Lesson 5
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
Subtraction - Lesson Plan 5
Intern: Virginia Garretson Grade Level: Kindergarten
Estimated Date: May 1, 2009
Title: How Hungry is Your Anteater?
I. Objectives
o Students will construct, illustrate, and practice subtraction problems using 7 or less demonstrating that they understand the concept of taking away.
II. Applicable SOL Standards
o Math K.6 The student will add and subtract whole numbers, using up to 10 concrete items.
o Computer/Technology C/T K-2.7: The student will use a variety of media formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences
• Use technology tools for individual writing, communication, and publishing activities.
o Computer/Technology C/T K-2.5: The student will use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
• Identify information in various formats.
• Identify available sources of information.
III. Materials for Learning Activities
q Supplies: plastic ants as manipulatives.
q Personal white board, expo markers, and erasors for the red center.
q SmartBoard and laptop
q Classroom computers opened to Anteater Subtraction Smartboard activity; Subtraction Math Ten and Underactivity
q Rainforest Math – Subtraction Skinks at http://www.rainforestmaths.com/rainforest.asp?TransferID=%7B65567116-7862-439A-B360-C14389ECC2E1%7D
q Count Hoot Addition and Subtraction Website http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/numbers/chi.shtml
q SmartBoard Subtraction Activity
q Pictures of Giant Anteaters, Anteater sound clip, Anteater Video clips: http://www.arkive.org/giant-anteater/myrmecophaga-tridactyla/video-11a.html
q Wise, W. (1993). Ten Sly Piranhas. Puffin Books; New York, New York.
IV. Assumptions
q The students have been working with subtracting concrete manipulatives from 5 the previous week and from 7 earlier this week. They have mastered the basic concept of taking at least one away from 7 or less.
V. Procedure (Total estimated time: 1hour and 15 minutes)
o Whole Group Introduction: (5-10 minutes)
q Start by reading Ten Sly Piranhas to get them in the mode of thinking about subtraction. In math today, we are going to continue to work with subtracting things from a group of seven items.
q When you are at games today, you will have a choice of working on an Anteater Subtraction activity on the Classroom SmartBoard, which we will go over shortly, or the same activity on one of the four classroom computers, or an Apple Subtraction (Ten and under) SmartBoard activity on another of the classroom computers, or, on the using the remaining two classroom computers. (http://www.rainforestmaths.com/rainforest.asp?TransferID=%7B65567116-7862-439A-B360-C14389ECC2E1%7D) and finally there is the Rainforest Subtraction board game you can play, with up to two partners.
q When your group rotates to the red center, you will pretend to be a hungry Anteater ready to eat some ants. (Show a couple of pictures of anteaters and play sound). Using the little pile of black ants at your seat, you will practice subtracting different numbers from seven to see how many different answers you can get. You will then write your subtraction equation on the small white board and hold up for me to see when you are done. (Model activity at the center when I run it.)
q When it’s time for you to rotate to the blue table center, you will pick one of your subtraction equations from the red center to illustrate/show in your Math Journal
q As always, if you finish a center early, clean up your center and then pick a math book to read quietly to yourself.
q Now let’s take a look at the new Anteater Subtraction activity and the Apple Ten and Under Subtraction Game Center). Go through each activity and suggest that all students start with the Anteater 7 and under game to see how they do. If they find it too easy they can move on to the Apple version. Two students will be able to play at the Smartboard. Two – four can play on the computers and 2-3 can play the board game. Children will buddy up or “truddy” up with different partners from the day before, as per our established routine, and then tap the shoulders of the next buddy when they finish an activity within games.
q
o Instructional Strategies (15 minute rotations):
q (Game Center) This center was explained in the introduction.
q (Red Center) Students will be handed out 7 little plastic ants to use as manipulatives for this activity. I will then have the students do a couple of subtraction problems using only 5 of the ants to start with. Their hand will act as the Giant Anteater’s tongue to take away the ants from their colony. I will walk then through a series of scenarios for them to solve. I will start with, “One day, seven worker ants busily storing away food in their storehouse chamber, when to their horror, out of nowhere, a giant long sticky tongues grabs them, takes them all away, and with a slurp and a burp swallows them whole for breakfast. Now how many worker ants are left in the food storage chamber?” Hopefully, the answer will be zero especially as I will be acting out the part of the anteater’s tongue by grabbing up all the ants at once. I will then have them record this problem on their personal size whiteboards. The white boards will serve as a form of assessment. Next, I will continue to say, “Well as we have learned ants are team players, and when they see something is missing or needs to be done, they get right to work doing it. So, when the next ant that walked by the storehouse noticed that all the storehouse worker ants were gone and things were piling up, he called his other friends over and they got to work. None of them wondered why, the other ants had disappeared. When at about that time the Mr. Anteater decided he wanted a midmorning snack; but, he wondered if he’d find anymore ants in that chamber since he eaten them all for breakfast. However, this was a wise old anteater, who had lots of experience with ants and knew they wouldn’t leave a job undone for long. So, down when his long sticky tongue to see what it could catch for his morning snack. And with a slurp and a burp he pulled out 3 more ants and swallowed them whole. Now the other ants didn’t see the giant tongue take their sisters away but realized that they were missing a few. So, they did a quick count and found that of the seven they started with three had disappeared/taken away by the anteater, and now there were too few of them left to finish the job. How many were left if they stared with seven and three were taken away?” 4. Of course, one of them called three more friends to come help, bringing their numbers back up to seven, and they all went back to work.“ I will then continue on with the story until all the possible equations have been figured out.
1. (Blue Center) At the blue center, the students will be illustrating one of their math problems from the red table in their Math Journals.
o Summary: (5-10 minutes)
To summarize the lesson, I will review the meaning of the word take away again to reinforce the subtraction concept, use the Smartboard activity to work a couple problems whole group, and select a couple of Math Journal stories to share with everyone.
o Extensions
The extensions are the computer games (Rainforest Subtract the Skink and the Count Hoot subtraction games) as well as the Smartboard Apple Ten and Under Subtraction activity and the board game activities.
VI. Assessment
q The assessment includes the white boards and their Math Journal entry. They will be assessed based on whether the written equation is correct and in the case of the Journal whether the picture elements match their equation. In addition, anecdotal notes will be kept from when the students cycle through the red center to ascertain whether they comprehend the concept being taught and can perform it independently (e.g. mastered it), whether they are still developing an understanding and need to do the problems with support, or whether they have minimal to no understanding.
VII. Differentiation
q Those students that have English as a Second language or difficulties with the math concept will receive scaffolded help from myself and the IA as they come through our centers.
q The Smarboard activities are differentiated according to skill level. For those students who have mastered 7 and under equations, they can move on to the Apple Subtraction Activity.
q Similarly the Rainforest Math site has several levels of subtraction. While I started the class on the Kindergarten level, if I find that certain students are ready for it, I will have them move up to 1st grade subtraction and even second grade if they need the challenge. In addition, Count Hoot Addition and Subtraction website is also a challenge site for our more advanced mathmaticians.
q Differentiation for learning styles is also included in this lesson. For example, kinesthetic learners will benefit from working with the ant manipulatives and using the white boards and the SmartBoards . Visual learners will benefit not only Math Journal entry but also from the SmartBoard and Computer activities. Auditory learners will benefit from the short read aloud at the start of the lesson and from the instruction and storytelling that takes place at the red center.