Monday, November 14, 2011

Skip Counting


This year, I think my students have finally mastered SKIP COUNTING...ok...so maybe at least a few of them have. 
I tried really hard to make the unit relevant.  For counting by 2's I used pieces of numbered paper with 2 turkeys on each paper.  This really helped with understanding that there are really 2 objects to be counted.  It's not just Ms. Fleming forgetting to say every other number! 

For 5's we used hand print turkeys (adorable!).  Shout out to First Grader at Last for this awesome idea! 

For 10's, I divided the class in groups and each group glued 10 fall leaves on each paper. I did this ugly um...not really thought out bulletin board to show off our hard work and BAM, they are finally getting it! To really achieve understanding of the concept, we practiced all of this in relation to a 100's board.

We practiced even more with my Thanksgiving Skip Counting station.  

I am curious, is this a skill your first graders pick up easily or do they come to you already knowing it?

2 comments:

  1. My kids can rotely skip count - but a good bunch of them don't know what it means. This was evident when I assessed them prior to conferences. I used 10 ten-frames full of bugs and asked them first to count by 1's, then 5's and finally 10's. Many did 1's just fine, but I was surprised by the number of kids who weren't organized in their counting and were all over the place. A lot of kids, when counting by 10's either touched one bug at a time and said "ten" or touched the top 5 in the ten frame and said "ten" and continued on that way. Others, when counting by 5's did the same sort of thing and touched one bug at a time and said "5, 10, 15, 20," etc. or did one whole ten frame saying "5, 10, 15, 20".

    So, my kids leave kindergarten "knowing" how to count by 5's, and 10's - but don't always understand WHY they do it.

    Holly
    Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade

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  2. This is a great visual...especially for those kiddos who need it and I know are just performing well at echolalia (did I spell that right?)...thanks for sharing! I've printed it out and will put it in my math file.

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