Curriculum Guides

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Content Area: Numeration

Skills: More/Less

Prerequisites:

Instructional Practices: Estimation, Communication, and Reasoning

Materials Needed: Unifix cubes (two colors), More-Less Spinner (See Teacher Made Materials), and egg carton graphing boards (See Teacher Made Materials).

Technology:

Activity: Students are grouped in pairs and are given unifix cubes of two colors, a more-less spinner and an egg carton graphing board. First student picks up a handful of cubes and sets them down in a designated area away from the mixed set. The second student picks up a handful from the mixed set and adds them to the first student's cubes. The first student spins the spinner to see if he wants to determine more or less. (If the spinner would land on more, the student would say, "I think there are more red." or whatever his prediction may be.) Then the students line the cubes up along the appropriate color side of the graphing board and determines if the estimation was correct. After it is determined if the first student's prediction was correct, the cubes are placed back with the whole group and the game may begin again with the second student spinning and making the prediction. (See Math Their Way, Comparing, Chapter 5.)

Theme Ideas: Use different manipulatives or colors for comparing that are appropriate to your particular theme.