In a matrix, each row shares an attribute, all the same shape OR all the same color, and each column shares a different attribute.
These children are figuring out precisely which color/shape goes in a given square.
Impressive, I know!
Math is much more than counting! Good math instruction should lead your students to higher level thinking and problem solving. These children are working on matrices (plural of “matrix”). In a matrix, each row shares an attribute, all the same shape OR all the same color, and each column shares a different attribute. A matrix is just a very high level of sorting/classifying. It’s kind of like an EXTREME Venn diagram. These children are figuring out precisely which color/shape goes in a given square. This was our first time working on matrices, so I helped them think it through by asking questions (What color needs to go here? And what shape? Can you find a card with that shape and color on it?) but these children are doing all their own work.
Impressive, I know!
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First, we practiced making loops on butcher paper. Next we chose whether our paper should be TALL or WIDE (vocabulary building!) and then began drawing loops with our pencils. We traced our loops with Sharpies. We erased our pencil lines. We used crayons to add some color to our loopies. I contemplated using “mixed media” for this project, but ended up just using the crayons today. Voila! Our finished project. Notes: Mixed media rocks because it gives the children choices and chances to IMMEDIATELY compare the feel of crayon vs marker or the look of marker vs watercolor.
However, I just chose crayons today. One of the really great things about open-ended art is that it doesn't take a ton of direction - just give the kids supplies and let them create! For this project, we did rainbow printing. I set out trays with each of the colors of the rainbow on them. We actually have a bin of cool-shaped objects that we use for various art projects, so I picked out some neat ones, put them on the trays, and let the kids experiment. Some of the objects we used are combs, toy truck wheels, contact lens cases, bubble blowers, and some things that I can’t even identify… When kids are doing projects like this, we build their vocabulary by narrating their actions - “I can see you have a BIG GLOB of green on that bubble blower.” “It’s really neat how you’re keeping all of your colors separate from each other.” “I like how you chose to blend your colors together with the comb!”
A short psychology lesson for early childhood educators and parents: One of the arguments AGAINST positive reinforcement is that it can only be used to improve rote learning (memorization), not creativity. This is simply not true. Positive reinforcement is GREAT for teaching creativity; you just have to learn to reinforce the creative! Example: In the first photo, the child used the unifix cubes in a way I’ve never seen them used. Unifix cubes only attach together ONE way, but Alex figured out a way to build a three-dimensional elevator with them! This may not seem like rocket science, and it’s not. But it IS CREATIVE. Alex chose to use these blocks in a way that he’d never seen anyone else use them! Okay, so… He did something creative, how do we reinforce that? We’re going to use our words, and we’re going to point out IN PARTICULAR what we like about what he did. Alex, that’s really creative! What a great idea you came up with! I’ve never seen anyone else build like that with the unifix cubes; that’s really neat how you did that! That’s a really DIFFERENT way to build with those cubes, neato! Photo 2 is probably the kids’ favorite way to build with the unifix cubes - as LOOONG as possible (also very cool, and deserving of positive reinforcement)! How do you fit the Geometry Standard into your preschool classroom? Patterning Blocks! Let kids manipulate different shapes. Ask questions about the different shapes. How many sides does the hexagon have? Are they all the same length? Art! Let kids explore different shapes - this ‘circle art’ is great for young learners who are just learning their shapes. Building! The kids need to be able to experiment with different three-dimensional shapes. This is a great math concept because the kids can actually SEE that it takes more blocks to build the longer side of a shape.
A common misconception in Early Childhood Education is that it’s important for children to know the NAMES of letters before they begin kindergarten (or reading). A much more important skill is the ability for your child to be able to discriminate sounds (auditory discrimination). These children are fishing for pictures that begin with the ‘ssssss’, ‘mmmmmm’, or ‘ffffffff’ sound. It is not necessary for the child to know any letter names in this activity. When she catches a ‘sssssssock’ fish, she puts it in the pail with the letter that says ‘sssss’. There is a component of visual discrimination (remembering which letter makes which sound) to this activity, but for the children who do not remember, I will tell them what sound each letter makes. This keeps the integrity of the activity (sorting sounds). We take our time with these letter sounds (it is preschool, after all) and let the children really MASTER each sound before moving on. Once they learn a few letter sounds and understand the concept, they begin to learn them VERY quickly, and it’s quite fascinating.
One of our preschool parents donated all of these Pringle cans.... We decided to turn them into an art project! We added beans to the inside and turned them into a music project as well!
This is a game we play to strengthen auditory memory (processing, storing and recalling information presented orally), This is an important skill for our children to develop in order to become fluent readers. In this game, the leader calls out a sequence of three shapes. After the shapes are called out a second time, the leader says “begin”. Each child has his own set of shapes from which he must choose the correct shapes and then put them in order. Note: It is important that children BEGIN with ONE and END with THREE. (We read from left to right, and it would be a tragedy if our children have reading troubles later on because we are not “fussy” enough to make them do it the correct way.) This is a habit that these students have to form, and a simple reminder will suffice. “Remember, the first shape goes in the number one box!” I have seen vast improvements in these students from earlier this year. In the beginning, many of them would only remember the first shape in the sequence, and a few would consistently order them from right to left. Now they are much more accurate (consistently), and they just LOVE to have their turn as the leader!
Patterning helps shape higher level thinking skills. In order for a child to add on to an already created pattern, they must analyze the existing pattern and then figure out what comes next. Without understanding patterns, we would never be able to count to 1,000 (or recognize numerals to 1,000). Think about how labor intensive it would be to memorize every single numeral to 1,000! Ah, but it’s so easy for us because we recognize the pattern. Patterns help develop a strong mathematical foundation by building thinking and problem solving skills. They are important to become a fluent reader, as well!
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AuthorWendy Joy Yohman Archives
December 2017
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