Bridges Math

We have been continuing to explore patterns during math. Our bridges math program breaks the math block into three components - number corner, sessions, and workplaces. This month during number corner the calendar theme is all about insects. The students made ladybugs and spiders as the calendar markers this month and are putting them in a pattern. During number corner, we focus on learning about the days of the week, months - including birthdays, and spend time counting - forward, backwards, and by 10's. Students have also been tracking the weather each day during the month of October and are continuing to keep a track of how many days we've been in school using links.  During sessions, students are exploring the similarities and differences between different insects, sorting them, and counting creatures using 10 frame mats.  We are also connecting the pattern learning on the calendar to other patterns and using unifix cubes to create other patterns.  Today, students learned how to name patterns in many ways.  A pattern of girl, girl, boy, boy can also be represented by color - yellow, yellow, blue, blue, and also by letters - AABB.  We call the letter version the mathematician way and have been working at naming all the patterns we see - on our clothes, on the walls, in books using letters.  INQUIRE with your child what an ABAB pattern could be.  During work places, we continue to explore with various math tools, play probability games, and create various patterns.  All three components of our math program are closely connected.