Archive for August, 2009

Counting Lesson Plan

Key Words

numbers counting

Resources

Chalkboard, butcher paper, writing materials, manipulatives.

Introduction (Focus Involve Transfer)

Discuss with students
Counting is fun
Counting is helpful
Counting helps us know how to do things
Counting helps us know when to do things.
Counting helps us spend our money
Counting helps us know what day it is.
Counting helps us know how many things we have.
Counting helps us know how many things we need.
Counting helps us figure out things.

Instruction (Guided Practice, Procedures.)

Oral Counting

Get all students to count in unison. Watch for students who are not participating They will need individual help. Pair students off and let them count to each other. Now work with those who were not participating, then pair them with students who can count well.

Recognizing and writing numbers.

For this activity, use large pieces of butcher paper or mark your chalkboard off into two feet squares. Draw simple objects such as balls, or stars in each circle, one in the first square , two in the second square etc. Start with ten numbers. Get students to tell how many. When students can name the correct number, Write the number in the square. Get them to write the number and draw the number of pictures. As students become fluent in this activity , move to move to the next decade of numbers.

Using Manipulatives

Give each pair of students a bag of manipulatives. Get them to take turns counting them. A number of different objects can be used as manipulatives for counting. Simple bright colored objects are usually best. (See Suggestions)

Finding missing numbers

Get student to copy a series of numbers from the board and fill in the blanks with missing numbers (Example) 1,2, _, 4, _6.

Summary Closure

Get students to write each number in the decade you are studying twice.

Assignments Independent Practice, Homework.

Get students to practice writing numbers,
Get students to practice numbers orally at home and on the playground.
Get them to practice counting manipulatives.

Suggestions

Some students already know how to count, but don’t skip this lesson. It’s important to start students out with an easy lesson that they already know how to do. Use this lesson plan as often as possible until students can count to one hundred.
Add any popular counting games or rhymes you have to this lesson plan.
Kindergarten students should count fluently to 25 by the end of the school term.
First graders should count fluently to 50 by the end of the school term.
Second graders should count fluently to a hundred by the end of the school term. (This may be different in your school district. Be aware of your school policy. )

Here’s a trick for getting the attention of all your students in a busy classroom.

On the first day of school, or today if you haven’t already done so, do this.
Teach your children, that when you raise your hand, he or she is to raise his or her hand and turn and face you. When the child raises his or her hand, this is a signal to other students who might not see you that he or she must also stop and raise his or her hand.
Practice this with your students a few times for a day or two, and you won’t need bells, whistles, or a loud voice. This trick is non-stressful and very effective.

Many items can be used for counting manipulatives. I like to use brightly colored unifix cubes. Small plastic counting critters work well. Matchbook cars also work.The cheapest least “evaporative” manipulatives I’ve found are dried beans. Here in New Mexico we have the very colorful Anazazi bean. Students love to count with these.

Keep your manipulatives in plastic zip loc bags. Have enough bags for each pair of students and a few extras.

Assessments

This lesson plan should be used until students can count fluently

Kindergarten students should learn to count to 25.
First graders should count to 50.
Second graders should count to 100.

Complete the Squiggle Lesson Plan

Appropriate for Grades 2 – 5.

Overview:

Pair up the students. Have one child draw a squiggle on the screen. The other then has to try to turn the squiggle into a picture. Students take turns completing each other’s squiggles.

Activity:

1. Start MS Paint
2. Choose Attributes from the Image menu.
3. Click cm in the Units section.
4. Type 29 for the Height and 21 for the Width.
5. One student selects the pen tool from the Toolbox and draws a squiggle on the page.
6. The second student then takes the pen tool and tries to complete the picture by turning the squiggle into a thing / object.
7. The students take turns to complete a squiggle.
8. To print out the results of the game, choose Print from the File menu.
9. Click the OK button.

Resources/Materials Needed:

Software Painting Printer, Paper

Collect the Weather Lesson Plan

Students are to study weather patterns and keep a record of these results in a notepad. They are then to record and graph these results into a spreadsheet program each day. Activity 1. As part of a unit on weather, discuss the various instruments and ways of measuring changes in the local weather. 2. Have students write and illustrate 5 common instruments used into their books. 3. Demonstrate how each instrument is used and how to record the readings taken. 4. Introduce the activity of daily weather records and through the use of a pre prepared example sheet, help students to develop skills needed to interpret deductions about the weather patterns from the readings. 5. Choose a student each morning to take the temperature and other weather measurements. 6. Ask all students to record into their notepads these details including cloud shape, rain/shine, etc. If your school has a weather station, ask if your class can use it. 7. Continue to record this information on a daily basis for up to a week. 8. Start a spreadsheet program and begin a new document. 9. Enter the recorded information using column headings to separate the data. 10. While your students are in the spreadsheet program, get them also to graph the ongoing findings. 11. Print out the data and the graph on a sheet of A4 paper. 12. Discuss the daily changes. With printouts of both the table and the graph for a one month period, get your students to write a report and present it to the class. Materials notepad, pen, pencil a weather station if your school has one, access to other weather info, thermometer, computer, spreadsheet program

Clock Lesson Plan

Appropriate for Grades 2 – 7.

Overview:

Using a drawing program, at the students draw a set of clocks displaying the times that you have written on the board. They can draw both analogue and digital clocks for each time.

Activity:

1. Start ClarisWorks.
2. Start a new drawing.
3. Choose the circle tool from the Tool Box to the left of the page.
4. Press the Shift key down and drag out a circle that covers about a quarter of the page.
5. Choose the text tool from the Tool Box.
6. Click on the page and drag out a text box on the circle.
7. Type the number 12 into the text box.
8. Repeat the last 2 steps for the numbers 3,6 and 9.
9. Choose the Arrow (pointer) from the Tool Box.
10. Click on each of the numbers and drag them into their correct positions.
11. Choose the line tool from the Tool Box.
12. Draw hands on the clock face to indicate the time.
13. Repeat steps 2 – 5 for each of the times set by the teachers.
14. When all of the clocks are completed, choose Save As: from the File menu.
15. Navigate to your floppy disk or folder.
16. Type a name and click the Save button
17. Choose Print from the File menu.
18. Click the OK button.

Make a sheet of blank clock faces and print them out.

Resources/Materials Needed:

Software: Desktop Publishing, Drawing
Printer, Paper

Advertising Lesson Plan

Appropriate for Grades 4 – 10.

Overview:

Cut out an advertisement from a newspaper or magazine and attempt to copy using the various tools and clipart which are available in your computer room.

Activity:

1. Start MS Publisher
2. Choose the Blank Publication tab from the Catalog window.
3. Click on the Full Page picture then click the Create button
4. Choose the tool from the Toolbox that you need to start your advertisement.
5. Draw out the various parts of the advertisement.
6. Choose the text tool from the Toolbox.
7. Drag out a text box.
8. Type the advertising slogan.
9. Change the font, size and style.
10. Drag the text into place on the page.
11. Choose Picture – Clipart from the Insert menu.
12. Click on the a category.
13. Click on a picture then click on the top choice in the menu that appears. (Insert clip)
14. Click on the picture and drag it into position on the page.
15. Click and hold on one of the black “handles”.
16. Drag the handles to adjust it.
17. Repeat this process to add other pictures.
18. Choose Save As: from the File menu.
19. Navigate to your floppy disk or folder.
20. Type a name and click the Save button.
21. Choose Print from the File menu.
22. Click the OK button.

Resources/Materials Needed:

Software: Painting
Paper, Printer
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