We have been exploring 10 frames in math using insects as markers and building fluency. In addition to daily practice of math hands, students are beginning to count and organize numbers in terms of their relations to five and ten. For example, if the entire ten frame is filled in except for 1, we know that the number must be nine. If the top is filled in and 1 more we can think, what's one more than 5.
Work places this week had students engaged in creating shapes. Students tried to replicate a given shape. We focused on directionality words to describe the location of where the corners/points began. After creating the replication on geoboards, students used rulers and experimented with drawing straight lines. Although a bit difficult task at first, the more practice students had, the better they became. 
Students continue to explore with pattern blocks, trying to replicate their friend's designs. Children are also using unifix cubes to replicate patterns, color patterns, and name each cube using letters.
Today's lesson introduced tallying using popsicle sticks. This lesson was given using our overhead projector and IPEVO so all children could see with manipulatives what I was explaining. As students practiced adding, subtracting, counting on, counting backward, counting by 5's, and using math hands, they were also given the opportunity to explore with tally marks. INQUIRE with your child why tally marks are used? How did Miss Closter find out how many popsicle sticks total we were using?
