I continue to engage Alexandra in activities that involve counting, recognizing numbers, and understanding their relationships. Examples include playing number games with dice, using a 120 chart for counting and number patterns, and utilizing manipulatives such as a large-scale abacus, counting cubes, and ten frames to visualize quantities and help her better understand place values. We began to continue work on our 2-D shapes activity using play dough and toothpicks to create the shapes, and glued the shapes we completed thus far onto a paper today and reviewed how many sides are in each shape. Practicing this skill will help reinforce and consolidate Alexandra's recall of the names of the shapes and how many sides each has, and b an introduction to angles and geometric reasoning. Real-life scenarios are being used to help to concretize and transfer Alexandra's understanding. Alexandra was also challenged to find other shapes of simple geometric figures that occur naturally in our environment (e.g. triangles - trees; circles - ponds, tree trunks; squares rocks) and to find other 2-dimensional geometric shapes in her classroom - and name them (rectangles - building blocks; squares - notebook). Math vocabulary continues to be used and reinforced, (via verbal praise and stickers) with increased evidence of correct usage and application. We ended our session constructing marble runs to enable and facilitate advanced cognitive skills while also improving motor skills and teaching problem solving and memory. Alexandra worked with another child for part of this activity and demonstrated excellent team work skills, sharing, kindness, and compatibility.

Alexandra worked on an activity teaching her to fill in the missing numbers on a number line which helps her to provide mental strategies for addition and subtraction; research has shown that number lines are important because they facilitate and promote good mental number sense and arithmetic strategies. Alexandra continues to be given activities aimed at promoting her understanding that two-digit numbers are made up of tens and ones through challenges that involve grouping objects into tens and ones which helps make abstract concepts tangible. and help her visualize and comprehend the value of each digit in a number. We also worked on number chart puzzles and domino addition tracks, as well as a place value chart using straw manipulatives. We ended our session building 2-D shapes with a toothpick and play-dough clay activity. We just began working on an activity chart on which Alexandra will build triangles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons, trapezoids, and a parallelogram. While doing so, we will also be building Alexandra's understanding of 2 and 3 shapes and her math vocabulary of shapes and (e.g. angle, parallel - using a ladder to help her concretize and visualize its meaning). This is a fun hands-on activity designed to help promote Alexandra's spatial reasoning skills and pattern recognition while simultaneously strengthening her fine motor and bi-manual coordination skills.

Area of Triangles. Order of Operations. Formula and calculations of Area of various triangles. Isosceles, scalene and right triangles. Explanation/display of trapezoids and rhombus. Order of Operations (PEMDAS) review and practice examples.

We refreshed our strategies about place values and I encouraged Alexandra to group numbers using a ten frame to make numbers. We started by using base-10 block manipulatives to demonstrate how numbers can be grouped into tens and ones. I reminded Alexandra that the position of a digit in a number determines its value (e.g., in the number 12, the '1' is in the tens place and represents ten, while the '2' is in the ones place and represents two). Next, I encouraged Alexandra to make a number, using a "Fill the Grid chart" on the white board, starting with a 2-box grid and using 2 different color markers. This exercise promotes flexibility of number sense by affording a visual to create the number. Using the visual, addition, subtraction, and a ten block, is a great way to get Alexandra thinking flexibly about numbers and brainstorming how many different ways she can make numbers. I modeled the first example and then afforded Alexandra prompts to come up with and compare and contrast the different ways to create the target number. This additionally afforded me a way to assess Alexandra's current level of understanding and what ways are more obvious in her mind for creating the equations and help determine her readiness to introduce a new skill in order of progression (e.g., beginning with visual representations -> moving onto addition equations -> next, introduce a subtraction equation to make that number -> then introduce a place value way to make that number). I asked "can we make this number using a subtraction equation? - posing it as a question or think-aloud. I stated: "I noticed there were many visual ways to make this number and many addition ways, is there another way we can make this number that doesn't have to do with drawing images or using addition?" This kind of open-ended question encourages Alexandra to think outside the box and gently pushes her to the next level of of mathematical thinking. As always, I continue to incorporate and introduce mathematical terms as we work - today, the term 'addend' entered in our discussion. We ended our session using coin values to make numbers. Alexandra knows the values of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, and this exercise encouraged her to begin to apply and transfer this knowledge and further broaden her number sense skill sets and flexibility of thought.

Geometry: area and Perimeter, Prime Factors: Area and perimeter of rectangles, real world examples.
Types of triangles : Isosceles, Equilateral, and scalene. Angles in triangles, right triangles.

I drew a number line with chalk up to 20, and had Alexandra skip jump it by twos, threes, fours and fives and perform simple addition and subtraction to increase her familiarity with its purpose and number sense and a part of place value instruction. Number lines are great way to bridge the gap between concrete (like base 10 blocks on which we've been working) and abstract (numbers only) place value understanding. This is reinforcing the concept that whatever the numbers are added, the sum remains the same. Alexandra demonstrated and practiced her ability to count to hundred by tens, understands that each number counted is one bigger than the previous numbers and which group has more and which has less. Her counting and cardinality number sense continues to be strengthened by practicing the standards through various activities using manipulatives. I challenged Alexandra to find objects in the pre-K classroom that represent different numbers or shapes, and she enjoyed moving object training her attention on the challenge. We played math bingo against one another and finished our session doing a pattern activity using cut apples dipped in paint. Fun activities were explored to strengthen our number skills and end our fun Friday.

Avelina worked on learning how to multiply with single- and two-digit numbers. She began reading her new book "Winn Dixie."

We continue to develop, broaden, and strengthen Alexandra's number sense primarily through the physical manipulation of objects. These exercises aim to develop Alexandra's intuitive understanding of numbers, their value, how they relate to each other, and how they can be represented and used in different situations. She worked on an activity sorting and graphing by color to strengthen her one-to-one number correspondence - matching how many colors are in each category. We then worked on improving her ability to think flexibly using two sets of 5 frames before moving on to exercises with ten frames. The physical manipulation of having separate sets to add up different numbers that equal the same number helps develop thinking flexibly about numbers. We finished the exercise by connecting a ten frame to number bonds to develop Alexandra's understanding of parts of a whole. She counted by tens up to 100, requiring minimal prompts, and then added ones to the number sums counted. Alexandra also worked on an activity having her roll and build a structure using Lego and two dice and stacking the compute number correctly. This activity allowed us to incorporate concepts of proportion and equal, lesser, and greater than concepts. Alexandra enjoyed completing a connect-the dots activity, connecting numbers in sequence up to 100 and creating a picture, which strengthened not only her number sense but also her fine-motor skills using a pencil. Finally, Alexandra finished up our session playing a game of Number Bingo, with 2 cards and myself as a player - and building a marble run, aptly configuring the tubular pieces to allow the marble to follow her chosen trajectory. We enjoyed a productive and fulfilling day. Her grandpa ("papa") picked her up and she was permitted to take a popsicle home with her in the car, which made her extremely happy and her day at Batt complete!

Metric Unit Conversions: "King Henry " method. Various Metric conversions involving grams, meters, and liters. Prime Numbers and Composite Numbers: Prime Factor Trees. Method of determining Greatest Common Factor GCF

This afternoon, we continued to make math fun and engaging through hands-on interactive learning activities. Today's examples included counting a jar filled with small items, building a number city with blocks, a shape scavenger hunt, and using math playing cards. With Alexandra's help, I also created a number line with chalk and had her jump or hop on numbers, using simple addition and subtraction problems and dice. We did this in the Pre-K classroom to avoid the excessive outdoor heat. Our exercises today incorporated addition, subtraction, skip counting, patterns, real life scenarios, and logic puzzles/exercises for individualized differentiated learning and skill-building. As Alexandra had fun playing math Bingo the other day, we played another game before she left for the day. As the caller, I announced simple addition and subtraction math problems and tasked Alexandra with solving them and marking the corresponding answers on the Bingo card that I created and laminated. When she got a pattern of five counters in a row by correctly solving the math problems, she enthusiastically shouted out "BINGO! and earned a sticker. These exercises reinforced and consolidated Alexandra's developing sense of numbers and, logic, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.