teacher-made-math-backpack-bag-school-to-home

ACTIVITY 4: Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten TEACHER-MADE MATH BACKPACK/BAG – School to Home

DIRECTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Choose an early mathematical CONCEPT (One-to-One Correspondence, Number Sense, Counting, Comparing, Logic/Classifying, Ordering, Seriation & Patterning, and Geometry: Shape, Geometry: Spatial Sense & Parts-to Whole). Provide an explanation of why you chose the concept to the school-to-home backpack. Remember to include a 200 word researched-based explanation—use your textbook as a reference and/or other resource.
• Select an activity that represents the CONCEPT you have selected and design a Math Backpack that would be sent from school-to-home with a child.
• After you have selected the activity consider the materials/manipulatives that you will need so that the child/family are able to complete the task.
• If not using a backpack, then decide upon the type of bag you will use, keeping in mind that it has to be sturdy and durable enough for transporting and to safely organize the materials. (You don’t want to lose pieces to the activity.)
• Create a card/sheet that has specific step-by-step and specific directions on how to inform the adult to use the materials/manipulatives with the activity. . Remember, that you want the parents to make the connections that the activity relates to math that is being addressed in the classroom; and that it is purposeful.
• Create typed written Introductory Letter to the parent with regard to the purpose of the Math Backpack.
• If you are going to have the child/parent artifact (what they did at home) returned, remember to include the material (plastic sleeve or folder and so forth).
• Create a system to encourage communication between home-school and school-home. This could be a small spiral notebook, a composition book, blank sheets of paper assembled. (The point is for you to decide how you wish to communicate.) Communication log should be presented as such and provide type written specific directions for the parent.

Things to consider:

Select an activity that will allow the child to revisit mathematical concepts that have been topics throughout the year. Remember, practice and review is highly beneficial for young children.

Decide upon a management system that will help you stay organized and make the school to home math backpack a ‘routine’ within your program.