Snap! Subtraction Game
I'm so impressed with my little ones today! I have been a bit concerned that our kindergarteners have to add & subtract within 5 fluently under the new Common Core Curriculum standards. That is a big jump from the TN standard in which they just have to understand the CONCEPT of adding & subtracting. I saw this idea at the TN Kindergarten conference back in November so I decided to give it a try. Students were partnered up and given 5 snap/unifix cubes. Player 1 held the cube train behind their back & Player 2 says "Snap!" Player 1 breaks the cube train (behing their back) and shows 1 part of the broken cube train to Player 2. Player 2 then has to figure out how many cubes are still behind Player 1's back. They were doing so good that I then had them write the subtraction sentences that they were making. (5-1=4). Even the little struggling learner that I was playing with was quickly memorizing the number facts. I'm thinking that if we continue playing this game my little ones will be subtracting fluently before too much longer! Go ahead, you know you want to try it!
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Hello,
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This sounds like fun!
I'm not sure that I agree with math fluency in kindergarten. This is the time to explore with concrete manipulatives, understand the math concept, and just have fun!!!
Scipi I don't agree with fluency in K either! When I began teaching 13 years ago most standards were prefaced with "Exposure to, introduce, or begin to comprehend the concept of..." Those were the good ole days when kindergarteners were still allowed to be kids learning through play & exploring rather than being pushed before they are developmentally ready. School can still be fun but it just takes more creativity & effort from the teachers.
I'm feeling a little old. Since I've been teaching for 20 years, we actually had nap time in kindergarten. Can you believe it! After they took that away, sometimes my students would be listening to a story, and suddenly just plop over asleep. I would just pull out a fold-out cushion and just let them sleep for half an hour. I think we keep moving farther and farther away from the idea that kindergarten should be a time to play and learn social skills, as well as develop finger strength by painting, molding, cutting, folding, etc. Sorry that I'm kind of going on... I just feel so passionately about this subject. I do love your Snap game. Come and visit me; I have some really nice, playful games and songs on my blog.
Sharon Dudley, NBCT
http://teachingwithsight.blogspot.com
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