Math 247 Unit 1: Early Number and Operations concepts

Section/week 1: Standards and early number concepts

Goal: The goals this week are for you to

• understand the format and structure of the math standards
• gain an introductory undertanding of the process standards
• know the various parts of learning how to count and understand whole numbers
• know the importance and role of the equals sign in mathematics, and the common misunderstandings associated with it.

Format and structure of the math standards:

Videos to watch:

Introduction to the Standards
Content Standards
Process Standards

Readings: Summary of things to know about Math Standards

Assignment:Worksheet about the Standards. (type your answers in, and upload your assignment to the appropriate drop box in D2L) July 13

Resources: Links to Standards documents

Process standards: Note that I am using the NCTM standards as my reference when talking about process standards. This is because all the process standards are covered in somewhat more detail in the NCTM standards than in the Wisconsin standards, so that makes the NCTM standards a good place to learn about what the goals and ideas are of the process standards.

Videos to watch:

First watch The Wheel Problem which is # 14 in the Teaching Math Video Library K-4 at http://learner.org/resources/series32.html You will be asked to sign up for a free membership to be able to watch videos on this site. If your computer is a Mac, you will also need to install Flip4Mac

Readings: Then read my commentary on the process standards and the Wheel Problem (I tried to record videos, really I did, but it all sadly failed...)

Assignment: July 13

Either watch the video lesson: # 16: This Small House in the Teaching Math Video Library K-4 at http://learner.org/resources/series32.html

OR

Read the lesson Exploring Halves from the Math Solutions issue 29 newsletter

Then write an analysis of the lesson telling what process standards are used in the lesson. (Upload your assignment to the appropriate drop box in D2L).

• I have hand-picked these lessons to be ones that meet some process standards.
• You don't have to address every standard or claim that the lesson meets every standard (the Wheels Problem was unusual in that way).
• You should find at least two process standards that are met in the lesson.
• You should tell me not only what process standards are met, but which sub-goals of those standards are met, and what children are doing in the lesson that fits with that sub-goal of the standard.

Stages and understandings for counting:

Videos to watch:

Watch the first half of my video on early number concepts--paying attention to the stuff about counting. We'll come back to subitizing in week 3, so we'll re-watch the video then, paying attention to the stuff about subitizing: Early number concepts

Watch this clip of my son counting, and read my comments about counting

Assignment: Math Buddies which is # 3 in the Teaching Math Video Library K-4 at http://learner.org/resources/series32.html

Answer these questions (type your answers in, and upload your assignment to the appropriate drop box in D2L)
July 13

The equals sign:

Readings: Read the Equals Sign article in the content section of D2L

Read my rant on equals signs

Assignment: Do the equals sign problems, and upload to D2L
July 14