Hi,
We have been working intensively with the LIPS program this summer. I’m ashamed to say that I have barely spent anytime on Math.
I’d like to do a review for Math but would like to see what are the skills for children entering 1st grade in Math. His memory is really low but has improved.
Any suggestions would be so appreciatied.
Thanks,
Dee
Re: Math review for entering 1st grader
PS: kids at this age are often also taught to memorize the days of the week and the months of the year. This is an important life skill and worth doing as soon as the child can understand. (I have a middle school student whose primary classes missed out on this as they did on almost everything else, and this poor kid is a real muddle).
Re: Math review for entering 1st grader
>They are expected to do one-to-one matching, a necessary skill for counting; the exercises are usually so simple (draw a line from each butterfly to its flower) that the majority of kids find it hard to believe that this is what they have to do.
However, they should be able to do this concretely— ie match one object to another. A neat kindergarten exercise is having them set a table. Do they know that one cup goes with one napkin?
Another thing is the whole idea of counting. At a certain point, it is necessary to rote count, but I’ve found with little kids that it is more important to be able to count real things. It is another step of abstraction to have them count pictures of things.
—des
Re: Math review for entering 1st grader
From an old out-of print but excellent book, “Children and Number” — apparently many children learn to rote count to five or even ten *before* they learn to attach these numbers to concrete groups of objects. Although this may seem pointless or incorrect to adults, it may be a necessary learning progression for many children.
I wouldn’t worry at all if a three or four year old was a little vague and inaccurate about counting. At age five I’d start trying to teach the touch-the-object matching, but expect it to take time. By age six quantities up to five or ten should be fairly accurate.
Re: Math review for entering 1st grader
I wouldn’t doubt that. But I think it is overrated.
(rote counting). Some of it is learned on Sesame Street, by parents to show off their kids abilities-or just so be satisfied that their kids are learning, and other ways. Not a big deal I suppose. But people get quite caught up on it for some reason.
—des
Well, there’s idealistic ivory tower theory, and there’s the real world.
Entering first-graders are expected to be able to count: it is hoped up to one hundred, but usually twenty is pretty good and many don’t do too well past five.
They are expected to recognize written numbers; again hopefully up to 99 but up to 20 is passable and up to 10 gets many by.
They are expected to write numbers, at least the single digits and hopefully the teens; at this level many still reverse both single digits and the order in the teens, and this usually slides.
They may be asked to add sums up to ten, and unfortunately counting on the fingers is encouraged. Some can do this and some can’t.
Occasionally they may be asked to subtract by taking away. Very few can do this consistently at this age.
In other fields, they are expected to recognize simple shapes such as triangle, square, rectangle, and circle. Most kids can name the majority of these.
They may be asked to copy shapes. This combines recognition with writing skill and readiness for symbolic work; most kids can draw a sort of square and triangle and circle, but a large number can’t do a diamond or more complex combination shapes.
They are expected to recognize bigger and smaller and to put things in order, both increasing and decreasing. Most kids can do this.
In some programs they are taught patterns, ie colour things red, green, blue, red, … (complete) This is less common and only worry if it’s tested.
They are expected to do one-to-one matching, a necessary skill for counting; the exercises are usually so simple (draw a line from each butterfly to its flower) that the majority of kids find it hard to believe that this is what they have to do.
Some programs may try to introduce measuring by inches, but very few kids will master this.
Some programs may try to introduce clock time to the hour, but almost no kids of this age will actually master it.
That’s the large outline and a rough average. Look at the books actually used by your school for details. Note however that nearly everything taught in kindergarten will be reviewed in the first couple of months of Grade 1 in almost all programs.