Open Discussion Forum

  • 1.  Is math here today?

    Posted 07-30-2019 03:11 PM
    As July ends and August begins, classroom teachers may be beginning to think about how to refine their math routines for the upcoming school year.

    The daily activity of taking attendance is often considered a time to do a little math. In my work at the Erikson Early Math Collaborative, I have tried to help teachers think about creating math-powerful attendance routines that go beyond counting in unison and recording the total.
    I want to share  a special attendance chart that is modeled on the Dutch counting frame called a rekenrek. As you can see from the photo below, it consists of rows of ten separated squares. Five red and five white on each row. As children come in, they find their marker (in this case at the beginning of the year it is their photograph) and they place it anywhere on the chart.

    Young children using a rekenrek chart for attendance.

    Here is a link with a video of a pre-k teacher doing the attendance routine using this tool - https://earlymath.erikson.edu/attendance-routine-build-number-sense/  As you watch, pay attention to how the structure of the chart the teacher uses helps the children discover many important number relationships that help build number sense. Note that this video was recorded close to the end of the school year, after the children have been using the rekenrek attendance chart for many months.
    I am interested in generating a discussion about what sort of attendance routines people use and how they see these routines building number sense in their children.
    = Lisa Ginet



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    Lisa Ginet
    Oak Park IL
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