OPERATIONS

​Rocks and Sticks Grades 1 and up

I've enjoyed teaching adding and subtracting outside.  It allows students to stretch their brain to think abstractly.  For younger ones I start with the simple concept of any object has the value of one.  So if you bring me one rock and one stick how many do I have altogether (two).  Bring four different objects to me and tell me the value (four).  This requires them moving their body to find the objects and bring them directly to you so you can assess understanding and knowledge.

 

The next round you can say bring me enough objects so it equals six.  Ask a variety of questions keeping in mind your students' ability. If you are in a school with only concrete students could draw with chalk the required amount of objects to create the equation or students can sit in a circle and state one at a time I see one house and one car that equals two objects.  

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For higher grades I stay that a stick is worth 10 and a rock is worth 1.  I then make up equations based on those facts. Please bring me objects that show the number 20.  Will they bring me 2 sticks or 1 stick and 10 rocks?  You will be pleased with the creativity (and joy) students' can show depending on your question.  For even higher grades a stick can be 100 and a rock can be worth 10.  If you do not have nature a straight line of chalk can be worth 10 (or 100) and a circle can be worth 1 (or 10).  

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Beginning Base 10

To begin the concept of trading (10 ones makes 10) I play store outside!  I have an egg carton labelled Squirrel Away with dollar signs on it (to begin to teach that symbol).  I also have a cache of small sticks with me.  I gather them before the lesson or you can have each student gather a few small sticks at the beginning of the lesson.  Students go into the wooded area to find 10 of something such as 10 rocks or 10 leaves, etc. but not sticks because 10 sticks in this scenario would be 100 as 1 stick represents 10.  When the students bring me the objects I place them one-by-one in the egg carton, (creating a visual for their memory).  When we reach 10 I give them 1 stick (which sort of looks like 1 rod in base 10 manipulatives) and I explain I am keeping their objects because we are trading 10 objects for 1 stick.  This lesson can be referred back to when doing formal lesson with base 10 manipulatives.  

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If you do not have a wooded area this lesson can be replicated on a concrete court or pad.  In this case you use the base 10 manipulatives.  You can scatter in your concreate area before or at the begging of the lesson 1 blocks and have the students bring you 10 of these blocks.  As above you would place the manipulatives one at a time into the egg carton then give the students 1 rod as the trade.

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Beginning Adding - Partitioning

This lesson can be easily done on concrete or in a wooded area.  When students are learning to add they learn ways a number can be broken into parts such as the number 12 can be 12 and 1 or 10 and 2 or 9 and 3 etc.  Have 12, or you choose the number, students come to the middle or the front of your group.  Ask how we can put these students into 2 groups, try to act out each scenario.  Such as have 2 students move to the left side and 10 to the right side of the group.  Ask are there still 12 students?  Yes! Repeat with other scenarios for 12 then try another number.  

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Wooden Discs Grades 1 and up

I have acquired small wooden discs from an inexpensive store.  I used a sharpie to write the numbers 1-100 on the discs, one per disc.  I have 3 sets.  

 

​For the younger grades I use the discs labelled 1-20 

I place the discs in the woods (or around the court yard or playground).  They have to bring me two discs and then tell me how much it equals.

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For the older grades I use the discs labelled 1-100

I place the discs in the woods (or around the court yard or playground).  They have to bring me two discs or three discs depending on your students ability and then tell the teacher how much it equals. 

 

You can change this activity for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and maybe division depending on your students' ability.  

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Wooden Discs and Tokens (Chips) Grades 4 and up I use the discs 1-99 for operations with decimals

I place the discs in the woods.  Pairs of students have to find three two-digit numbers.  Or a combination of two-digit and one-digit discs.  The token will be used as the decimal.  Have the students create two two digit numbers with two numbers in the decimal place.  For example 45.65 + 75.16.  The number and amount of place value can increase or decrease depending on your students'\ ability and what you are assessing.    

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You can change this activity for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and maybe division depending on your students' ability.  

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