Pre-K-2
The following lesson introduces elementary students to subtraction. The
objective is to create a link between students' experiences and
mathematics. By the end of the lesson it is expected that students have
a deep understanding of subtraction and how it relates to their world.
This lesson was adapted from "Helping Students Understand Subtraction"
by Anita Page, which appeared in the November 1994
Teaching Children Mathematics, Vol. 1, No. 3.
Pre-K-2
In the following lesson, students participate in activities in which they focus on connections between mathematics and children's literature. Specifically, students use clues to sort and classify buttons.
Pre-K-2
Students read the poem "Shapes" from
A Light in the Attic, by
Shel Silverstein, and create their own illustration of the poem. In
this lesson, students explore geometric figures and positional words.
Pre-K-2
In this primary grades lesson, students identify figures on a football field. They look for both congruent and similar figures, and they consider figures that are the same but that occur in a different orientation because of translation, rotation, or reflection.
Pre-K-2
A toy-shop theme is used to help stimulate and generate discussion about numbers. Students use examples from a toy-shop to identify real-world uses of numbers and to write stories about those numbers.
Pre-K-2
This lesson focuses on forming 3-digit house numbers to meet specific requirements. Careful reading of information and understanding of mathematical language are important to finding appropriate solutions. Using the problem-solving strategies of looking for patterns and establishing an organized list will aid students in finding all the possible solution sets.
Pre-K-2
Problems such as those in this activity help develop what students already know in preparation for writing equations and learning ways to solve for variables. Students use mathematical models to explore quantitative relationships. When presented with pictures of pan balances with one or more objects in each pan, they communicate relationships between the weights of the objects by comparing the balanced and unbalanced pans.
Pre-K-2
Students sort objects and observe the properties others use for sorting. This activity helps students understand and connect many mathematical ideas. By labeling their sorts, students connect number with sets of objects that compose the pattern.
Pre-K-2
Students build on prior knowledge of sorting and classifying when they recognize sorts and name rules for sorting. They identify common properties in the classroom environment and make, explain, and defend conjectures to extend their knowledge.
Pre-K-2
This lesson focuses on elements that constitute a pattern core or unit. Identifying the core element or unit that is repeated is a necessary early concept that students must understand to recognize and create repeating patterns.
