When you write an appointment or a family event on the calendar, or when you use the calendar to find out how many days until your trip, talk with your child about what you are doing. Explain how and why you are using a calendar. Point out examples of other calendars when you see them.

Vocabulary Terms

Color Tiles

One inch colored squares

Counting Jar

A jar containing objects to count used throughout the year in Kindergarten

Cubes

Interlocking plastic blocks that can be used to build trains (a length of interlocked units)

Geoblocks

Three-dimensional, wooden blocks

Manipulatives

Objects that can be used to help solve problems

Pattern Blocks

Plastic colored shapes including triangles, squares, hexagons, diamonds (rhombus), and trapezoids

Mathematics Vocabulary Web site

Mathematics Strategy—Observing Students as They Count

In Kindergarten children develop a variety of skills with numbers and counting. Observe your child in counting activities.

Counting Orally:    By the end of Kindergarten most children will be counting by rote (reciting) up to 10 and beyond, with some counting as high as 100. They may be able to count by rote much higher than they can count objects.

Counting Quantities:    Most Kindergarteners will end the year with a grasp of quantities up to 10 or so. Some may be able to count quantities above 10 or even 20. Even when children are able to count a set of objects accurately, they may not yet understand that the last number they said also describes the number of objects in that set.

Organizing a Count:   Some children can accurately count objects if the objects can be moved but may not be able to count pictures of objects that do not move. Other children can count groups that have been organized for them but cannot keep track of counting a group they must organize themselves.

Writing Numbers:    Knowing how to write numerals is not directly related to counting and understanding quantity but is helpful for representing a quantity that has been counted. Numeral formation is related to letter formation; both are important in order to communicate in writing.

Calendar Activities

• Keep track of calendar dates at home. Talk with your child about the date. Include names of months and days, the numbers of the days and years.
• Have your child help keep a family calendar. Record special days and upcoming events. Use these to ask calendar questions like: How many more days until your birthday? How many days have gone by since we went to see Grandma?
• Talk with your child about calendar patterns. What is the same each week? How is this month the same as last month? How are they different?
• Focus on the number of the date. Children in Kindergarten focus on numbers every day. Ask them to share things they notice and have learned.
• Use the calendar to practice counting.

Source: Investigations in Number, Data, and Space: Mathematical Thinking in Kindergarten. Dale Seymour, 1998. (Page 37)

Mathematics Game—What Comes Next?

Materials

Small materials to make a pattern (buttons, coins, shells)

4-6 cups

Playing the Game

1. Player 1 hides his or her eyes.



2. Player 2 builds a pattern with small objects by placing one item after another in a way that makes a pattern.



3. Player 2 covers the last 4-6 items with the cups and tells Player 1 to open his or her eyes.



4. Player 1 looks at the pattern and builds the part that can be seen.



5. Player 1 tries to guess what comes next in the pattern.



6. If Player 1 is correct, Player 2 removes the cup from that square.