This Week in First Grade Fun

We have been busy this week. I’m too pooped to write a lot…but take a look and you’ll see what we’ve been up to.

This week we talked about the strategy of adding one to any number. I started using lessons from Mastering the Basic Math Facts. Click here to read this post, and you can find lots of freebies if you search for Mastering the Basic Math Facts on my sidebar.

I started by reading the book Mouse Count and then gave each student a plastic bag filled with different numbers of mice. They had to complete the activity sheet below by first adding one to the total number of mice, then adding two to the total number of mice.

Then they had to draw a picture to match their addition sentences. We did a quick little journal writing activity on what they noticed when you added one to a number. The student’s comments were very insightful and I could tell they got it!
   
We also played Reds and Yellows for Seven. The students tossed seven chips and recorded how many were red and how many were yellow. Repeated playing of this game helps with number sense and fact fluency.
 

The idea for this game came from Shari Sloane’s wonderful site. She played Kindergarten Yahtzee with her students. I created a First Grade Yahtzee, First Grade Yahtzee Plus One and First Grade Yahtzee Plus 2 to use with my students. These young ladies are playing First Grade Yahtzee Plus 1.
She has her shoes off because she cashed in a Stinky Feet coupon. Gotta love Mel D’s coupon system!

Students who were ready were introduced to a different version of First Grade Yahtzee Plus 1. They had to roll two dice, add the dots, then add one to the total. These students are playing First Grade Yahtzee Plus 1 with two dice.
    
We ended the week with our Fun Friday Editable Graphing Activity. The students had a ball graphing Teddy Grahams.



I didn’t snap tons of pictures this week but I will try to remember to take some shots of all the other things we accomplished.. I’ll try to get those posted soon. If you’d like a copy of any of the activities leave a comment and let me know!