Mathematical Emphasis

Investigation 1— Attendance

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Counting the number of students in class

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Establishing one-to-one correspondence

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Exploring materials (tiles, blocks)

Investigation 2—Counting Jar

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Counting a set of objects

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Creating a set of a given

size

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Recording numerical in-

formation

Investigation 3—Calendar

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Developing a sense of time

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Viewing the calendar as a tool for keeping

track of time and events

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Counting on the calendar

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Connecting number names, numerals, and

quantities

Investigation 4—Today’s Question

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Collecting data that fall into two groups

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Counting and comparing the number of stu-

dents in different groups

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Establishing one-to-one correspondence be-

tween a group and the data collected

Websites

http://cms.everett.k12.wa.us/math/Kinder

http://investigations.scottforesman.com/pdfs/p

arentpage.pdf

Tips for Helping at Home

•

Take advantage of any opportunities you

might have to count with your child. Chil-

dren learn to count by having many op-

portunities to see and hear other people

count, and to count on their own. You

can model counting out napkins or plates

for the table, or crackers or fruit for

snack. It would also be helpful to have a

collection of objects your child can use to

practice counting, such as beans, but-

tons, or pennies.

•

Help your child explore your use of the

calendar at home. When you write an

appointment or a family event on your

calendar, or when you use the calendar

to find out how many days until your trip,

talk with your child

about what you are

doing. Explain how

and why you are us-

ing a calendar. You

might also point out

examples of calen-

dars when you see

them.

•

http://athomewithmath.terc.edu/

Introduction to

Mathematics

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Counting is More Than 1, 2, 3

Counting is the basis for understanding our

number system and for almost all the num-

ber work in the primary grades. It involves

more than just knowing the number names,

sequence, and how to write each numeral.

Counting is actually quite complex and in-

volves interplay between the following con-

cepts.

Rote Counting

: knowing number names

and sequence

One-to-One Correspondence:

counting

accurately means a student must know that

one number name stands for one object that

is counted.

Keeping Track:

another part of counting

accurately is being able to keep track of

what has been counted and what still re-

mains to be counted.

Connecting Numbers to Quantities:

using

numbers to describe the quantity of objects

counted.

Conservation:

understanding that three is

always three, whether it’s three objects

pushed or linked together, objects spread

apart in a line, or some other formation.

Counting by Groups:

counting a set of ob-

jects by equal groups.

Economopoulos, Karen. Investigations in Number, Data,

and Space: Mathematical Thinking in Kindergarten. Dale

Seymour Publications, 1998.

Vocabulary

Color tiles—1 inch square tiles

Pattern blocks—shapes include square, dia-

mond or rhombus, triangle, hexagon, and

trapezoid.

Geo-Blocks—three dimensional blocks

Manipulative—object that can be moved or

manipulated to help solve problems, count,

etc.

Set—a group

Glossary

http://www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com/

Calendar

Involve your student in or-

ganizing and recording spe-

cial dates on the calendar.

Here are some questions that you could

use to help you with your conversation:

Is our trip tomorrow? The next day? This

week?

What day of the week will we go to…?

How many more days until…?

How many days have gone by since…?

If our trip is on the 13th, on which day

should we record…?