Math Journals

Another new addition to the kindergarten curriculum this year is Math Journals. Math Journals give students an opportunity to work independently to demonstrate their understanding of a specific concept. So far we have completed a journal activity for each of the lessons in which the students have participated.

The first lesson was a partner match activity, where students found a partner that had a strip of paper that was exactly the same. Then we found strips that were shorter and longer. For the Math Journal activity, students were given two strips of the same color, and they had to categorize the strips correctly. Here is an example.

After students completed this activity, we discussed the different strategies that were used to determine which lengths were longer or shorter.

The second lesson was on pattern blocks. Students reviewed the names and number of sides that each pattern block has. We played some pattern block games on the Smart Board, and students were given a handful of pattern blocks with which they built a creation.

The Math Journal activity was to create a graph from a game we played. Students picked a card with a pattern block on it from a pail, and then we colored in each time a specific block was chosen. Here are our results:

Students were given an opportunity to analyze the graph and think about the data we collected. I asked questions like:

Which block did we pick the most times?

Which block did we pick the least?

How many more times were squares chosen than hexagons? etc.

The third Math Journal activity this week corresponded to our review lesson on numbers 1-9. We played some number games, and students listened to the book Ten Black Dots, by Donald Crews. This classic book is a fun way for students to practice counting and channel their creativity.

Reading this book aloud lead to an easy transition to our Math Journal activity. Students would create their own page of the Ten Black Dots book! Look how creative the students are!