Mathematics Kindergarten
Strand: COUNTING AND CARDINALITY (K.CC) Standard K.CC.4.
Mathematics Kindergarten
Strand: COUNTING AND CARDINALITY (K.CC) Standard K.CC.1.
Mathematics Kindergarten
Strand: COUNTING AND CARDINALITY (K.CC) Standard K.CC.3.
Mathematics Kindergarten
Strand: COUNTING AND CARDINALITY (K.CC) Standard K.CC.5.
Large Groups
Various activities help kindergarteners understand and use simple numbers.
Invitation to Learn
Stand in Line
Seven Blind Mice
Where's Harley?
Additional Resources
Books
10 Little Rubber Ducks, by Eric Carle; ISBN 0-060-74075-2
First, Second, by Daniel Kharms; ISBN 0-374-32339-9
Henry the Fourth, by Stuart J. Murphy; ISBN 0-06-446719-8
On the Stairs, by Julie Hofstrand Larios; ISBN 1-886910-34-0
Seven Blind Mice, by Ed Young; ISBN 0-329-04408-7
The Hat, by Jan Brett; ISBN 0-399-23101-3
The Mitten, by Jan Brett; ISBN 0-590-44015-2
The Twelve Days of Christmas, by Jack Kent; ISBN 0-590-06163-1
The Twelve Days of Kindergarten, by Deborah Lee Rose; ISBN 0-8109-4512-6
The Twelve Days of Summer, by Jan Andrews; ISBN 1-55143-365-6
The Twelve Days of Winter, by Deborah Lee Rose; ISBN 0-439-92932-6
Where's Harley?, by Carol and Amanda Felton; ISBN: 1-57565-132-7
Organizations
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1502 (703) 620-9840, www.nctm.org
National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1509 16th St. N.W., Washington, DC 20036 (202) 232-8777 or (800)424-2460, naeyc.org
Integrating curriculum is easy when it comes to math and literature. There are so many wonderful books available that cannot only enlighten students in literacy but strengthen math skills as well. Using literature is one of the easiest ways to teach students the use of ordinal numbers. We are constantly asking our students, "What happened first in the story?"
As Marilyn Burns,the creator and founder of Math Solutions Professional Development says,"Evidence shows that teaching math through children's books motivates children to learn math in exciting new ways, encourages students to think and reason mathematically and builds students' appreciation for math and literature."
Many literature books today are written with an emphasis on mathematics. Teachers need to build a library of literature books with a mathematical connection. Using literature is a way to engage students in learning mathematics. It helps students understand that mathematics is connected to the real world and can solve real world problems.
1. Demonstrate a positive learning attitude.
5. Understand and use basic concepts and skills.
6. Communicate clearly in oral, artistic, written, and nonverbal form.
Invitation to Learn
Use a fishing net and spread it out on the floor. Then go fishing for students. Pretend to throw out your fishing line and catch a student by name. Reel them in! Have the students stand in a row on the net in the order that they were caught. Ask questions: Who was the first fish to be caught? Who was the third fish to be caught? Continue asking questions. Upon completion of the questions, pretend to throw the fish back into the water. The game can continue by having a new angler.
Instructional Procedures
Stand in Line
This activity can be done anytime that the class is lined up. Use this activity all year to help reinforce ordinal counting.
Seven Blind Mice
Day One:
This is a great introduction to ordinal numbers.
Day Two:
Read the story again. Put the mice in order and write the ordinal numbers next to the colored mice (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th).
Day Three:
Day Four:
Day Five:
Students should be using ordinal numbers when retelling the story.
Where's Harley?
Day One:
Day Two:
Day Three:
Day Four:
Day Five:
Family Connections
Research Basis
Sutton, J. & Krueger, A.(Eds.). (2002). ED Thoughts: What We Know about Mathematics Teaching and Learning. Aurora, Co: Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, p. 54.
In real life, learning experiences are not separated into academic disciplines or subject areas. A student's classroom experiences should mirror this. Interconnections among the disciplines, when emphasized at all grade levels, will support learning by making the mathematics curriculum more meaningful.
Burns, M. (2005). Lessons by Marilyn Burns Using Storybooks to Teach Math. Instructor Magazine. 27-30.
For many of us, the storybook shelf isn't the first place we go to when we start to plan a math lesson. But children's books can be a great math-teaching tool. They spark students' imaginations in ways that exercises in textbooks or workbooks often don't. When I visit classrooms, I find that connecting math to literature can boost the confidence of those who love books but are "Math-wary." And students who love the abstraction of math can learn to appreciate stories in a whole new way.
Caskey, M. (2001). A Lingering Question for Middle School: What is the Fate of Integrated Curriculum? Childhood Education, Vol.78.
A truly integrated curriculum enables teachers and their students to make connections between their school learning experiences and real life, while the separate subject approach leaves students with a disconnected view of knowledge that fails to reflect the way that real people attack problems in the real world.