My students need math puzzles and games to help them develop a deeper understanding of math concepts. They will learn counting and beginning addition and subtraction skills.
In my first grade classroom, students come in from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Two-thirds of my students come from families who speak another language at home. We have first graders fluent in six different languages and born in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the United States! Many of my students also come from families experiencing poverty. However, they love coming to school and they love being with each other.
It is evident that my first graders this year are enthusiastic and very observant as they have great ideas to share when participating in discussions.
Many of my students have limited English or are coming to school to experience learning English for the very first time as newcomers to America. All of my students are active learners who need engaging and hands on materials. They enjoy sharing our learning resources and appreciate self-guided learning experiences because this enables them to be more independent and also teach each other.
My Project
In math my students learn number concepts, which is how numbers work. They learn to represent a number in many different ways, such as with a numeral, by counting out coins, or drawing pictures.
First graders learn best with hands-on tools and interactive games.
They manipulate the materials to represent and compare numbers and the relationships between numbers. They especially like working with partners cooperatively to solve problems, count, and represent numbers.
My students are asking for the spin-and-count-to-twenty game. The game helps first graders learn to sequence numbers 1-20 and develop a beginning understanding of place value for two digit numbers. They practice beginning addition by counting out small objects to add each number they spin to the number they started with. They can use the same game to practice subtraction!
Naming, adding, and counting the numbers from 1-20 will especially help our students who are newly arrived in the United States. It is sometimes challenging for them to hear the slight difference in pronunciation between numbers such as 13 and 30, 14 and 40, 15 and 50, etc. These games will give them a lot of practice with the teen numbers!
My students also need math puzzles to help them learn addition facts. They will work with partners to put the puzzles together. They may also use small counters to represent the math problem too, or a white board to write out the addition sentence.
Your support of this project will provide first graders with tools they need to become mathematicians. These games will be fun, and will help them understand math concepts at a deeper level. Students will be successful with first grade math standards and beyond. Thank you for caring about my students and helping them learn.
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