Dear Friends… Enjoy the rest of your summer, and please remember that all my Lessons for Families and Resources are available to you at kathyaproberts.com. Be well. Be safe. Kathy
SAME OR DIFFERENT?
Same or Different? activities are opportunities for our children to focus their thinking on a desired mathematical concept. These tasks strengthen communication, reasoning and constructing arguments in relation to mathematical ideas. *************************** Same or Different? FLOWER POWER Look at the two pictures. What do you notice? 1. Talk about how pictures A and B are… Read More
TETROMINOES
Most puzzle solving requires use of logical thinking and one’s problem-solving skills. Solving puzzles often requires strategic and creative thinking. Especially with some mentoring, your children can transfer their increasing puzzle-based logic and problem solving to other situations. **************************** Tetromino Puzzle Link When your children have played the game at least… Read More
THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT…
These activities are opportunities for our children to practice grayscale thinking — to see the world as having some middle ground versus being a world of black and white. When using “Same but Different” our children are encouraged to look at the characteristics of what they are comparing. “Same but Different” activities help them strengthen an… Read More
MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SOLVE
Today’s activities are all about addition, counting and place value. They are designed to engage our young children in deep mathematical thinking as they explore possible solutions. ************************** A TRIP TO THE AQUARIUM Gina went to the aquarium yesterday. She learned that some sea animals have arms. One of the tanks had sea stars and squid… Read More
SORT IT OUT
These problems will give our children the chance to work methodically to answer the questions. It is important to remember mistakes are valuable, they encourage brain growth and learning. ********************************* MATCHING TRIANGLES These triangles belong to three different families. All the triangles in the same family are the same shape. But they may… Read More
Mr Brown’s Bad Day
Mr Brown’s Bad Day is a wonderfully witty madcap adventure with inventive twists and turns, a series of unlucky events, a comic chase and a brilliant and reassuring surprise ending. A perfect for bedtime story. ****************************** “Laugh-out-loud fun and a lovely sweet ending.” Kirkus MR. BROWN’S BAD DAY LOU PEACOCK – AUTHOR ALISON FRIEND – ILLUSTRATOR… Read More
STRATEGIC THINKING GAMES
One of the essential mathematical problem-solving skills that we want to help children to develop is that of logical thinking: ‘if this … then that’. Strategy games are a great way for our children to develop this skill in a stimulating environment. Strategy games are low threshold high ceiling tasks where all children can easily access… Read More
SEEING AS UNDERSTANDING
The emerging science of the brain shows that mathematical thinking centrally involves visual pathways – and finger representations are important to consider. Utilizing fingers and other concrete ways to solve problems adds meaning to numbers. Strong mathematics learners are those who think deeply, make connections and visualize problems ********************************* ONE BIG TRIANGLE Here are nine triangles…. Read More
PLAYING WITH TRIANGLES
These open-ended activities are designed to allow our children to demonstrate their mathematical creativity. Both involve manipulating triangles to strengthen their understanding that rotating a shape does not change the shape itself, it just puts it in a different place (or orientation). *********************************** A Perfect Introduction to today’s activities. “NOTES ON A TRIANGLE” This short animation… Read More