Title I Tidbits
Your first grader has been working on number relationships; learning about joining numbers and finding missing parts when the whole and only one part is known. In our Title Math room, we have begun the practice of decomposing numbers (finding all the ways to make them). For example given the number 4, students work with counters, rekenreks, or an abacus to discover all the ways to make 4; 4+0, 3+1, 2+2, 1+3 and 0+4. Through this process we are beginning to discover that addition is commutative - order doesn’t matter, and that facts belong to fact families. Your first grader is spending a considerable amount of time working on part-part-whole relationships. This is a difficult concept in the beginning. Students are given a whole, for example 7 and one part, perhaps 4. They must determine the other part of 7 which would be 3. We practice this concept with fruit/vegetable cans that are numbered with how many pieces are “supposed” to be inside. Students work to figure out how many pieces are missing. Your child may have mentioned that we have a “robber” who takes some of our fruits and vegetables! Finally your first grader is beginning to learn to write number sentences using the appropriate symbols (+ - =). There is a lot going on to prepare your child for more formal addition and subtraction! Most classes are beginning to work on ten frames. An awesome ten frame website that you can try at home is http://illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=3565.
I hope we will have an opportunity to visit at conferences. Please stop by our room, #118. We will have estimation jars for both parents and students. I will also be giving out addition/subtraction flashcards as well as information on Dojo; a point system that we have been trying out this year. I look forward to seeing you soon!
I hope we will have an opportunity to visit at conferences. Please stop by our room, #118. We will have estimation jars for both parents and students. I will also be giving out addition/subtraction flashcards as well as information on Dojo; a point system that we have been trying out this year. I look forward to seeing you soon!