Number Talks With 100 Snowmen!

Hey Kinder Friends,

You know me. I am always on the hunt for a good book. My favorite books have always been math books. If it can be incorporated into any math discussion or discussion about numbers, I just have to have it. My books are carefully selected and planned and...treasured. A favorite book gets read more than once and I honestly hate thinking about putting a favorite book away and waiting until the next year to read it again. I am always trying to figure out new ways to extend the reading experience and make it an active engagement experience. One of my favorite ways to do that in math this year has been with number lines. I can't get enough of number lines this year.



When I saw the book 100 Snowmen I knew I had to have it. I wasn't sure how I was going to use it in the classroom but I knew I had to have it. Once it arrived, I realized that this is mainly a book about joining numbers 1-9. But what really caught my attention was that the last page all of the numbers were added together to get 100 snowmen. I knew that had to be a part of my discussion when reading this book. Although this was my intention, I wanted to read the book with the kids first and then plan for a more structured talk about it. When reading for the first time, we just read it though and we had a general discussion about the book. I used this time to just listen to what the kids are thinking and plan for the next reading.

When I read the book for the second time I like it to be an active engagement reading. With active engagement reading during math, I incorporate a familiar math tool.

Ten Frames

Number Lines

Rekenreks





 For our second reading we used number lines and I paused throughout the book and they found the number on the number line. Throughout the reading, we went up and down the number line to 20. It was easy to see who was having difficulty and who was not. I also noticed most of the kids were confident in their movements and a few children were looking around to see if what they had was right. We put our number lines down at the last page and discussed the large quantity of 100 snowmen on the last page. As the children went to their math boxes, I just listened to the discussion and planned for the next discussion.

On the third reading we used our ipads and responded to the text. And out of curiosity the kids wanted to know how to create 100 with the rekenreks and one student was able to teach everyone including the new students. We talked about ten groups of ten and left our session at that. After listening and watching the kids during and after these sessions I was able to plan for my final reading of the book in the following days.

For the final reading, we focused on the last page and this framed our discussion or ...number talk.

What strategies can we use to help us count large quantities?

I pose the question and I listen to their responses and record their thinking.

We can touch each object.

We can touch and move each object.

We can line them up.

We can make groups.

We can use ten frames.

We can make pictures.

Our session this time without the book lasted about five minutes. Just five minutes. Not a big commitment. The sessions with the book readings took about fifteen minutes each.

Where do we go from here?

First, I never defined what "large quantities" were. I just wanted to know what their thinking was after seeing 100 snowman scattered on the page of different sizes and orientations. Honestly, at my first glace, when thinking about using this with kindergarten kids, it looked overwhelming. I imagine a table of scattered UNIFIX cubes looks the same way to a new kinder kid. So, in all reality, a large quantity could be 10, 20 or even 100 depending on each of us individually. Furthermore, a discussion about counting strategies is helpful to each and every one of my students including the two new students that collectively only have had four weeks of formal school when the rest of us have had a half of year of kindergarten and some a full year of prek before that.  It's like the easiest differentiation...ever!

 What are the next steps?

Everyone always asks...now what? Well, we could talk about strategies for accurate counting or even efficient counting strategies. I know we will have great talks about that. But listening to the kids I know right now they are interested in...story problems. Yep, snowy story problems! Which reminded me of these cute snowmen we made when we were dreaming of snow. If you want to check them out just click on the picture and it will take you there!

 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week!

  



BOOM! Number Talking

 



 

Hey Kinder Friends,

We are moving right along and having a little fun with Number Talks during our math block. I wrote in the beginning of the year that boom we came back to school with a mandated block schedule. Boom, boom, boom just like that.

For a while I struggled with exactly where in that block I would put my Number Talks. I finally decided to add it to the last 15 minutes of my block schedule so that I could always end our math block with some discussion and discussing what we noticed and how we all arrived at our thoughts. It works for me because I do not want to miss this time so I am on the lookout and ready when this time approaches each day. And I love that I need just a few simple things to get ready for this each day.

Chart Paper

Or A White Board

Markers or Dry Erase

Math Tools

In the area that I Number Talk, I have these materials on hand.

So, where are we with Number Talks and what are we doing exactly.

 Let me back up a minute.

We have had Number Talks going since school started but it was a bumpy ride in the beginning. We had a big, large, gigantic class until a few weeks ago. So, in the beginning we were getting used to the routine of Number Talks. In the very beginning we started each session with a book but now it depends on what we are doing during Number Talks. Sometimes I have a book that fits and sometimes I just don't but one thing is for sure...I am always on the lookout for books that could help build our math discussion.

But the focus is on the mathematical discussion and building a math community.

So that we can learn new ways of thinking and looking at things, new strategies for approaching mathematical ideas and problems, building mathematical fluency and understanding that numbers are flexible. I did spend a lot of time in the beginning just getting to know the children and I spent a lot of time just listening to their thinking. I also invested time in discussing our math community and setting up the expectations for the talk.

 We sit and we listen to each other respectfully and share our thoughts with each other.

Yes, it was just that simple in the beginning. I knew my large class would eventually break down and I didn't want to wait for that to happen before introducing this part of our day. I always begin with telling the kids a story of how I loved to count everything as a kid. We then discuss useful ways we count in the classroom and the children guide it from there.

I haven't formally introduced our Number Talks hand signals yet. Like I said, I had a large group until recently so I waited. No big deal. I think we are ready for it now. I am already dreaming of the day when our signals are in place.

 

Our Number Talks do not always coincide with our current math topic...and that is ok. But sometimes it does and that is ok too. As I was in the library I found a new book...

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At first glance, I was going to use this book for Science and talk about sound but as I was taking a look at it, all I could think about was the math topic of...one more. We were deep in discussion about one and two more last week when our math vocabulary words were more and less. During our math block we are comparing numbers and still discussing more or less. So the book does a nice job to help facilitate a discussion about 1 and one more, 2 and one more and so on.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

 You will need to read this book before using it in Number Talks because there is a great opportunity here right inside the book. Reading this book before being with the kids helped me to generate a few guiding questions. Because this book has so much to offer to a discussion, I might jot a few ideas down and place on a sticky note inside a few pages of the book before reading with the kids.

Did you notice one more?

How many end up in the bed before it breaks?

How do you see it?

How do you know?

How did you figure that out?

What could you do to be sure you knew exactly how many ended up in the bed?

What math tools could help you out?

How did the math tool help?

Some of our favorite math tools are number lines, ten frames and we are moving on to rekenreks.

So, where do we go from here?

As we move forward with Number Talks we will be learning our hand signals and we will begin recording our talks on chart paper during our sessions. We will also incorporate more math tools and continue building upon those foundational discussions. If you haven't started Number Talks this year you are not too late. It's never too late! You can join in the fun.   

 Even when I am out of the classroom Number Talking can still take place and this is one of my favorite ways to keep it going if I have to be gone. What I love about it is that there are several rounds of these images and the guided questions are on the slides. Anyone can advance the slides and ask the questions. The kids love it when you go a bit faster than before!

By request printable student number lines are now included and programmable hand signals as well. If you have not downloaded these updates please download again and grab them! For more information click on the images above.

 

 

10 Orange Pumpkins!

Hey Kinder Friends,

You know I love counting books so I was excited to spy this book at school next door. Always fun taking a peek at your neighbor and sneaking a book or two when they are busy. This is one of those books that I have to say I love because it was discovered at just the perfect time. Who can resist a seasonal counting book anyway?

I recently had made some number lines for my class as math tools. We had only used a large class number line at this point and I wanted the kids to be able to have and use their own when needed. After I cut them apart, I had them on my desk right next to the 10 Orange Pumpkins book. I decided to use the number lines with the book during Number Talks.

Adding the clothespins to the number line kept the kids focused and busy as we learned to move up and down the number line. We counted one by one up and down the number line while focusing on each number. Eventually we began a game of "show me" with the numbers in a random order.

The "show me" session gave me a chance to take note of who was struggling with finding the numbers, who was not using any strategy to find the numbers, who was actively applying some strategy and who needed more experiences with using a number line before these tools were put into their math notebooks for independent use. This also gave me an idea of who was ready for a larger number line. Sometimes just having the children turn around and face the opposite direction, helps them focus and listen. I think they think if they can't see me, then nobody can see them and even the reluctant few give it a try on their own.

I have printed a few extra to keep with the counting books when the children independently read during math. This book is a perfect fit because it has items on each page to count and then they find that number on the number line. Having something in their hands helps keep them engaged and thinking. It is a great way to continue counting the quantities on the page and finding the number on the number line. 10 Orange Pumpkins is a countdown book so we had fun counting backwards.

Spending this time working with the number lines really made a difference because our Number Talks were lively considering how many children had something to say about what strategies they used to find the correct number.

Counting from zero.

Counting from one.

Counting backwards from 10.

Counting from a known number.

Counting and touching each number to find the unknown.

Asking a friend.

Looking at another number line.

Eventually we moved on to talking about how we could use this tool to help us in math each day. All in all, about a 15 minute session with a few materials and a lot of engagement and talk...exactly why I love Number Talking!

 

Number lines have been added to my unit on TeacherspayTeachers. If you have previously purchased this unit please download again to get 1-10 and 0-20 student sized number lines!

Capturing The Talk!

Hey Kinder Friends,

Someone asked me the other day how to keep Number Talks going all year in Kindergarten. As I walked away from the conversation it made me think. Sometimes we all get stuck and have no idea where to go. And sometimes all it takes is just listening to the kids to get you moving in the right direction.

As we were having math the other day I could hear the children saying... A 5 can be a 1 and a 4, a 5 and a 0 and so on. As other children walked by they would chime in and add to the conversation. Before I knew it they had successfully given all of the combinations to the numbers that they were discussing. Recently in class we have been talking a lot about decomposing numbers to 5. I thought that capturing their "talk" and adding a visual representation would help them build the same fluency with larger numbers. Much to my surprise capturing this one "talk" helped them with larger numbers and soon they began rapidly signaling other combinations to the larger numbers. Capturing this "talk" didn't take much time at all and you can see it really isn't beautiful handwriting or even pinworthy but it was a teachable moment that captured their thinking and helped us all move forward in our thinking about numbers.

I snapped the picture so that I would have it to remind me in those times when I feel stuck. Sometimes just listening to the kids is just what is needed to focus the next "talk" on. And interestingly enough the children were working with...

Yep, Legos when they were taking about number combinations, imagine that!



Puppy Palooza Freebie!

Hey Kinder Friends,

Don't blame me... This was inspired by a book and I mean it. Seriously who could resist a little learning fun with a puppy twist? Some great counting books and some other super finds and I think we are all in for this Puppy Palooza of learning fun.

This is one of my new favorites for Number Talking fun. You count up and you count down from 10. It's lively and fun and it does lend itself to a lot of number talks that can easily be used for some addition and subtraction talks with ease. With the addition of some fun math tools like Rekenreks, Ten Frames or a Number Line, you could be on your way to some kind of fun. And if you are in need of talking about greater numbers, a great way to start is 10 and then add some more. Just because it ends at ten doesn't mean we have to!

Here is a little something that just might get you counting along... If you need it just click on the image and it will take you to the free preview file!

 

Can't believe that I missed this the first time around but I sure did. If I had only known that this is a color and counting book I would have been all in for sure. And who could resist adding some paint in with the mix here? I can almost see the ten frames and colored markers to go along with this new favorite. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime because I didn't have to wait too long!

And you know as soon as I got it I had to give it a try and I must admit I fell in love with dog but we like to call him Spot. We had to talk about each number and the different ways we can see numbers and then we ended this with writing some number sentences. We had some lively conversations and it this book quickly is remembered as one of our new favorites and like I said, just because it is a counting to 10 book does not mean that it can't serve another purpose later in the year.

Oh how I love this one. This is just a feel good book that is just perfect to use with writing. Writer's write about things they love. I just had to get this one out again and use it for writing during our Puppy Palooza.

And you can't forget the classics.

Oh how I love Harry. I had to include this classic book for next week. I have my own "Harry" and I will be writing about the adventures of my "Harry" during our writing. I am sure counting on some lively stories this coming week because one thing I have in common with my class is the love of dogs! And on my way to work through the school neighborhood I sure see a lot of furry friends running around the streets.

So, what are you waiting for? The freebies are in the free preview file so just click on the image below to grab yours today!

Wishing you the best Kinder friends!

 

November Number Talks Picks!

Hey Kinder Friends,

Just had to share our favorite Number Talking book picks for November! These are super simple and pretty cheap to come by so they are on the top of the list for our Number Talking fun. I ordered them through Amazon because I wanted to be able to have extra copies for the class. Considering Number Talks are an ongoing routine in the classroom I am always on the hunt for anything and everything that will add to this routine to get us all excited about this part of our day.

First up is the One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims book. It is super simple. But what I love about it most is that it serves as double duty for me. We read it and discuss the three ways to read a book and discuss retelling the story through the pictures. This is a great book for that because on most of the pages the children can read each word on the page but on some they must use the pictures to retell that part. It also incorporates one of our sight words "little" so the children see it in print many times throughout the book. And we all love counting the number on each page just to make sure 10 really is 10... To incorporate this into Number Talks, we add tools such as the Rekenrek or Magnetic Ten Frames to represent the number we see. And we are getting pretty good by now because we see numbers in different ways which lends to a richer Number Talk. This week I heard a lot of talk about one more because sometimes it was hard to find that last one on the page which gave us a great opportunity to talk about counting and recounting.

After our Number Talking routine, I was able to use the book to discuss counting and recounting with the class by using the same book as a starting point. After looking at my monitoring notes I knew that there were still children that do not use an organized method for counting objects. This gave me an opportunity to connect some of the things that I heard in Number Talks and help me plan for instruction for small groups of students or the class as a whole. So, in a sense, our Number Talking routine serves as an assessment of what the children know because the focus is communicating mathematically during Number Talks and you have the opportunity to hear and record the thinking of the children. And the benefit of this routine also gives the other children the opportunity to hear and see the thinking or applied strategies of other children.

As we strut into the last week before Thanksgiving we will be reading and incorporating 10 Fat Turkeys into our Number Talks because you have to have a little fun, right?

And it just would not be complete if we didn't countdown to Thanksgiving too! Oh my word do we ever love a countdown! Seriously, don't ask twice because we "got" this countdown thing! I swear we could countdown from like a million to any important event. WAIT, let me go make an assessment checklist for that...got ya!



All Talk!

Hey Kinder Friends,

Right now we are ALL talk! Yep, just yick yacking all the time! But I bet you could hear a pin drop when we are Number Talking! I swear it is the most peaceful time of the day. Kids are so darn busy working on their hand signals that not a mouth moves...Ahhh, just those few short moments. You just have to love it. No waving hands in the air. No grunting. Not a single noise until they are asked to respond... And you can bet they are on their toes because we are picking up the pace pretty darn quick and flashing images a little faster and the Number Talks routine is moving right along.

As we have eased into the recording of our thoughts we began with smaller numbers. It was my hope that by this time the children would be able to express seeing images in more flexible ways. As we worked through a few scattered arrangements today I could tell it was going to happen so I was glad that we were recording our thoughts already.

This also gave us a chance to practice the signal for seeing things the same way as another person. Again, the signals keep them so busy you could hear a pin drop!

Just like me, many people have asked about when the proper time is to move on... My teacher gut was kicking in today and it was obvious that it is now time to dig a little deeper. We are all using our hand signals with just a little prompting, we are all using our sentence stems when responding, most of us are instantly recognizing arrangements to five and we are now beginning to see the representations in different ways. And as we continue to share our thinking we are starting to notice more about number flexibility. WHEW!

Our Number Talks last about 5-10 minutes. These images and recordings took about 10 minutes. They were begging for more! Until next time friends...make everyday count!