Introducing the Number Four....

Our Kindergarten team of teachers are working together this year to try to make each other's lives a little easier.  We are each coming up with one math lesson, attached to a book, per week, and then passing the lesson on to the next alphabetical teacher.  :)  Less planning work = happy teachers!!!

Today, I did my own lesson, the introduction to the number four.  :) 

 I started by reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

 I then introduced the class to a blank tens frame (with magnets on the back to help it stay up).  We talked about which characters we had heard in the story.  As the students named a character, I put that character up on the frame (magnets also on the characters).  We counted the characters and decided that there were four.  I showed them the number 4, the word four, and also how to make a 4.  Then, I tried to "trick" them by moving one of the characters around and asking how many were on the frame now.  Some of them were tricked at first, but other students offered to show them how there were still 4 characters.  After moving them around into different boxes numerous times, I sent the students back to their desks with smaller frames and four rings.  They were given directions to show different ways to make four.  Below are some examples they came up with....

I'm telling you - geniuses already!!!!  :)  Next, I gave them even smaller frames and they had to color in four circles in their frames and glue into their math journals, then write the number 4 on the page.  I forgot to take pictures of this, but it really showed who truly got it and who didn't.  :)  Can't wait to see what they do tomorrow!