Kindergarten

Counting Back and Counting On

• Resource
• Evaluated by Allison Pargoff
• Other Grades: 1st, 2nd
• Other Areas: Number and Operations in Base Ten

In this lesson, students model subtraction with connecting cubes while the teacher reads to them from counting books. Then children make a train of connecting cubes and write in vertical and horizontal format the differences suggested by adding to and subtracting from the train one cube at a time. Finally, they record, in written form, a train showing one cube being taken away and record the difference in vertical and horizontal format.

*This lesson is part of a larger unit from NCTM Illuminations called Comparing Connecting Cubes

Miss Giraffe Blog: Place Value in First Grade

• Resource
• Evaluated by Allison Selden
• Other Grades: 1st, 2nd

This resource is a teaching blog maintained by an experienced first grade teacher who goes by the screen name "Miss Giraffe". Her blog contains posts, ideas and resources for literacy and math. She features many of her Teachers-Pay-Teachers products on her blog as well. Her products and resources vary from free to $80 or so, depending on what it is you are purchasing. The specific blog post I am focusing on for this evaluation is about Place Value in First Grade, although I adapt many of her activities, resources and fun ideas for my second grade classroom. The same activities, resources and fun ideas can also be adapted to provide enrichment in Kindergarten.

Illuminations: Amazing Attributes Unit

• Resource
• Evaluated by Allison Selden
• Other Grades: 1st, 2nd

Amazing Attributes is a 5 lesson unit that guides students in collecting data through the use of objects, pictures, and symbols. Students will also be guided in learning about organizing the data they collect and sorting and classifying it in different ways. Lastly, students will learn how to display the data they collect with various representations. The lessons for the Amazing Attribute unit are:

1. Properties Everywhere
2. Grandma's Button Box
3. Alike and Different
4. Naming Rows and Columns
5. Show and Tell

Kangaroo Hop

• Technology Tool
• Evaluated by Allison Pargoff
• Other Grades: 1st

Kangaroo Hop is a game where students are given the name of a shape and asked to identify the shape out of 3 complete options. This lesson is great to reinforce prior knowledge of shape identification and attributes. The tech tool does go over both 2D adn 3D shapes, so it is best to use after all shapes and attributes have been taught.