It’s all good! Today is day four of Groovy Cat Week and I’m sharing a fun, hands-on activity that will help your students in pre-k or kindergarten learn simple addition and subtraction skills.
If you’re just joining us you can catch up on all the groovy fun you missed below
Day 1: Pete the Cat Rhyming Hat
Day 2: Learning Letter Sounds with Pete the Cat
Day 3: Learning Prepositions with Pete the Cat
Purpose of Using Real Objects
When we use real objects- or in this case children- to act out mathematical situations we are supporting the development of young children’s mathematical understanding by providing a concrete learning experience that will help them then transition to abstract problems later such as equations. The learning objectives covered in this activity include the following:
CCSS K.OA.A.1 Represent addition and subtraction… by acting out situations
CCSS K.OA.A.5 Fluently add and subtract within 5
And could easily be adapted to support K.OA.A.2, 3, and 4.
This interactive game will motivate your students and get them learning while having lots of fun role playing; they will beg to play it over and over again.
How to Play Story Problems with Pete the Cat
First, invite one child to the front to drive the imaginary bus. Invite the “bus driver” to wear the Pete headband and ask him or her to show you their best bus driving skills. Then, begin telling a simple story problem, for example, “Pete stopped at the first bus stop and two kids got on the bus.” Gently tap the heads of two students to come up and place their hands on shoulders, the first student putting his or her hands on Pete’s shoulders, the second on the shoulders of the first child- in a train like fashion.
Ask the students how many kids are on Pete’s bus now. Let Pete drive the bus to the next stop and tap the head of another child to get on the bus. Ask the students how many kids are on Pete’s bus now. Ask them to tell you how they know. Count the kids on the bus by placing your hand over the head of each child as the class counts along with you.
Differentiation
For younger children, limit the number of kids on the “bus” to five to support the development of fluency within five. If your students are ready, you can have as many as ten kids on the bus to develop fluency within ten. Of course, you can also support subtraction, or decomposing numbers, when Pete drives the bus home at the end of the day.
How to Make a Pete the Cat Headband
Gather the following materials to make your headband:
- Sentence strip
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Brads
- Blue construction paper
- Black permanent marker
- Tape
Step 1: Cut six inches off the end of the sentence strip
Step 2: Push a brad through each end of the sentence strip
Step 3: Attach a thin rubber band between the two brads to create the headband
Step 4: Cover the prongs of the brad with tape so nobody gets poked
Step 5: Trace Pete’s face on blue paper and cut out {free template below}
Step 6: Use the black marker to draw Pete’s eyes, nose, mouth and whiskers
Step 7: Glue Pete’s face to the front of the headband
Click on the picture below to download the cat head template
Pete the Cat Books
Here are ten Pete the Cat books your kids are sure to love!
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat: Rockin’ in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat Saves Christmas by Eric Litwin
Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by James Dean
Pete the Cat: The Wheels on the Bus by James Dean
Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool by James Dean
Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure by James Dean
Pete the Cat: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by James Dean
Pete the Cat: Too Cool for School {My First I Can Read} by James Dean
Don’t forget to stop by Kathy Griffin’s Teaching Strategies to see the Groovy Cat ideas she has for you today!
Looking for more Pete the Cat ideas? Check out my Pete the Cat Pinterest board here!
You might find me linking up with the following link parties:
photo credit: jBryson
Adding learning fun to storybooks is always a plus to me. Getting children to problem solve is even better these days too!