Counting Task Cards with Halloween Racers for grades K - 2

by Learning Harbor™ Resources for Teachers
for Grade K - 2

                             
                           Counting Task Cards Halloween Racers K - 2


Follow little Halloween racing characters as they help teach elementary kids how to count forward from a given number that is not the number 1. This task stumps children in kindergarten, grade 1 and 2. Tie your math lesson to Halloween and brighten your students’ day, as well as their interest in your lesson.

Kids get to see funny little Frankenstein’s monsters and happy little Dracula vampires, as well as adorable witches and baseball cap-wearing mummies drive cute race cars toward the finish line. The purple and orange colors heighten kids’ engagement when trying to pick the correct card. Students see a set of cards with multiple numbers. They’re given a card with a problem, such as a 5 and a 7. Students must then figure out how to choose the number that is the right number between the two. What number comes after 5? Don’t worry; it’s not as scary as it sounds, you can assure your students. These cards take the ‘fright’ out of the fest and put the ‘happy’ back into Halloween.

This kind of complex counting is foundational to having kids learn advanced addition strategies in later elementary grades. The more students learn to count from 1 to 50 without having to start at one, the better off their conceptualization of math will be. In his Developmental Psychology article, Cognitive Predictors of Achievement Growth in Mathematics: a 5-year Longitudinal Study, David Geary, from the University of Missouri, Columbia, deduces that counting skills appear most important to arithmetic skill acquisition through 5th grade and therefore may be a better predictor of future math success than other skills, such as speed and memory. These cards help a student to work towards greater proficiency with regard to hierarchical inclusion as well as number sequencing. Students eventually learn, with the help of these cards, that each number represents one more than the previous number in the counting sequence and includes all previous numbers within it. Six includes 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. It also reinforces number sequencing where the student does not have the crutch of the starting from number 1. These skills are part of the Common Core and mandated for each teacher to teach and for each student to learn.

This counting forward activity comes with the 2 sets of clip cards, a set of “Count to 50” charts, 2 response sheets, 2 answer keys, a game board, zap cards, 3 spinners, storage labels, complete directions, and the handout, 20 Ways to Engage Students by Using Task Cards. The materials are delivered to you in both black and white, as well as color. These cards can be used with student-to-student work, student-to-teacher work, as well as in a self-correcting mode.


Students can practice counting using the clip cards (or task cards) that are included with the set. Each set comes with 2 group of cards: numbers 1-27 and numbers 24-50. But this activity is about more than math. Use of the cards can enhance fine motor control if played this way: each child has to mark the correct card with a clothespin or other marker. Simple and fun solutions to irksome problems! A teacher’s use of differentiation is the hallmark of a seasoned educator. This set also addresses the need for differentiation in the classroom. Easier cards are marked with a perky pumpkin and the more difficult cards are identified with a lacy leaf. All of the monsters wear a happy smile and appear friendly and ready to assist your students in their quest to learn math fun.  Each student can see and use the ‘same’ cards with the ‘same’ pictures on them. So there is no stigma attached to one set of students playing one game from another set of students playing a different game. This resource is a handy and Halloween-y tool to keep kids on track to reach the ‘counting to 100’ benchmark. Use it to your advantage and you’ll never be frightened by Common Core Standards again!
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1st Grade Subtraction Within 20 Firefighter Safety Awareness Resource



Elementary school children struggle learning math. When kids focus on rote memorization of math facts, they don’t develop the ability to think critically, a necessary skill to learning math. But when kids are engaged in solving problems, they are developing the skills to reason, which in turn helps them to figure out how to do math. You can help them to understand the concepts of math by using active lessons involving simple subtraction equations.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A chef, a dancer....a firefighter! We all have memories of being that kid who wanted desperately to ride in the big, red fire engine truck. Firefighters were our heroes and still are. Day in and day out, they come to our aid whenever we call. And every October, National Fire Prevention Week gives educators a chance to remind students about the role these important members of our community play in keeping us safe.

Learning about how to escape safely in the event of a fire emergency is valuable information for living a happy and healthy life, no matter your age. Our youngest among the population can be part of the biggest risks for fire emergencies. Kids are around potential hazards throughout the year: candles burning in the winter, a malfunctioning toaster, a friend playing with matches, lightning strikes during a thunderstorm, dad’s cigarette burning in the ashtray, fireworks in the backyard over the summer, or hot ashes from the wood stove, to name a few. Educating kids about the causes of unsafe situations involving fire can prove to be one of the most important lessons you’ll ever teach your students. And there are ways to build lessons around this necessary information.

Remember, knowledge can save lives. So invite your local fire station firefighters into your classroom to speak. Promote family conversations about fire safety plans with homework associated with firefighters. Your classroom activities can make the firefighter a symbol of safety, knowledge, and confidence. When you incorporate the firefighter into your math lessons for instance, you’re adding to that child’s feelings of safety, knowledge, and confidence around math, by association.

There are plenty of ways to incorporate lessons of fire safety into your existing curriculum. Math is one of them. Perhaps you’re teaching children about immigration, the turn-of-the-century time period, or American history. Discuss the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It was this October 9th disaster that led to the creation of National Fire Prevention Week every October. In 1911, the Fire Marshals around the country wanted to commemorate this tragic event with greater education about fire safety. At their urging, President Woodrow Wilson, in 1920, issued the first National Fire Prevention Day Proclamation. By 1922, for the Sunday through Saturday in the month of October that passes through October 9th, fire prevention was celebrated and Fire Prevention Week was born.

Do your part to spread the word about fire safety and boost kids’ interest and confidence in doing math with a subtraction within 20 activity for use in 1st grade classrooms or wherever lessons surrounding subtraction within 20 are needed. Numbers are abstract concepts and take time to form in a child’s mind as having intrinsic value. The symbols used in mathematical equations are abstract as well. Their meaning can be elusive to younger elementary kids, especially since they alter when used in different contexts. Is it a dash or a minus sign? But a simple activity involving subtraction and firefighters can help promote greater understanding.

Through Teachers Pay Teachers, you can download Subtracting Within 20 Interactive PowerPoint that allows kids to practice subtraction within 20. This activity has fun sound effects and displays kids dressed as firefighters to help promote discussion about fire safety and fire prevention. It’s even self-correcting. Small change will get you a math lesson activity that can be used over and over again in your quest to teach kids math. Don’t let subtraction within 20 leave the kids in your classroom confused. Build math problem-solving skills and promote fire safety with this activity that can allow you to keep a tally of correct answers. Immediate feedback will have your kids yearning to take part, solve a problem, and hear the applause for their correct answers. Have fun while learning and learn while having fun with these friendly firefighters and their subtraction within 20 math equations.

             Click here to see the resource
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WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT HALLOWEEN AT SCHOOL?






Cheryl began teaching in 1979 and retired in 2013.  Within that time frame, she taught in four school districts, and in two states.  Early in her teaching career, it was common for schools to host Halloween carnivals during the school day with students attending at different times for different grade levels.  In later years schools changed the name from Halloween carnivals to fall festivals. Many of the fall festivals still had costume contests.  I believe that now it is the choice of the school district or the building principal to decide whether or not Halloween can be celebrated or even mentioned.
Cheryl taught kindergarten at one school were the teachers could books and sing songs as long as witches and ghosts were not mentioned.  At another school nothing pertaining to Halloween could be mentioned at all by the teachers.  Of course the kindergarten students talked to each about their Halloween plans and costumes. 

Whether or not your school allows Halloween celebrations, many parents will send in trinkets or treats. In school that allowed no Halloween mentions at all, Cheryl would put these in plastic bags and have students put them in their backpacks to enjoy at home.  If special snacks were allowed for Halloween, the students would have them at their regular snack time.

There are several fun activities that substitute well for Halloween celebrations.  One of 
Cheryl's favorites was grade level pajama days with a read in.  All of the kindergarten students and teachers would come to school in pajamas.  Students would bring a pillow and a beach towel or small blanket or throw, a simple board game, and  a favorite book or two from home to be shared or read aloud.  The class would have guest readers including the principal, guidance counselor, office staff, and parent volunteers. After that the students would play learning games that went with the pajama day theme. Then it would be time for lunch and recess.  When the students returned from recess, they would have a special snack to eat,  then they would get into small groups to share their books from home.  They would do this on Halloween itself or on the Friday before Halloween,

You could easily adjust the read in activities to many different themes that would substitute for Halloween or be a special day anytime you need one.

  • Superhero Day
  • Pirate Day
  • Bring a Stuffed Animal to School Day
  • Cowboy and Cowgirl Day
  • Folk and Fairy tale Day
If you can talk about friendly Halloween topics at your school or would like a fun Halloween theme game to share with your own children at check out the interactive PowerPoint game on adding doubles and doubles plus one with a friendly, lighthearted Halloween theme.

   
    http://www.inlinkz.com/new/view.php?id=742203" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up
   

   



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