Topic outline

  • Organizing and Collecting

    Welcome to the exploration of our number system through the context of "Taking Inventory". You and your sutdents will be on a journey together as you learn to look at mathematics through new eyes.  

    This unit brings the context of taking inventory to your classroom, as children count and label baskets of supplies and materials. Discussions will focus on organizing in groups and skip-counting, moving specifically to packs(groups) of ten. Children will have opportunities deepen their understanding of place value by packing by tens and fives. The ten frame is the visual model students will become familiar with.

    Unitization is a big idea the children explore as the pack and count groups. Children will develop and understanding of place value and that the number of packs and loose ones is related to the total number of objects and the numbers change when items are added to make full packs or when a pack of ten is added. 

    Through games the children will practice and explain making ten, place value and addition.

  • This topic

    Day 1 - Taking Inventory

    The context of the unit is devloped through the introduction of the story"The Masloppy Family". The class discusses how nicholas organizes his family's home to help keep track of items in their home and apply this stategy in the classroom.

    How did the children enjoy the new approach to their mathematics? JOin our discussion to share things you tried and were successful with as well as the potholes you would suggest others to avoid and why?

  • Day 2 - Continuing the Investigation

    Start with a brief reminder os some of the ways children tried to organize their objects. Children then continue with their inventory of their baskets.

    If time, you could invite one or two pairs of children to demonstrate their and explain their counting strategies. Have peers share their understandings paraphrasing the strategy that was shared.

    • Day 3 - Making Packs of Ten

      You will start with a mini-lesson of Quick Images. Quick Images encourage the mind to think or recognize numbers in a specific order. The images move quickly enough for the children to see the images but mot count by ones.

      Today we encourage the children to pack and count packs of ten.  I personally have found that children seem to understand packs of ten better than a group of ten. It may be that therm enables them to visualize ten things together and the loose ones.

      During the investigation observe counting strategies and keep in mind the numbers you will want to examine in the math congress on Day 4. Select a range of numbers.( Page 27)

    • Day 4 - Making the Class Chart

      Today the children gather for a math congress to record and examine the results of their count on day 3. They will look for a pattern in the numbers.

      Childen will return to check their count and think about the patterns in their numbers.

      Plan to focus the math congress on larger numbers to see if the pattern holds true.

    • Day 5 - Adding to the Class Inventory Chart

      The children will gather to share what they noticed about the pattern in the numbers. the focus is whether the pattern continues into three digit numbers.

      The challenge in the investigation is to have the children to consider how many more would be need to items would be needed so when they pack they would'nt have any loose ones.

      • Day 6 - Recording the Orders for Full Packs and Playing Rolling for Tens

        In the congress, some of the children will share their numbers and put them on chart. They will explain how they got their number.

        When a few of the children have shared, ask if the children what they notice about the numbers(. (See Page 39)

        Then you will introduce the new game "Rolling for Tens". 

        • Day 7 - Making Packs of Five

          The children will explore what happens when they change for m packs of 10 to packds of 5.

          In the past, teachers have shared that the children have struggled with this lesson. It may be that we don't fully understand the "why" of doing this activity. The purpose of this activity is for children to further sxplore the pattern in numbers. They should come to recognize that that the number of packs of five doubles but the exception to the rule is for numbers 5 to 9. For numbers ending in these nubers one must add another five and remove them from the loose ones. 

          This knowledge is useful when adding larger numbers. Children can add on much more quickly.

          • Day 8 - Collecting Stamps

            "Collecting Stamps" is much like "Race to 100". The one thing I like about using the stamps is they connect to world experiences; the second is that you can easily differentiate for the children by adding more game boards. If not today, throughout the year as their knowledge grows.