Contents. The Counting Stick 2. Squashy Boxes 5. Piles of Dominoes 6. Nelly Elephants 7. Sneaky Snakes 9. Data in Games 11. Day and Night Game 12

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2 Contents Title Page The Counting Stick 2 Squashy Boxes 5 Piles of Dominoes 6 Nelly Elephants 7 Sneaky Snakes 9 Data in Games 11 Day and Night Game 12 Favourite Instrument 14 2

3 The Counting Stick A counting stick may be made by dividing a broom handle into ten equal sections. Coloured tape can be used to make the sections. Alternatively counting sticks are available to purchase from educational suppliers. Number Strip or Number Line? The numbers on the counting stick can either be the whole section or the point where the colour changes and becomes the next section. If you are using the sections as the numbers this equates to a number strip and each number can be grabbed firmly by a closed hand. If you use the section boundary as the numbers they become specific points and this equates to a number line. When used in this way the teacher must point to each number. The teacher must decide how best to use the counting stick. One suggestion is to link the use of the counting stick to development in progressing from number strips to number lines. Most pupils by the end of Primary 2 are familiar with a number as a point on a line and therefore the counting stick could reflect this development. Advantages and Disadvantages The Counting Stick employs a teaching stategy called UNISON RESPONSE. This has the advantage of allowing all pupils to participate in the counting activities. It means that the less able or less confident children can feel less pressurised than would be the case if an individual question was posed to that pupil. However, unison response can make it difficult for the teacher to establish if all pupils are responding correctly. 3

4 Using the Counting Stick COUNTING FORWARDS/BACKWARDS The stick can be used simply to count forwards and backwards along the stick. Forward counting should be from left to right as the pupils are looking at it. This will be from the right hand side as the teacher holds the stick in front of him/her. CHANGING PACE The teacher can vary the pace at which the pupils count. If the counting task is challenging, slow counting will provide additional thinking time. The teacher can introduce a pause and continue counting or a position on the stick can be indicated by a marker (e.g. a piece of ribbon/string, elastic band, roll of sellotape) so that the pupils will know in advance where the pause or rest will happen and then count on to the end of the stick. THE BOOMERANG STICK Place a marker at a position along the stick. Count up to the marker and back to the start again. This is useful when beginning to work on counting backwards. THE HICCUP STICK The Hiccup Stick combines counting forward and backwards. Counting takes place as usual until a hiccup sound is heard. On the hiccup you count back to the previous number and then count on e.g. counting in 2 s 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, hiccup, 8, 10, 12, etc. THE HUSH STICK The Hush stick combines counting aloud with counting silently. At the hush number pupils continue counting but don t say the hush number aloud e.g. counting in 10 s 10, 20, 30, 40, hush, 60, 70, 80, hush, 100 The hush can be indicated in a number of ways: by using a marker to indicate the hush position. if using the stick as a number strip then touch the section with one finger instead of grabbing the whole section. if using the stick as a number line then indicate a hush position by touching the underside of the stick. COUNTING USING SHOW ME CARDS FOR RESPONSE 4

5 Instead of all pupils counting in unison tell the pupils the starting number and the interval for counting on and ask them to use their show me cards for the number shown at the marker. A variation is to divide the class into two groups; Group A supplies the number that comes just before the position marked. Group B shows the number which comes just after the position marked. PUPILS MAKING DECISIONS On occasions allow pupils to choose the starting number and/or the interval in which to count on instead of the teacher always directing the activity. IDENTIFYING NUMBERS RANDOMLY Instead of counting along the stick another technique is to ask children what number would be at a specific position. As a prompt a few numbers could be placed along the stick (using blue tack) to provide points of reference. e.g. numbers 1 10 Put a marker for 5. Can the pupils say which number will be at any randomly chosen position? Sample Activities for Foundation Stage Working with numbers 1-10: say the number aloud whisper the numbers count quickly / slowly pause and count on Working beyond 10: count in 1 s within 20 from any given starting number e.g count in 2 s to 20 count in 10 s to 100 5

6 Squashy Boxes What are Squashy Boxes? Squashy Boxes is a resource to practise and reinforce mathematical concepts with children. The flat photocopiable pages must be cut out, folded and glued to create a three dimensional box. Each box has four rectangular faces which show numbers, shapes or pictures. The box can be used in several ways: Way 1 The box retains a 3D shape and children focus on one face or column (each column is labelled for easy identification). Way 2 The box is flattened or squashed to reveal two parallel columns. The numbers/images in each column are regarded as separate entities, therefore the child will see two columns of separate numbers/images. Way 3 The box is flattened or squashed to reveal two parallel columns. If working with a single digit box (e.g. Box U2) the numbers are combined to become one column showing a two digit number. In the Foundation Stage it is appropriate that the teacher models the use of a Squashy Box before introducing the activity to individual children, pairs or small groups. The boxes can be used in a practical context alongside everyday classroom maths resources (cubes, coins, counters, etc). See Mathematics Coordinators Materials 2008 for further information about using Squashy Boxes in the Foundation Stage. 6

7 Piles of Dominoes You need a complete set of dominoes. Take out the double zero and double 6. Count the spots on the dominoes. Put the dominoes on the grid with the total number of spots matching the numbers. The double two domino will sit under the number Do some numbers have more than one domino? 7

8 Nelly Elephants Use dominoes to give the elephant spots so that each one has: o Exactly 6 spots (story of) o Less than 5 spots o More than 4 spots o An even number of spots o Both sides of the domino the same (doubles) o One side one more than the other (near doubles) o Make your elephant have the same number as your maths partner Now try this for each pair: o Give the two elephants 12 spots altogether o Less than 11 spots o More than 15 spots o Give the first elephant 6 spots. Make its partner have 2 more than 6. o Give each elephant the same number of spots o Give each elephant near doubles o Give the first elephant more spots than the second one o Make the first elephant have a 1:3 and the second a 1:4. Think of an easy way to work out how many spots altogether Big Challenge Use all 4 elephants. See if you can make the number of spots: o Add up to 20 o As big as possible o As small as possible Huge Challenge o Give each elephant a different number of spots. Record your answers. Could you make them into a number line? Try making your own picture sheets. 8

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10 Sneaky Snakes A game for two players. You will need: Counters for each player (2 different colours) A dice marked 1-6 How to Play: Decide who will go first. Roll the dice. Say how many dots you scored. Choose a square on Sneaky Snake and draw that number of dots in the square. The next player rolls the dice and says what their score is. They can either add dots to the square that their partner has started or choose a new square to put the dots into. If you manage to fill a square with 6 dots altogether then you win that square and can put a counter on it. Continue until all Sneaky Snake s squares contain 6 dots. The winner is the person who has most counters on Sneaky Snake at the end of the game. Challenge: Make up your own rules to the game eg: If you roll a 3 you miss a turn. If you roll a 6 miss a turn. 10

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12 Data In Games The following game is taken from a set designed to help pupils interpret information from a variety of graphs, charts, tables and diagrams in an enjoyable way. For each game you will need: - the game board - the set of statement cards - a dice numbered a coloured counter for each player RULES Place the statement cards face down beside the game board. Each player places a counter on Start. Roll the dice and move that number of spaces on the board. Follow the instructions shown on the board. If a player lands on a pick up a statement card and decide if the statement is true or false. The other players must check to see if the answer is correct. If correct the player may keep the statement card. The winner is the player with most cards when everyone has reached the Finish square. Variation 1: Points can be awarded as follows: true 2 points, false 1 point. The winner is the player with most points when everyone has reached the Finish square. Variation 2: A multilink cube can be awarded for correctly saying if the statement is true or false. The winner is the player with the tallest tower of cubes when everyone has reached the Finish square. 12

13 Day and Night Race Start Finish

14 Day and Night Game A game for two players. You will need: A counter for each player A dice marked 1,1,2,2,3,3 How to Play: Put your counter on the start square. Take turns to roll the dice and move the counter that many steps round the board. If you land on a daytime square move forward 2 spaces. If you land on a night time square move back 1 space. The winner is the first person to reach the finish. Challenge: Make up your own rules to the game eg: If you land on a daytime space collect two yellow cubes. If you land on a night time space lose a cube. the winner is the person with the most cubes at the finish post. or Incorporate the idea of miss a turn. 14

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16 Favourite Instrument Game Cards There are 19 children in the class. 6 children like playing the triangle best. Only 4 children like playing the tambourine best. There are more than 20 children in the class. Only 3 children like to play the maracas best. 2 children like to play the guiro best. 3 children like to The most play the drum favourite best. instrument is the triangle. The least favourite instrument is the drum. 4 children like playing the drum best. More than 7 children like to play the tambourine best. More than 3 children like to play the maracas best. Less than 5 children like to play the maracas best. 9 children like to More than 5 play the guiro children like to best. play the triangle best. Most children If there were no like to play the triangles, 3 tambourine best. children would be sad. If there were no drums, 3 children would be sad. From Maths Coordinators Materials 2007