Creative Investigations in Early Math by Eckhoff Angela;

Author:Eckhoff, Angela;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gryphon House, Inc.
Published: 2017-01-10T19:20:36+00:00

Teyvon drew a picture of the dragon story.

Reflection

In Ms. Roberts’s classroom, the geometric lesson of introducing position words was seamlessly integrated with the language arts and visual arts content areas. The children had opportunities to work together in small groups, learn from and with each other, and demonstrate their understanding of the position words in their individual work. The combination of small-group and individual work times can allow teachers to observe and document children’s levels of understanding during authentic learning experiences.

Language and Position Words

Natural opportunities to use position words occur frequently in early childhood classrooms as children engage in block-building experiences with their peers. When children understand descriptive position words, they can use them to promote cooperation as they build with other children.

In addition to block play, preschoolers may enjoy making maps to learn about spatial relationships. When children draw maps, they are tasked with thinking about the location of elements they want to display on the drawing. Maps provide further opportunities to use position words when describing location, which is an important mathematical idea. Maps also help children learn about the concept of direction. Simple drawings of the classroom, playground, and other areas where a child has sustained, daily interactions can be used to develop emerging understandings of location and direction and provide opportunities to use the following position words:

above below up

down top bottom

right left side

beside through on

over under inside

outside

Symmetry and Motion

Young children use geometric motions naturally when they solve puzzles and build with blocks. Watch as they turn, flip, and slide each piece into place. As they explore through motion, they also gain experience with symmetry. For example, they learn that a square block has four equal sides or that a piece of paper cut into a circle can be folded down the center to create a half circle, or semicircle. These types of explorations help children understand position and object orientation.

Vignette for Understanding: Symmetric Play

As Grayson’s class is preparing for rest time, the children are playing quietly or looking at books. Grayson invites Mrs. Pratt to play a favorite shape game. He brings over the glass cabochons from the art area, spreads them on the floor, and announces, “I’m going to go first. You have to guess and see if you know what the shape will be.” He carefully places his first four gems into a diamond shape. Mrs. Pratt watches and mimics his movements to create her own mirror shape. “It looks like a diamond right now,” she states. Grayson continues to build out his shape, adding more cabochons carefully to expand the original shape. Grayson and Mrs. Pratt work side by side for several minutes and spend time comparing their shapes to ensure that they are identical. Once they are satisfied with the mirror images they have created, they push the cabochons together into a pile. This time Mrs. Pratt takes the lead to create a new shape, and Grayson mimics her movements.

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