Math
I planned math activities keeping in mind the notion that each child learns and develops at his or her own pace. I understand the importance of active engagement in the learning process and provide my students with opportunities to work alone and in small groups to maximize learning. I believe that exposing students to concepts repeatedly will enable them to have a more concrete understanding because they have had time to dig deeper into the skill.
For example, when teaching patterns to students, we began with leaves, something all students in my class were familiar with, especially after our nature walk as part of our tree study. Students were encouraged to make patterns of their choosing using different colored leaves and then note their observations from our walk.
Standards:
Domain 5: Cognition and Knowledge of the World
Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Understand simple patterns.
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Duplicate and extend (e.g., what comes next?) simple patterns using concrete objects.
Students enjoyed this activity and started discovering patterns all around them such as on their clothes and in board games. After learning about fruits that grow on trees, students made patterns with apples, bananas, and/or oranges. They gained practice with their fine motor skills as they used an apple slicer, cut bananas, and peeled oranges.
Students enjoyed this activity and started discovering patterns all around them such as on their clothes and in board games. After learning about fruits that grow on trees, students made patterns with apples, bananas, and/or oranges. They gained practice with their fine motor skills as they used an apple slicer, cut bananas, and peeled oranges.
Differentiation:
Students could use either 2 or 3 fruits/leaves in their patterns.
For my fully remote class, students were provided with the option of making a fruit pattern using a template.
Standards:
Domain 2: Physical Development and Health
Demonstrates eye-hand coordination and dexterity needed to manipulate objects.
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Uses materials such as pencils, paint brushes, eating utensils and blunt scissors effectively
Domain 5: Cognition and Knowledge of the World
Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Understand simple patterns.
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Duplicate and extend (e.g., what comes next?) simple patterns using concrete objects.
Positional Word Activities
In small groups, students completed the following positional word slides.
For my fully remote class, after exploring positional words, I posted the below resource on our Google Classroom so that children could continue their learning.
View the Positional Words books, Games and Activities document here.
In-person students played a beanbag toss game where they aimed to throw the various shaped bean bags according to their shape and positional word. Examples include throw the circle shaped bean bag next to the yellow basket or throw the square shaped bean bag in front of the yellow basket.
Standards:
Domain 5: Cognition and Knowledge of the World
Geometry: Identify and describe shapes (squares, circles, triangles, rectangles).
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Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as top, bottom, up, down, in front of, behind, over, under, and next to.
Differentiation:
Students had the option to identify the positional word after throwing their beanbag or having a partner provide them with a positional word prior to throwing the bean bag,
Measurement
My fully remote students were taught to measure using nonstandard units. For their asynchronous activity, students found objects to measure with non-standard units they had in their homes.
My in-person students used yarn to measure items throughout the classroom.
