Rockin Our Number Sense

Math Choice Time is an important component to our Math Workshop. After learning a few new math games, the students have the opportunity to choose which game they want to play during Choice Time. Our Standards-Based Bulletin Board this month, shows our community what Math Choice Time looks like in our classroom. Previously we introduced the games of On/Off, Counters in a Cup, Roll and Record Addition,


Roll and Record Subtraction, and Double Compare. All the games focus on building number sense. In the game On/Off and Counters in a Cup the students play with 10 chips.


This helps the students learn the different combination of ten. In both games of Roll and Record, the students play the game with two dice. They are working on number combinations of 12. The real focus that we were looking for is "How do the students count the dots?". Do they simply count each dot on each dice? Do they count on by placing the larger number in their head and counting up? Do they know the combinations without counting. Choice Time also allows us to conduct informal assessments as we observe the students playing each game. Many of these games can be played at home, if you are interested in having a copy of the game sheets and directions, just let us know.

How Many Could I Have?

This week we are working on word problems that have more than one answer. Today the students were given this problem to solve:
I have 5 crayons.
Some of them are red and some of them are blue.
How many of each could I have?

A few students right away wrote down the answer 10, thinking they had both 5 red crayons and 5 blue crayons. Some of the students looked a little blank in the face. While others started drawing 5 crayons, coloring some of the them red and some blue. It was fasinating to see their stratgies. It was also amazing the different recording strategies they used to show their answers.

Give your child a similar problem at home to see how they solve the problem. Encourage them to find more than one answer. With the help of their classmate Bryce, the class also discover how to tell when they have found all the combinations. Look under one heading either the red crayons or the blue crayons. Check to see if you have used each number. For the above problem, they looked to see if they used 1,2,3 and 4. We also talked about why the combination of 0 and 5 does not work in this problem. If your not sure why, it is because the problem states I have some of each color.

On/Off - In/Out - Toss the Chips Math Games

This past week we have been exploring number combinations. We have learned to play three new games. The first one is called On/Off. Each student will have a playing mat, 8 counters, and a paper to record the findings. The student will hold the 8 counters in their hand above the mat. They will open their hand and watch the counters fall to the mat. The student will next count how many land on the mat and how many fell off the mat. They will record their findings on the paper. As the students play the game, they should begin to notice the patterns they see. If they have counted 5 counters on the mat and 3 off, a few different times, they should be able to remember the number combinations without having to count all the counters the next time they get 5 on and 3 off.

The next game is called Counters in a Cup. Again the students start with 8 counters, 1 cup and a paper to record their findings. This time the students are playing with a partner. One student hides their eyes, while the other student places some of the counters under the cup and leaves some of them out of the cup. When the student who has been hiding the counters is ready, the other student opens their eyes and trys to decide how many are in the cup and how many are out of the cup. Both students will record their findings then check their answers by looking under the cup. Again they are looking for number combinations and patterns.


The final game is called Toss the Chips. The students again get a set of counters that are are red on one side and yellow on the other side. They toss them onto a mat. They count how many landed red side up, and how many landed yellow side up. They record their findings on a sheet of paper.

We would like to encourage you to play these games with your child at home. To make counters at home all you need is dried beans, and paint. Paint only one side of the beans. You can also adjust the number of counters for your child. If they need more of a challenge work with 12 or higher. If your child is struggling you might just want to use 6 counters. You want your child to see the connections between each round. They are making combinations. As they learn them they should need to count each number less. For example: If they have 8 counters and they notice 4 are off, then they should realize they have 4 on without counting as they get to know all the combinations of 8.