Let's Talk Math!!

Hi all!! 

One of my favorite subjects in kindergarten is Math!!  It always amazes me how little minds work.  Does any one else feel this way?  Little ones can solve problems in so many ways and sometimes I have no idea how they arrived at the conclusions that they did, but they are spot on!! 

So, today let's talk math!! (Just so ya all know, I'd do this with any grade level.  I'm just sharing from a kindergarten perspective!)

In my classroom each day we spend part of our day introducing and reviewing common core concepts using my Kindergarten Daily Math units.  We also spend part of our day doing an activity called "Math Talk".  I've talked about "Math Talk" before, but thought I'd share a little bit about it again, since it is a quick and easy way to tie in some of the standards each day in your classroom!

Basically "Math Talk" is a conversation about a picture.  The little ones are using math language during our conversations (after much modeling) and sometimes we even incorporate our comprehension strategies into our discussions.   We always begin our conversations talking about what they notice in the pictures.  Many times the little people are able to infer something about what they think is going on in the picture by clues and it is so neat to see how their thinking changes as they gain more information from their classmates (synthesizing).

One of the standards for kindergarten is to describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.  Using our pictures for "Math Talk" helps us tie this standard into our math time.  Another nice thing about using pictures is, it also helps children begin to see things in groups, and not just by 1's.  Each little person is joining the conversation where they are in their thinking/learning.  They are also having the opportunity to learn from their peers' thinking which pushes them just a little bit further. 

At the end of math talk, I give the little people some problems to solve using things within the pictures.  They can solve the problem in any way they wish.  Some will count on, some will add, some will subtract.  It is so neat to see how they're thinking. 

I thought maybe you would like to see what one of our pictures might look like.  I decided to include 2.  It doesn't have to be anything fancy, it could just be a picture you took on vacation, at a holiday gathering, etc.  These just happen to be of my little grandson on a trip to the apple orchard last fall.  The important piece is the conversation!!!   Happy talking! 

A little bit of digging! A little bit of playing! And, a little bit of nature!!

I'm sure you're all wondering, what in the world is she sharing with us this time?? 

Well, finally we've started getting ready for our home construction!!  Can I hear a "Oh, ya"!!?  We have owned our property for about 10 years now and  thought we'd be building on it 3 years in, but several obstacles got in our way (my husband's broken leg, a knee replacement, my back surgery and my momma being diagnosed with cancer among other things).  A little over 2 years ago we moved out to what we commonly refer to as "The Triangle".  Strange things seems to happen out here and the property is shaped kinda like a triangle (according to hubby), more like a trapezoid if ya all ask me, lol. 

Currently, we are living in a 720 square foot apartment above our garage.  Now, it is an adorable little apartment and I do have laundry facilities out here now!  So, I've been pretty happy about the whole thing other than we have no closets really.  That's been a bit tricky and we've had to be a little creative!

On Monday our excavator began knocking down trees in the area where the house is going to be built.  I was so excited and so nervous to see all of those trees being pushed into a huge, I'm telling ya, a huge pile!!  One of my little grandsons loves any kind of motor vehicle or equipment that moves.  So, mamaw gave him a call and he came out to watch.  He had a ball!!!  Not only did he get to see Chuck excavating, but was invited to get up on the equipment!  This was huge for Wyatt!! 

Our little deer have been loving it as well!  All summer I thought we had 2 babies, but apparently there were 3 little all along.  Somewhere one has been hiding!  They have been playing in the opened up area this week and I can't tell you how fun it is to watch them run and chase!! 

Hopefully, all of the digging and moving of dirt will be completed early next week and then the basement wall can be put into place.  Yeah!!  School starts in just about 2 weeks and my husband's class will be building the main part of the house.  And, I will get to help!!  Whoo! Hoo!

Enjoy the pictures below and I will try to keep you up to speed on the progress and how we're doing! 

TPT Back to School Sale!!

Hi y'all!!  The big back to school sale at TPT starts tomorrow!  Load up your shopping carts!  There will be lots of goodies to choose from!  I already have some great items on my "wish list" and can't wait to move them to my shopping cart!! Whoo!  Hoo!!

Be sure to use the Promo Code:  BTS15 when checking out!!