•  Fir Tree uses pattern block triangles to create growing fir trees.   Students must extend the pattern, complete the table of values and describe the 10th tree.
  •  Hexagon Dragons requires students to extend the pattern, create an input/output table to describe the growing pattern, then draw and/or describe the 10th dragon in words. An extra challenge asks students to generate a rule for this pattern so that Miguel can figure out how many blocks he will need to build a dragon of any size.
  •  Tables & Chairs Investigation challenges students to find a rule to describe the relationship between the number of small square restaurant tables placed together in a line and the number of diners that can be seated at the larger table if only one person sits on each side.
  • Caterpillar Problem from Marilyn Burns, Math Solutions, asks students to build, extend and create a table of values for the growing caterpillar.
  • Rocket Problem from Marilyn Burns, Math Solutions, asks students to build, extend and create a table of values for the growing rocket

Workshop 3: Designing Math Lessons Sparked by Student Interest
NCTM NAEYC Joint statment in Early Childhood Mathematics: Promoting good beginnings
Teaching math for Preschool
http://www.brookespublishing.com/downloads/preparing-ec-educators-math/
Finding the Mathematics-Activity for teachers
Family Math -Note for parents
Hoop Game

Workshop 4: Geometry and Measurement
Reading: Early Childhood Mathematics (NRC, 2008)
Math learning in Early Childhood
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/fairytales/3bears.htm
Measurement Car Races and Totem Poles

LITERATURE CONNECTIONS
Two of Everything by Lily Toy Hong recounts a Chinese folk tale.   The farmer finds a magic pot which doubles everything that is put into it.   This humorous story is a great introduction to function machines and input/output tables as teachers make the transition to the “doubling pot” and recording information in an input/output table.   Next, teachers change the rule for the magic pot and keep it secret.   Students supply input numbers and the teacher records the output numbers for each.   Students try to guess the magic pot’s current rule.   This could then be extended to a growing pattern by simply using the last output as the next input, applying the rule and repeating the process.

Download the  Magic Pot Workmat for students to use in sheet protectors.
See 5 Coins and the Magic Doubling Pot or 1000 Coins for another take on this growing pattern problem that challenges students to figure out which is the best deal.

• Shake and spill/Make the train/Bears in the cave/Bowling
  http://blogs.henrico.k12.va.us/lmmeade/files/2013/01/ShakeandSpill.pdf
• More or less
• Bean out
• Sorting Dominos
• Where does the shake and spill lead to in FUNdamental math?http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/dothemath/pdfs/number_core_sampler.pdfhttp://www.first-school.ws/activities/fairytales/3bears.htm

Where does the shake and spill lead to in FUNdamental math?

http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/dothemath/pdfs/number_core_sampler.pdf

http://frogsandcupcakes.blogspot.com/2013/07/monday-made-it-subitizing.html

Other great resources
Number Sense for PK-K
http://maccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Elementary

http://www.pre-kpages.com/math-centers/

http://blogs.henrico.k12.va.us/lmmeade/

Number Sense for PK-K

http://maccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/Elementary Literature and PD resources

http://www.readtennessee.org/math/teachers/pre-k_mathematics/mathematics_in_pre-k/strategies.asp

http://earlymath.erikson.edu/

MATH TECHNOLOGY for little ones

FIngu

Fingu is an iPad game that aims to improve 4-8 year old children’s basic arithmetic competencies but can even be played and enjoyed by younger and older children as well as adults. The competencies that are trained are:

• The ability to ‘see’ numbers of objects without counting them, so called ‘subitizing’
• The ability to ‘feel’ a representation of the numbers up to 10 in your hands
• Coordinating seeing the number of objects with showing it with your fingers
• The ability to add two numbers with sums up to 10

The game can be download for free on AppStore.

You can find more information about Fingu on:
http://www.ipkl.gu.se/english/Research/research_projects/codac/fingu

Math tech for Little oneshttp://illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=3526http://illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=3528

FIVE & TEN FRAMES http://illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=3564

Math Centers: What “FUN”damental Math are you builiding at each center?

CCSSM resources for PK and Kindergarten

https://gradekcommoncoremath.wikispaces.hcpss.org/K.NBT.1