I tried to list our Kindergarten Grade Level Expectations in simple terms.  Click HERE for that page.

For the original documents from the state, see below.

  In order to see the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements that are our Curriculum, please click HERE. This will take you our Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for Washington State. Then click on "Teaching and Learning" to find the requirements for all of the subjects.  This will also include all grade levels.

Math Time & Math Stations

Math & Literature Books

We work on our Calendar and Weather Routines right after Morning Recess and Snack Time.

After we finish snacks, the children may get a drink and look at books until called over to the floor where they will first pick up their Calendar Notebook and a white board (to use as a “table”).  Then they sit on their assigned Rug Squares in criss-cross fashion with the white board on their laps, their Calendar Notebooks on top, hands folded on top of the Notebooks.

 1.)  The Calendar Helper is called up to the front and stands near the Calendar Board.

   * In September we usually do these routines as a whole class until everyone understands what their job as the Calendar or Weather Helper is all about.
   * By the first of October the Calendar and Weather Helpers do part of their job when they first arrive in class – this speeds up things a little so we don’t have to sit on the floor any longer than we can handle!

 In September:

   * I ask them what number card they will need to put in the Calendar Pocket Chart for today.  They find it and put it in the right pocket.
   * Then I ask if they would like us to count the numbers of this month so far, or “read” our Calendar pattern up to today while they point with a special pointer.
   * They tell the class and we all say it together.
   * Then they point as we all say the name of today (“Today is Monday, September 10, 2007.  This is school day number 5.

Beginning in October this part changes to:

   * I ask what number card they put in the Calendar Pocket Chart for today.
   * Then I ask if they would like us to count the numbers of this month so far, or “read” our Calendar pattern up to today while they point with a special pointer.
   * They tell the class and we all say it together.
   * Then they point as we all say the name of today (“Today is Monday, September 8, 2008.  This is school day number 5.

2.)  At this point everyone opens their Calendar Notebook, takes their pencil out of their pencil pocket and waits for instructions.  The Calendar Helper will use the Calendar Notebook Big Book pages to model what to do (enlargements of the student pages).  It sits on our Big Book Easel at this time.  Altogether we do the following
(with my help as needed – I try to be the guide)

   * Monthly Calendar – We write the number of the day in the correct calendar box.  We need to talk about what day it is so we know where we are.  This is a time to talk about correct number formation and where to begin in the box.  We talk about abbreviations about the days of the week.
   * Write the Date – We use the next box on this page to write the date either 9-8-08 or Sept. 8, 2008.  We will vary this and talk about the differences.  We talk about abbreviations for the months.
   * Number of Days in School – We trace/write the number of school days we have been in school.  We trace the numbers 1-50, but after that the boxes are empty and we are on our own!  This is a good time to talk about what they notice about this chart – number sequence, why the 5’s and 10’s columns are shaded (for skip counting), and any other observations they might have.
   * Zero the Hero – We look forward to his arrival and when he comes we fill in this page with the date, the number of school day, what he brought us, and any special things we might have done.  We may need to fill this out later in the day or the next day at Calendar time.

3.) The Calendar Helper then chooses an Applause Card from the Blue Bag and we show our appreciation for a job well done.

   * When the Calendar Helper sits down he/she catches up with adult help if available; otherwise I work with them later in the day.

4.) Next, the Weather Helper comes to the front. 

In September:

   * I ask them to go outside and check the sky to see what is happening and to see how the weather feels on their skin.
   * They come back in and choose 2 weather cards for our Weather Chart – one for the sky one for how it feels.  They stick in place with Velcro.
   * Then they color in the Weather graph chart on the cupboard.  They color in the 2 cards. We will do the same in our Notebooks in a moment, but only the sky report.

Beginning in October this part changes to: 

   * I ask what weather cards they put on the Weather Chart for today.
   * Then I ask if they colored in the Graph.

5.)  We turn the page in our Calendar Notebooks to the Weather Graph and color in the correct space while the Weather Helper does it in the Big Book on the easel.  We use a crayon from the pencil pocket for this page.  We discuss any observations the children might have.  On the last day of the month we take the time to total up all of the row and put that number in the last box.

6.)  Next, the Weather Helper chooses a number from the crazy sock and, using our big 100 chart on the cupboards, we count to that number.  For the First Quarter there are numbers 5 to 30; Second Quarter 20 to 50; Third Quarter 50 to 100.  The Helper points to each number with a special pointer or finger puppet of their choice as we all count together.  Sometimes we add a simple motion to the 10’s and 5’s column numbers to help us stay focused.

7.) When we finish and the weather Helper has put the counting things away, we turn to the next page in our Notebooks to write down the number we counted to today.  We share any observations we might have.

8.) The Weather Helper then chooses an Applause Card from the Blue Bag and we show our appreciation for a job well done.

9) We then acknowledge any Lost Teeth or note any Birthdays we might have.  There are 2 pages in our Calendar Notebooks that keep track of these important events.

10.) We then stand and put our Calendar Notebooks and the white boards in their tubs and then stand back on our Rug Squares to stretch and sing a couple of songs about the Days of the Week, Months of the Year, the day, or even the Weather.

This routine sounds very involved and it will take a lot of time at first, but once learned, things should move along quickly.  Those that take a long time to do the pages will be pulled to the back an a helping adult can work with them.

As the year moves along, special pages will be added for a month and then replaced with others.  They may include:
            * a Tally Page
            * Odd & Even Numbers
            * Adding the Date
            * Time Page
            * the Date in Coins
            * Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Most of the pages will remain in the Notebook for the entire year.

 What is in the Calendar Notebook?
            * we use a folder with 3 prongs (pockets are not necessary)
            * inside on top is a zippered clear vinyl pencil pocket
                        - a sharpened pencil
                        - 2 crayons (everyone will have the same 2 colors)
                        - anything else we might need at this time will be added along the way
            * then come the pages we will work on

Calendar Routines offer a lot of Math instruction and practice.  By having everyone involved with all the steps, and hands on at that, it is my hope that we will ALL learn more at this time.  Twenty-five minutes have been set aside for this, but hopefully we will cut that down to 15 or less.  My plan is to keep a watchful eye on the class as a whole to monitor the on task behavior and tighten up the slow parts.  This is a work in progress!

Teachers:

I heard this idea at a Conference from a very talented and resourceful lady, Shari Sloane.  She has lots of ideas for many things.  Click HERE to go to her site.  Scroll down the left side to "Calendar Book" where she lays out what she does in detail.  She will also refer to Mrs. Meacham's Classroom Snap Shots site - yet another fabulous source of detailed ideas with things to copy and go.  Both spots are worth the time to explore!

Shari said that this routine was so worth the time and energy it took - she'd never give it up.  Her students really learned a lot over the year and more were involved on a daily basis with the skills of working with Calendar Routines.  She also said that once the children got the routine down, it went much faster and they enjoyed the hands-on.  So - while this is just a plan for my class this summer - I hope to begin our learning fun in September.  I'll let you know how it goes!  (Plans may change due to piloting a new Math curriculum this year, but this is one routine I'd like to get going!)

Also, I redid all the pages I want to use so they have the same look about them.  I put them in a PDF file and if you would like to see what I came up with, click HERE.  But refer to Shari's site for the directions.  You need to make it your own!

Applause Cards ~

We show out appreciation for a job well done in a variety of ways.  I got this idea from Dr. Jean's website.  (Click HERE for those.)  I've printed them out onto cardstock for durability.  We learn a few at a time and I change the ones in the blue bag for variety.  They are fun ways to "applaud" each other and the children LOVE it!

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My fellow Kindergarten Teachers and I worked on a monthly curriculum map to show what we worked on in Math.  It's used as a checklist for us to make sure we are on track - and it helps us stay together with what we teach.  We listed a few activities we felt were key experiences, but this is definitely a work in progress and we add to and adjust as we work through the school year.  Below I have copied September's map to give you an idea of what it looks like. 

Math occurs throughout the day, but we do have a set "Math Time" scheduled each day.

We begin as a whole group, usually sitting on our rug squares in our Calendar area.  I try to find literature to help us focus on the topic of our lesson.  (There are so many great math-based books out these days.  I love it!)  We might even reread a book from the previous day to get more ideas and insights out of it.

Some days we might begin with a quick hands-on review activity.  Passing out needed materials can take time, but I am working on having things ready in bags, tubs or baggies - and things that children can help pass out and pick up easily.  These kinds of activities lets EVERYONE participate at the same time.  Sometimes we might work individually or with a buddy.

I try to involve the children in the lessons as much as possible - by asking them questions, explain your thinking, come up and show us, etc.  When children can discover the important concepts and skills, they learn and understand much better.  This requires careful planning on my part so that I am not always "telling" them the skills.  The "lesson" part should be short and simple, because the important part is to get all the children involved with hands-on and minds-on as soon as possible.  Sometimes our "lesson" might be at the tables with manipulatives to use as we move along.

I try to move them into Stations as soon as I can.  Some days we might have a quick review of the skill we are working on and then most of the time in Stations.  Other days may be spent more on the "lesson."

What Kinds of "Station" activities do I have?

* I use a lot of Tubbing Activities from Math Their Way.
* I have invested a lot of time in Box It and Bag It independent activities.  I have boxes just for shapes, sorting, patterning, number and am still working on Measurement.  These rotate for a few weeks after we have learned some of the skills and act as review and assessment - and lots of practice!
* I have worked up a lot of Story Mats and manipulatives for problem solving, sorting, patterning, comparing, and sets.  I make most of my manipulatives by running pictures on colored construction or cardstock, laminating them, and cutting them out.  It saves me money from buying the neat 3-D objects, but it works.  We work with these with the whole class several times before they become a Station or small group activity.  The mats are as easy as a farm yard scene and the manipulatives would be farm animals.  I try to gear them to the them or season - even the holiday.
* I also have a lot of commercial math games, puzzles, and other activities that I try to add to each year.

I work every summer in organizing these things by math topic or quarter and then change what is available to the children so it all remains fun and interesting.

Management of Stations (or Centers, or Team Time - whatever you call it) is important.  The children need to be taught all of the expectations for this time and they need to practice all the parts.  This is WORK time, not just PLAY.  We have specific Guidelines that we work with so that this learning time is productive.

Our basic Guidelines are:

I usually begin the year more structured with the management.  We might have Teams or Groups where the kids are restricted to 2 or 3 choices and they move through different activities each day.  Later, we change to more individual choices with a Recording Sheet and "Must-Do" activities and then other choices during the week.  It depends on how the class is working at this time.  My goal is always to be able to meet with and work with small groups on specific needs.

The activities are grouped into major skill areas - such as sorting, patterning, numbers & sets, measurement, etc. 

The focus at this time is to provide lots of practice and repeated experiences with the skills and concepts we have worked on.  Again, this is a great time to assess while they work.

I rely on several books and programs for building and enriching our math experiences.  Here is a list of the ones I always go back to:

* Box It Or Bag It Mathematics from The Math Learning Center
I use this program a lot as well.  Good center ideas and management tips.  I've made most of the Box Activities and they are easy to use.

* Invitations to Problem Solving With Story Boxes ~ also from The Math Learning Center
I've wanted to use all the ideas in this book, but haven't been able to implement them yet.  We will be doing more this new school year.  I love the story board idea and we should be able to get a lot of practice with our math skills and our verbal skills as well.

* Marcy Cook Math Materials ~ Math For K-3: Active Involvement is the Key!
Marcy has been giving workshops and working in schools for years.  She has developed a lot of hands-on, active involvement activities and materials that truly involve EVERY child.  The skills she addresses are simple, but her materials provide LOTS of practice in many different ways.  If you have a chance to see her - DO!  She has a site - Marcy Cook Index.

* Math Excursions K ~ Project-Based Mathematics for Kindergartners ~ another great book from The Math Learning Center
I use these units as a final big activity with our main math objectives.  The children love the activities and I have found it to be a great wrap-up and assessment at the same time.

* Developing Number Concepts Using Unifix Cubes by Kathy Richardson (Addison-Wesley Publications)
This is much like Math Their Way in its thinking.  It gives me a lot of reasoning behind the number concept skills and there are a lot of individual and small group activities.  It would be appropriate for all primary grades.  Good assessment activities as well.

* Hands-On Standards ~ Photo Illustrated Lessons for Teaching with Math Manipulatives (Grades PreK-K) from Learning Resources
This is my latest find.  I use it as background information for me so I can better share with my parents what and why we work on the skills we do. 

~ All of these books and ideas take a LOT of time and preparation, but once you have done the work, that materials are very useful.  I haven't found a text program yet that had everything I wanted, so I have always gone to what I know and believe are great resources.  (Please know that I do follow our District's curriculum - that is always my foundation and guide.)

Math & Literature Books

Math Links for More Ideas

Interactive Math Games
– measurement for Kindergarten

 Online Math Games
– plus more subjects

 Measurement
- info & facts for kids

 Online Basic Number Concept Games

 Counting Worksheets & Games
- for primary grades;
also some language arts online games

 Introducing the Venn Diagram in the Kindergarten Classroom
- helpful lesson plan!

 Kindergarten Online Math Games
- a LOT to choose from!

Marcia’s Math Page
- lots of links & helps

Math Units
- with lots of activity ideas & pictures
from Little Giraffes – a great site!

Math Connections
- lots of activity ideas from one
of my favorite sites ~ The Virtual Vine

Mrs. Meacham’s Classroom Snapshots
- Calendar Wall and Math activities

Graphing Questions
- from Can Teach

K Lesson Ideas
- from Math Steps

Kaboose Math Games for Young Children
- free online games galore
(click past the 2 commercials - it's worth a look!)