These first grade boys and girls in Miss McGowan's math class were "counting up" with counters. The students were challenged to draw lines to match the numbers so that their differences equal the "magic" numbers outside the boxes. These students were further challenged because some of the answers required them to "count back" (in order to reach the correct answers).
This activity was fun, productive and challenging. Each student had the opportunity for "hands-on" manipulatives time, and also to work with a partner to to help him/her work with magic number" concepts and challenges. Each helped the other student when and if help was required and supervised by the teacher.
From Priscilla: "I was working hard on my counting up. It was fun."
From Tiffany: "I was playing a magic number game with Priscilla. We got the magic number right."
From Keith: "I was trying to figure out the differences."
From Lamont: "I was playing a matching numbers game and was finding the difference. It was fun."
From Jacob: I counted up and I drew lines to the answer after I used counters."
The boys and girls in Miss McGowan's math class have done a super job using manipulatives in math these six weeks of summer school!
Tyrell Whitney and Joe Sparrow have been especially good at place value with numbers having ones, tens, and hundreds. Craig Brumskin, John Churchfield, Britney White and Matt Wells like to use chain links to measure objects in the classroom (we also made a chain graph on the floor showing everyone's height---which was a lot of fun!).
Rachel Cooper is especially talented in telling time. She and Porsha Dupont pair up for challenges in time against the team of Dutchess Thompson and Joshua Johnson.
No one is as good as Natacha Goodwine in spotting geometric figures in the classroom. Natacha, Sikiya Hurst, and Bobby Potvin can quickly count to 100 by using the unifix cubes (by 2's, 5's, and 10's). Dividing geometric shapes into fractions is a lot of fun for Ke'Andra Hargis and Chyvonne'te Rayne. Good job!
Patricia McGowan
Math Teacher