Number Sense & Numeration
Grade 1: Number Sense & Numeration
Representing and ordering whole numbers to 50; representing money amounts to 20¢; decomposing and composing numbers to 20; establishing a one-to-one correspondence when counting the elements in a set; counting by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s; adding and subtracting numbers to 20.
Nature Journaling: I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of...
Nature Journaling is an incredible tool for helping students to add numeracy to their observations by counting legs, petals, leaves, how many they see etc.
At this age all three prompts "I notice..., I wonder...?, and It reminds me of..." become very intuitive. However, the last statement becomes very important for making the connections. Encourage students to begin writing using single words or simple sentences. Please note that spelling is not the focus in a nature journal. At this age you may start to see art fears - ensure you are re-iterating it is not about a pretty picture. It is about their observations. Please see the link below for tips on giving feedback. Using a combination of words, pictures and numbers allows the students multiple tools to document their observations. With permission Bethan Burton has allowed us to link to her website. She has written a blog post for Teaching nature journaling at all ages.
Here are some more of Bethan's ideas to get you started:
Engage the fives senses (whenever possible)
Make leaf prints (paint the leaf and press the print into the journal)
Do leaf rubbings with paper and the side of crayons
Trace items
Add leaves into the journal using tape
Count the birds/squirrels/insects etc.
Here is a downloadable lesson from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. All resources shared with permission. "I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of..."
GIVING FEEDBACK here is a fantastic resource from Jack and Emilie
NOTE: You are encouraged to spend time in the outdoors Nature Journaling. However, you can also bring nature inside, look out your wonder window, have a refrigerator Safari or even observe a house plant or pet.
Flower Fun
Find a space to explore that will allow you to see flowers. These can be flowers in a garden, wild flowers on a lawn or in a forest, flowers in pots in your home, or flowers you find in a book or magazine. Start with one flower. Count the number of petals on the flower. Try a flower nearby, does it have more or less petals than the first one you looked at?
Can you count the number of flowers in a variety of ways (1s, 2s, 5s, 10s)? Draw a picture to show how you counted the flowers.
Can you count the number of petals on one flower and count the number of petals on another flower and then add those two amounts together? Draw a picture to show how you did your counting then represent the total number of petals in all the ways you can (example: tally, base ten, on a number line, using a ten frame)
How could you count a broken petal?
If you didn't plant the flowers you counted, how did they get there?
Don't have any flowers? Look for leaves, pine cones, seeds or even blades of grass!
Curriculum Link: see Visual Arts
NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.
Nature Journaling: Comparison
In the activity Comparison from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren's book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. "Students observe two objects in the outdoors (e.g. flowers, trees, rocks) and sketch them side by side, noting differences and similarities."
All resources shared with permission.