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Rafe Esquith: Five Tips to Help Children Develop Their Natural Gifts

#1558. Moonlight Madness Night time /Bedtime unit(space..)

Mathematics, level: Pre-School
Posted Sat Feb 5 21:38:22 PST 2000 by laura .
Materials Required: Dice (one or two depending on the level of your children )
Activity Time: 15-30 min. (be flexible)
Concepts Taught: Odd and Even Numbers

I introduce the lesson by rolling a Big foam die and counting out that many counters. I choose a child to share with and model the dialogue that I want the children to use. For instance, after rolling the die I will say, "one for you and one for me"...continuing until the counters are divided into two groups. I then will count each of the groups and ask if it is the same number or not. If it is the same, I say, "we both have the same amount so this number can be shared fairly...we can call this number an EVEN number. I then make sure we show an ODD number. I have found when I tell the children we will learn a "challenging" concept they really pay attention because they want to learn 'grown-up' words. I made a simple game board from paper and divided the paper in 1/2 "like a hamburger"(instead of in 1/2 like a hot dog.) I then drew stars on each side and put the Odd numerals on one side and the even numerals on the other. The rules for playing the game are as follows. Children need to choose a partner and begin the game by rolling one die to choose the numerals they will be rolling for (odd or even side of the gameboard.) After choosing the type of numerals they will roll for, they begin taking turns rolling the dice and will color the star with the numeral they rolled. The first one to get all their STARS colored is the winner and yells out "MOONLIGHT MADNESS." If a star has already been colored from a previous roll the child says "twinkle, twinkle little star," instead of "lose a turn." HINT: I don't have them say "lose a turn" because it seems to take the fun out of learning the concept and they still have to count, match and decide if the number rolled is on their side of the gameboard...so I feel they can't lose when learning is still taking place. The gameboard has the directions printed on it and is sent home as homework to play with their parents too. All the games I have made-up are copied and laminated and placed in my Math Stations for use during rotating or free centers. They use vis-a-vis markers or dry erase markers to play. I decorated the dividing line between the odd and even sides of the gameboard with a crescent moon wearing a smile and a droopy night cap. Enjoy! laura