Prekindergarten Math

Sonia DominguezDelia Molina

August 17, 2010

Today’s Goals

• Understand the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines for Mathematics

• Describe the features of effective Math instruction

• Implement the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines for Math using new resources

List all the things you think a child should know about the number 8 by the end

of PreK.

Features of Effective Math Instruction

• Build on the Prekindergarten Guidelines• Scaffold children’s learning• Actively engage children in math experiences• Develop children’s ability to problem solve• Make connections across content areas, and• Monitor children’s progress

Build on Prekindergarten GuidelinesPrekindergarten Guidelines were developed to :• Articulate what 3- and 4-year olds need to know

and be able to do.• Provide a means to align Prekindergarten

curriculum with the TEKS & CSCOPE Curriculum (K-12) .

• Assist us in making informed decisions about content and implementation,

• These guidelines help us provide the type of instruction that prepares children for success in later grades.

Build on Prekindergarten Guidelines

• These guidelines address the content for preschool children to learn and the accomplishments they can achieve.

• They are organized in broad are, and today we are going to focus on the Mathematics Domain.

Build on Prekindergarten Guidelines

Prekindergarten Guidelines for Math are dividedinto these skill areas:– Counting– Adding and Taking Away– Geometry– Measurement– Classification and Patterns

Group Activity

• Review the skill assigned in the PreK Guidelines and Share Out

• As you review the guidelines, think about the following questions:– What is it?– Why is it important?– What are some examples of the accomplishments

children will develop?– How can you summarize the topic?

Scaffold Children’s Learning

Teachers scaffold instruction by:– Explaining (giving explicit statements)–Modeling (showing/demonstrating and

thinking aloud)–Verifying and Clarifying (checking for

understanding)**What are some specific ways that you

scaffold instruction?

Actively Engaging Children in Math

Provide opportunities for children to:– Investigate and solve problems– Observe, count, measure, compare, and classify– Explore patterns, shapes, numbers, and space– Gather and organize information, and– Communicate findings

Developing Early Number Concepts & Number Sense

Number Sense

Number sense can be described as a good intuition about numbers and their relationships. It develops gradually as a result of exploring numbers, visualizing them in a variety of contexts, and relating them in ways that are not limited by traditional algorithms.

No substitute exists for a skillful teacher and an environment that fosters curiosity and exploration oat all grade levels.

Hilde Howden Arithmetic Teacher, Feb. 1989, p. 11

Four Categories of Early Number Relationships

• Spatial Relationships• One More/Two More/One Less/Two Less• Anchors to 5 and 10• Part-Part-Whole

“The principal tool that children will use as they construct these relationships is the one number tool they possess: counting. Counting will become less and less necessary as children construct these new relationships and begin to use more powerful ideas” (Van de Walle, 2007, p.125).

Spatial Relationships

Patterned Set Recognition:• Children learn to recognize dot arrangements. • Quantities up to 10 can be known and named

without the routine of counting.• Dot plates can be made to use in pattern

recognition activities• Instant recognition activities with plates can be

done 5 minutes at any time of the day or between lessons

One and Two more, One and Two less

• When children learn to count, they should reflect on the way one number is related to another.

• Counting on (or back) one or two counts is a useful tool in constructing these ideas.

• The relationship of “two more than” is very different from “comes two counts after.” One is about quantity and one is about a string of number words.

Anchoring Numbers to 5 and 10

• Children relate a given number to other numbers, specifically 5 and 10.

• These relationships are useful in thinking about various combinations of numbers.

• The ten frame (2 x 5 array) can be used to develop these relationships. Consider how the knowledge of 8 as:

“5 and 3 more” and “2 away from 10” can play a role in adding 5+3, 8+6, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4, and 13-8.

Part-Part-Whole Relationships

Take the 8 counters and separate them into two piles. How many in each pile?• Focusing on the quantity in terms of its parts has

implications for developing number sense. • Interpreting numbers in terms of part and whole

relationships is a major conceptual achievement in early school years.

• Children should think about numbers as compositions of other numbers.

Break

New Math Resources: Book Walk1. Hands-On Standards for PreK-K– Look over Table of Contents – Read the Introduction on page 1– Review pp. 8-9 “A Walk Through a Lesson”

2. Scott Foresman Mathematics for PreK– Look over Table of Contents– Review pp. T10-T15

Be ready to answer the following questions:– Do the lessons address the Prekindergarten Guidelines

for Math?– How are the lessons organized?– What are some similarities/differences in the resources?

Quarter 1 Overview

• Review of Quarter 1 documents• Daily Mandatory Activities– Scott Foresman: Activity 1– Hands-On Standards: Counting to 5 and Back

The Number 8

• Take out the list you made earlier and revise it based on what we’ve discussed so far.

•Did your list change? How?

•Did you add more things?

•Did you delete some things?

•How did our discussion influence what was on your list?

PreK Interactive Websites