Ms. Myers Grade 1

Welcome to our Math page!  This site will be updated as the units we study change.  On this site you will find information as to what we are learning about as well as activities and links.  Any new link will appear on this page as well as the "Links" page.   

September 19, 2009

For the past week, and for the next little while, our focus in Math is on sorting, graphing, and taking surveys, and managing data.

The grade 1's will begin by sorting and graphing with 2 groups (such as answering questions to a yes or no answer) and  then move onto working with more than two items such as telling among theirr favourite of 3-4 different types of ice cream. Students will then show their sorted information on different types of graphs (pictograph, bar graph, etc.).

Try some of these activities wit your child:

1) Sort items in your home into two or more groups.  For example, you might sort the vegetables in  the fridge by colour, kind, likes and dislike, raw or cooked or frozen, etc.

2) Gather a few items in some way and ask your child why the objects belong together.

3) Together, create a dinner survey.  Think of possible choices for dinner and ask your family member to make a choice. Record and have your child tell you what the survey tells you.

4) Keep a tally to record the number of times the refrigerator opens before school, and after school.  Compare the data.  Which time does it more, less, or the same? 

October 6, 2009

In our next unit of math, students will be expanding on what they learned about sorting in Data Management, and applying it to Patterning.  Students will be describing and sorting objects based on attribute (colour, size, shape, design, use) and creating their own sorting rules.

Students will also be looking at repeating patterns around them.  They will have the opportunity to copy, create, extend, represent, and record a variety of patterns.  They will begin to see that patterns help them make predictions and solve problems.

Try some of these activities with your child:

1. Collect a number of hard objects and 1 or 2 soft objects to make a group.  Tell your child that some things do not belong.  Challenge your child to EXPLAIN which object(s) does not belong.
2. Play a game of copycat.  Tap or snap a repeating pattern and ask your child to copy it.  Ask your child to create one for you to copy!
3. Have a scavenger hunt for patterns in your home.  You might find patterns on tissue boxes, clothing, blankets, wrapping paper, or books.

November 29, 2009

 For the next while, our focus in math will be addition and subtraction. Students will explore many       different situations where a quantity is being added to or removed from a group.

Students will act out addition stories where they join one quantity to another. This helps them understand that when we add numbers of objects, we increase the size of a set. They will act out subtraction stories where they separate a set, or take a quantity away from it. This helps them understand that when we subtract from a group of objects, we decrease the size of a set. We use words, numerals, and actions to talk about adding and subtracting.

 Try some of these activities with your child:

 • Turn everyday events into math stories for your child to act out and solve. For example: “There are 6 slices of bread left in the bag. If you take 2 slices out to make a sandwich, how many are left?”

• Build math story time into your regular story time routines. Tell an adding or subtracting story that your child can solve, or have him or her tell one that you can solve.

• Have your child use a collection of up to 10 items (such as dolls or cars) to act out adding and subtracting stories created by you or your child. For example:

“There were 7 cars in the parking lot. If 2 more cars drive into the parking lot, how many in all?”

• Have your child use objects to act out adding and subtracting stories that match number sentences that you say out loud. For example: “Use the fridge magnets to show me 3 and 4.”

January 15, 2010
Our last math unit was a HUGE success!! Our children learned about addition and subtraction and what they mean (join, add, leave, minus) and were able to create their own stories and PLAYS!! What fun we had! I will be sending home a folder with some samples shortly.

We will be taking a break from Number Sense and Numeration and our next focus will be a short unit on linear measurement. The students will have many opportunities to measure, compare, and describe lengths and heights. They will use measurement terms such as longer, shorter, and taller as they use small objects such as snap cubes and paperclips to measure, compare, and
describe larger objects and distances. Measuring with small objects helps students build an understanding of measurement that will be useful later when they learn to use standard units (e.g., centimetres and metres) and measuring tools such as rulers and measuring tapes.

Try these activities with your child:                     

• Use everyday situations to compare and describe lengths and heights of objects. Ask questions such as: Will this box fit on the   shelf? How much ribbon do we need to wrap this present? How can we put these books on the shelf in order of height?

• Use measurements to solve mysteries about people in your household. Find out who is the tallest, who has the shortest foot, and so on. Encourage your child to suggest a way to solve each mystery.

• Have your child make a personal measuring tape by linking 10 paperclips together. Go on a scavenger hunt to find things that are longer, shorter, and about the same length as the paperclip measuring tape.

• Keep track of your child’s growth by starting a height chart. Each month, mark your child’s height and talk about the changes that have occurred.

February 1, 2010

For the next while, our focus in math will be exploring, sorting, and building with shapes.

Your child will be using a 3-D shape collection and might enjoy using shapes he or she finds at home. If you can, help your child collect examples of each of these shapes and send the collection to school in a labelled bag (written in your child's agenda first week of February).

 sphere           cylinder              cone                prism               cube

We will be building structures with the shapes, so please choose things that don’t need to be returned — empty boxes, cardboard tubes, clean empty cans (with no sharp edges), cone-shaped birthday hats, old tennis balls, and so on.

•  Ask your child to describe the shape of an object, for example, whether it is like a can, a ball, or a box.

•  Challenge your child to check several shapes to see which ones will roll, slide, or stack.

•  Ask your child to explain how 2 shapes are similar and different. 

•  Challenge your child to sort shapes into groups, then to try sorting them a different way.

•  Describe the shape of an object and ask your child to guess the object; then switch roles.