Addition Doubles

This week we are learning addition and subtraction doubles. Learning doubles helps the students recognize other math facts more quickly. To help your child practice doubles at home, have them play the fun matching game Ladybird Doubles. In this game, the students choose a doubles addition sentence card at the top and then try to find the matching sum on the bottom.

Online Addition Practice

Over the last two weeks we have been practicing various addition and subtraction problem situations. The students are required to solve various problems including when the start is unknown (ex. ?+4=9), when the change is unknown (ex. 5+?=9), or finding the missing sum (ex. 5+4=?). I found a game online, Count Hoot Addition, that presents addition sentences in this format and increases difficulty as the students achieve success.

Subtraction Practice

Also on MoreStarfall, your child can play bowling to help practice subtraction. The students roll the ball and then a subtraction problem appears which helps them visualize taking away objects as a form of subtraction. We play a variation of this game sometimes in class with miniature bowling pins that I picked up in the toy section of Target. The students take turns rolling the ball twice. They count how many pins they knock over on the first roll and add it to however many pins they add on the second roll. You can extend the learning to relate addition and subtraction facts by having the students first count how many bowling pins there are and then subtracting how many they knock over in their fist roll. This can lead to a discussion of fact families.

Addition Practice

Last week we worked extensively on addtion and subtraction problem situations. The students practiced using a variety of math problem mats and manipulatives. They also practiced solving problems by acting them out and by drawing pictures. One of the mats that we used to help solve problems was a part-part-whole mat. Although not exactly the same, there is a game on MoreStarfall that helps the students visualize two parts coming together to create one whole group when adding. You can click here to play the game.

First Grade Math Games

Each week our class visits the computer lab to practice our math skills. To make life easier, I created a Sqworl page of some of my favorite first grade math games. You can visit this page to have your students practice various games over addition, subtraction, skip counting, measurement, patterns, graphing, time, and more.

Computer Work Portfolios

Each week our class goes to the computer lab at least once. Because we usually go during our math block, our computer lessons tend to focus on math concepts. Below are a few movies that showcase the work the students have done this year in the computer lab. The students exported the pictures themselves and saved them to our school's shared drive. They are currently working on creating their own movies to showcase their individual work which will be uploaded to their KidBlog sometime next week.

Parts of a Set

To practice parts of a set, each student filled a cup with a random number of two-color counters. They then shook the cup and let the counters land on a random color. This is similar to the game "Shake Those Beans." After spilling the counters, the students counted how many total counters they had. They then counted what part was red and what part was yellow. They then created a four-part foldable to illustrate their findings. After illustrating, they labeled the pictures with statements such as "4 out of 7 are red." and "3 out of 7 are yellow." We talked about the total number staying the same and the first two numbers, the parts, adding up to equal the total amount.

Ocean Addition and Subtraction

The students used fish clipart to model and solve addition and subtraction word problems. Each student had a different problem to solve and shared their number sentences with their table groups.

Math About Me!

My teammate, Mrs. Linnabary, created a great lesson to get the students thinking about how they use numbers, both big and small, in their everyday lives. They created a poster all about themselves using only numbers. They wrote their house number, their birthday in number form, their age and ways to add it, their favorite number, and how many people are in their family.

Doubles and Doubles+1 Sort

Last week in computer lab the students created a t-chart using Pixie 2 as a way to sort Doubles and their related Doubles+1 addition facts. They modeled the addition facts using dominoes which they then labeled. We first did the lesson as a group using the school's new Promethean Board. The students then completed the work independently at their student stations.

Doubles' Neighbor: Doubles Plus One

Last week we reviewed Doubles Plus One by creating Double and Doubles Plus One neighborhood houses. We talked about how if you learn a Double, you can learn a Double Plus One because one addend goes up by one therefore the sum goes up by one. The students were able to see that the two addends were numbers that are next to one another on a numberline - they were neighbors. The students then worked in groups to complete fact families for Doubles and their Doubles Plus One neighbor. As we discussed their fact families they noticed that Doubles Plus One have more number sentences than Doubles, that Doubles are always even because since the numbers are equal they each have a partner, and that Doubles Plus One are always odd because there is always one too many. You can read their reflections on Doubles and Doubles Plus One at their student blog.

"Go Fish" Doubles and Doubles+1

Last week we learned about Doubles+1. The students built Doubles towers and then added 1 to the second tower to practice the addition equations. For additional practice the students played a Doubles and Doubles+1 version of "Go Fish." You can download the game here to practice at home or in your own classroom. Just print the fish on the back of the number cards and you're ready.

Double It Up!

A few weeks ago in computer lab we reviewed doubles addition and subtraction problems by recreating our Doubles Tree Map on the computer. We used the program Pixie 2 to match dominoes and real-world objects to their addition and subtraction double. Below is a video of the students' work:

Fact Family Wreaths

***UPDATE: You can now download a similar lesson using a Holly Wreath at my TPT store.***

Last week in math we were working on solving addition and subtraction word problems. As a part of our lessons, we had a little fun creating pattern block wreaths which we then used to solve a word problem and its corresponding fact families.

Shake Those Beans

This week we are learning a new addition game called "Shake Those Beans." The students get a cup with a set number of two-color beans in it. Today we practiced the sum of 4 so they had four beans in their cup. The students shake the beans in the cup and then spill them on the table. The students then see what addition sentence they can make from the beans. For example, if they have three white beans and one blue bean, they addition sentence is 3+1=4. After deciding what addition sentence they can make, they mark it on a graph. At the end of the game we discuss which addition sentence they found the most often. We will continue playing this game each day until we have practiced up to sums of 10.

Seeing Double!

We continued our math lessons today of adding and subtracting doubles. First, we used pop cubes to demonstrate doubles and created personal anchor charts of the doubles facts. Then, sttudents took turns holding up various doubles dominoes and saying aloud the addition fact represented and its corresponding subtraction fact. We then placed them on a Tree Map. The students then looked at pictures of real world examples of doubles and placed them on the correct branch of the tree. After we completed the Tree Map, students discussed the relationship between the addition and subtraction facts. As an informal evaluation of their understanding, the students put ladybugs with double dots on them in order from least to greatest. They then matched real object examples of doubles to the ladybugs. To help your child practice doubles, visit the Quia website to practice using flashcards, a matching game, and a concentration game.

Doubles Flashcards

This week we are learning addition and subtraction shortcuts such as using "doubles" (1+1=2, 3+3=6, etc.) To help you child at home, you can use the online interactive flashcards found on Math Cafe. There are flashcards for Doubles Addition and Doubles Subtraction. Students need to be able to understand how addition and subtraction problems are related.

Christmas Gifts that Teach

Several parents have asked if there are any specific items that you can buy to help your child with their reading and math. My best advice is to find games that teach. Below are a few games and toys that I highly recommend:

• Scrabble Flash - Students make as many words out of the letter combinations as possible. It is very similar to the Making Words activity that we do in class each Friday. Students will start to see patterns in words as they can change only one or two letters to make a new word. The great thing about this game is that it has automatic scoring and can be played independently.
• Bananagrams - The game is played like Scrabble but does not require the board and is easy to travel with. Through playing with words, students will begin to make more connections between the spelling of words.
• Bendomino - This is a twist on classic dominoes, which I also love. Dominoes help students with number recognition and can be used as manipulatives in a variety of ways. As you play dominoes with your child, have them add the two numbers of the domino before placing it down.

With those recommendations, I must say that I believe children do need time to just play and be kids. It is great to find teachable moments at home to reinforce what we are learning at school, but it is just as important to let children express themselves in stress-free, unstructured play. For that, I recommend having a supply of crayons, markers, blank paper, Legos and other types of blocks.

Don't Let the Cows Out!

In an effort to create an engaging way for the students to practice their math facts, I came up with a game called "Don't Let the Cows Out!" It's a game that you can play easily at home or even in the car with your children. The way to play the game is to get two dice - we use large foam dice - but you can use regular dice. Two players roll the dice, one per child. The dice are the "cows." The first student out of the two players to add the dice together and say the sum correctly wins and stays in the middle of the circle, or "fence." The students who are awaiting their turn act as the fence. While they are acting as the "fence" the students also pretend to cook for the "ranchers" in the middle. If a player has stayed in the middle of the "fence" for a while because they are winning, we take a break to pretend to throw some food as a way to encourage and cheer on the players. Students are reminded not to "let the cows out" of the fence as a way to keep the game in control. If a student rolls the dice out of the fence, they are automatically out and have to go "clean the cow stalls." Below are a few examples of the game in play. I encourage you to get some dice to keep in the car for long trips or for places where waits may be long (doctors' offices, etc.)

Math Tubbing

This six weeks I introduced Math Tubbing to the students. Math Tubbing is like Literacy Stations but with math content. Instead of going to a station, the students get a container filled with content-specific materials (games, books, manipulatives, etc.) that they can work on independently or in small groups. While the students are working on previously taught concepts, I work with small groups in Guided Math. In Guided Math we focus on the specific areas that individual students struggle in. The Math Tubs that the students are using right now include Number Recognition, Place Value, Graphing, Addition/Subtraction Operations, Shapes, Fractions, and Patterns. Students also have the opportunity to use our online computer program, First In Math. Below are some pictures of the students working with Math Tubs.