Curricular Materials used in the kindergarten classroom
Eureka Math - This is the district adopted Math curriculum
Number Talks - see description below
Rekenreks - see description below
Math Centers - see description below
Common Core Math - The Habits of Mind
The state of California adopted the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in August of 2010. These standards contain two types of standards: Eight Mathematical Practices (these are identical for grades K-12), and Mathematical Content Standards.
What are the 8 Mathematical Practices?
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
What are the Kindergarten Common Core Mathematical Standards?
1. Counting and Cordinality
- Know number names and the count sequence
- Count to tell the number of objects
- Compare numbers
2. Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Understanding operations as putting together and adding to, and
- Understanding subtraction as taking apart and taking from.
3. Number and Operations in Base 10
- Work with numbers 11–19 to gain foundations for place value.
4. Measurement and Data
- Describe and compare measurable attributes.
- Classify objects and count the number of objects in categories.
5. Geometry
- Identify and describe shapes.
-Analyze, compare, create,and compose shapes.
Number Talks
A Number Talk is a short, ongoing daily routine that provides students with meaningful ongoing practice with computation.
A Number Talk is a powerful tool for helping students develop computational fluency because the expectation is that they will
use number relationships and the structures of numbers to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
Here is a great video of a teacher instructing using Number Talks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWyDGUUUDJE
Four goals of Number Talks (K-2)
1. Developing number sense
- Number sense is an awareness and understanding about what numbers are, their relationships, their magnitude, the relative effect of operating on numbers, including the use of mental math and estimation. Ex. when you ask a child to give an estimate before they begin thinking about a specific strategy, you are fostering number sense. Other examples of number sense are: conservation of number (understanding that the quantity of a given number of objects remains the same regardless of how it is spatially arranged, ex a set of 8 blocks remains the same whether you have 3 on top/5 on bottom or 6 on top/2 on bottom) and one-to one correspondence when counting (saying 1 number for each object you touch and count).
2. Developing fluency with small numbers
- Fluency is knowing how a number can be composed and decomposed and using that information to be flexible and efficient with solving problems. Ex. knowing 7 can be 'decomposed' into 5+2 in order to later think about the problem as 5+(5+2)+8 allows access to making quick tens. The problem can then be solved as (5+5) + (2+8) through the associative property. Number talks provide opportunities to help students use and develop fluency.
3. Subitizing
- Subitizing is the ability to immediately recognize a collection of objects as a single unit. Ex. looking at the number of dots (aka pips) on a die and being able to instantly know there are 5 pips without counting. Number talks that use dot images, five- and ten-frames, or rekenreks provide opportunities for children to build recognition of numbers and their parts.
4. Making Tens
- Making groups of ten provides a link to developing and understanding place value and our system of tens. Students need many opportunities to count objects and organize them into them into groups of ten to begin constructing an understanding of place value. Equally important is presenting questions that ask students to consider how many more are needed to have a group of ten.
(*Source: Number Talks: Helping Children Build Mental Math and Computation Strategies, by Sherry Parrish)
Rekenreks
A rekenrek is a tool used to help students reason about numbers, subitize, build fluency, and compute using number relationships. The rekenrek is composed of 2 rows of stringed beads with 5 beads of one color and 5 beads of another color on each row. The beads are colored in groups of 5 to help students see or subitize the quantity of 5.
Here is a video of a teacher instructing using a Rekenrek.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUI05UQmYz8
Math Centers
Math Centers is a way of structuring Math instruction so that every student is engaged in meaningful and purposeful mathematical tasks.
1. Teacher Directed Math Instruction
The teacher provides the students direct, explicit instruction on the Math standards. Teaching of the 8 Mathematical Practices will occur at this time. At this time students will use a variety of tools and strategies to gain a strong conceptual understanding of abstract mathematical concepts.
2. Math Centers May Include a Variety of the Following (the names of these choices may vary in each classroom):
Number Talks - see description below
Rekenreks - see description below
Math Centers - see description below
Common Core Math - The Habits of Mind
The state of California adopted the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics in August of 2010. These standards contain two types of standards: Eight Mathematical Practices (these are identical for grades K-12), and Mathematical Content Standards.
What are the 8 Mathematical Practices?
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
What are the Kindergarten Common Core Mathematical Standards?
1. Counting and Cordinality
- Know number names and the count sequence
- Count to tell the number of objects
- Compare numbers
2. Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Understanding operations as putting together and adding to, and
- Understanding subtraction as taking apart and taking from.
3. Number and Operations in Base 10
- Work with numbers 11–19 to gain foundations for place value.
4. Measurement and Data
- Describe and compare measurable attributes.
- Classify objects and count the number of objects in categories.
5. Geometry
- Identify and describe shapes.
-Analyze, compare, create,and compose shapes.
Number Talks
A Number Talk is a short, ongoing daily routine that provides students with meaningful ongoing practice with computation.
A Number Talk is a powerful tool for helping students develop computational fluency because the expectation is that they will
use number relationships and the structures of numbers to add, subtract, multiply and divide.
Here is a great video of a teacher instructing using Number Talks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWyDGUUUDJE
Four goals of Number Talks (K-2)
1. Developing number sense
- Number sense is an awareness and understanding about what numbers are, their relationships, their magnitude, the relative effect of operating on numbers, including the use of mental math and estimation. Ex. when you ask a child to give an estimate before they begin thinking about a specific strategy, you are fostering number sense. Other examples of number sense are: conservation of number (understanding that the quantity of a given number of objects remains the same regardless of how it is spatially arranged, ex a set of 8 blocks remains the same whether you have 3 on top/5 on bottom or 6 on top/2 on bottom) and one-to one correspondence when counting (saying 1 number for each object you touch and count).
2. Developing fluency with small numbers
- Fluency is knowing how a number can be composed and decomposed and using that information to be flexible and efficient with solving problems. Ex. knowing 7 can be 'decomposed' into 5+2 in order to later think about the problem as 5+(5+2)+8 allows access to making quick tens. The problem can then be solved as (5+5) + (2+8) through the associative property. Number talks provide opportunities to help students use and develop fluency.
3. Subitizing
- Subitizing is the ability to immediately recognize a collection of objects as a single unit. Ex. looking at the number of dots (aka pips) on a die and being able to instantly know there are 5 pips without counting. Number talks that use dot images, five- and ten-frames, or rekenreks provide opportunities for children to build recognition of numbers and their parts.
4. Making Tens
- Making groups of ten provides a link to developing and understanding place value and our system of tens. Students need many opportunities to count objects and organize them into them into groups of ten to begin constructing an understanding of place value. Equally important is presenting questions that ask students to consider how many more are needed to have a group of ten.
(*Source: Number Talks: Helping Children Build Mental Math and Computation Strategies, by Sherry Parrish)
Rekenreks
A rekenrek is a tool used to help students reason about numbers, subitize, build fluency, and compute using number relationships. The rekenrek is composed of 2 rows of stringed beads with 5 beads of one color and 5 beads of another color on each row. The beads are colored in groups of 5 to help students see or subitize the quantity of 5.
Here is a video of a teacher instructing using a Rekenrek.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUI05UQmYz8
Math Centers
Math Centers is a way of structuring Math instruction so that every student is engaged in meaningful and purposeful mathematical tasks.
- Students receive Teacher Directed Math Instruction and then given independent practice time (choices) to work on Math concepts independently while the teacher provides focused instruction to individual and small groups.
1. Teacher Directed Math Instruction
The teacher provides the students direct, explicit instruction on the Math standards. Teaching of the 8 Mathematical Practices will occur at this time. At this time students will use a variety of tools and strategies to gain a strong conceptual understanding of abstract mathematical concepts.
- Examples of tools include: manipulatives such as unifix cubes, pattern blocks, number lines, and five- and ten-frames.
- Examples of strategies include using: fingers to count and decompose numbers (ex 7=4+3, or 7=5+2, etc); manipulatives (objects & tools); tally marks; a ten frame; mental math; a number line; drawing pictures and diagrams; write a number sentence; make a chart, table, or graph; and counting on.
2. Math Centers May Include a Variety of the Following (the names of these choices may vary in each classroom):
- Math by Myself 1 and 2
- Math With Someone
- Math Writing
- iReady math app