Can you believe it is already December 4? It doesn’t seem possible!

If you are like me, you are working on number skills diligently, trying to bump up the skill acquisition before winter break. My little guys are a pretty strong crowd, academically, but we need constant daily repetition of the teens numbers in several ways in order to keep what we have learned.  Tens and ones reversals still happen, so it is all the more important we get practice writing and recording them.

December gives us lots of excuses to be creative with the learning “extras” that reinforce skills, and here are some ways to keep those skills in practice throughout the month.

1st off, we work on a monthly number talk calendar that give students repeated practice using number formation, tallying the numbers, and recording the count using ten frames.  By now, they are automatically saying “Ten” when they look at the first full ten frame, then count on from there.  This skill makes them think they are doing 1st grade-like math! Here is a link to the video I made during the summer telling how we use the calendar.

 https://www.facebook.com/MaggiesKinderCorner/videos/1132163226830625/ 

(link to product)https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/New-Math-Talk-Calendar-Journal-for-Kindergarten-Forever-License-2598624

Something else I love, LOVE! The ten frame cube (or anything that will fit manuplative-wise) trains! These have been a favorite of my class for two years! Every day, we begin the day with train activities. Kids work in cooperative groups to solve the problems I give to them.  I can take attendance while they are working on the first problem, then I circulate spot checking their results.  The trains came from Learning Resources, and IMO are a very wise investment!

 

We also complete a math journal page or two each day that again uses number sense skills of counting, representing with drawing and number formation practice.  This is usually the first thing they do before math stations.

Here is a link to a sample math journal 🙂

 And, it wouldn’t be December without a fun math activity featuring ten frame “trains” , color by teens numbers Santa and a Christmas tree!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwugBzJawFTaMF96amZPOFhlbVE/view?usp=sharing

 

And don’t you love labeling activities? Here is a freebie for December.  If you like to label, you may also like my Labeling Through the Year.

Have a great 2nd week of December!