Summary
Students will learn how to use manipulatives to solve missing addends in math problems.
Materials
Out of Sight
For each pair:
For each student:
What's Inside?
- Picnic-themed poster
laminated
- Several sheets of paper
(number depends on
how many pages you
want in the journal)
- 3 6" x 9" pieces of
brown construction
paper
- Markers
What's Missing
Sunny Solutions
For each pair:
- 8" yellow construction
paper circle
- Unifix® cubes or links
For each student:
Additional Resources
Books
- Counting Crocodiles, by Jody Sierra and Will Hillenbrand;
ISBN 0-15-200192-1
- My Little Sister Ate One Hare, by Bill Grossman; ISBN 051788576X
- Ten Flashing Fireflies, by Philemon Sturges; ISBN 1558586741
- Seven Blind Mice, by Ed Young; ISBN 0698118952
Background for Teachers
These activities are designed to teach students to use manipulatives to
solve addition problems while recognizing that symbols such as a square,
triangle, or circle in an addition or subtraction equation represents a
missing value that will make the statement true.
Intended Learning Outcomes
5. Understand and use basic concepts and skills.
6. Communicate clearly in oral, artistic, written, and nonverbal form.
Instructional Procedures
Invitation to Learn
How many of you like to play games? Everyone take off your shoes.
Close your eyes and imagine you are walking through warm sand at the
beach and the ocean waves are crashing along the shore. You suddenly
walk too close to the shoreline and a wave hits you. Open your eyes and
see if the wave swept away any of your possessions. (Teacher walks
around while their eyes are shut and take one shoe from several students.
You can have the students in a circle or sitting at their desks.) Today we
will be talking about missing addends in math problems and how to use
manipulatives to solve the math problems.
Instructional Procedures
Out of Sight
- Give each student a sheet of paper.
- Pair students and provide each pair
with a paper cup and a bag of
12 dried beans.
- Teacher chooses the sum. Students place that number of
beans on
their desk.
- The first student closes his/her eyes. The second student places
a
random number of beans under the cup. The student announces
the total number of beans not covered underneath the cup,
signaling his/her partner to open her eyes.
- The partner writes a corresponding
addition sentence, using a box
for the missing addend (the number of covered beans). The
student then completes the addition sentence and lifts the cup to
check the answer.
- Both students record their problem in their math journals.
- The partners
switch roles and repeat the activity as time allows.
What’s Inside?
- Prepare a laminated
picnic-themed poster with a space for a math
problem.
- Have each student make a picnic basket-shaped math journal. To
do this, staple several 5 1/2” x 8 1/2” sheets of paper between
two
6” x 9” pieces of brown construction paper. Cut through the
thicknesses to round the bottom corners. Draw desired details to
make it look like a picnic basket.
- Have each student sign the inside front
cover of his/her book.
- Use a third piece of brown paper to cut out a handle
for the top
of the basket.
- Open the journal and glue the handle to the top of the back
cover.
- On each of several days, place a missing addend problem on
the poster related to foods that could be inside a picnic basket.
- Provide
time during the day for each student to write and solve
the problem in his/her math journal. Announce the correct
answer at the end of the day.
Example: (written on the picnic-themed poster and in each
student’s journal)
What’s in the Picnic Basket?
|
6 |
ham sandwiches |
+ |
___ |
tuna sandwiches |
|
9 |
sandwiches |
What’s Missing?
- Write an addition or subtraction sentence on the board,
substituting a box for one of the first two numbers in the
sentence.
Example: 4 + = 10
- Have each student write the number sentence in his/her math
journal exactly the way you wrote it on the board.
- Encourage students to study the equation silently and guess what
is missing.
- Have each student write his/her guess below the box in his/her
math journal.
- Have each student use a calculator to test his/her guess.
If their
guess is correct, they give a thumbs-up sign. If it is not correct,
they try another guess. Have students put an “x” through the
incorrect answer and make another guess.
- After an appropriate amount of
time, ask a volunteer to complete
the number sentence on the board. Have each student write the
correct number sentence below the first one in his/her math
journal.
- Present a desired number of additional problems for students to
solve in a similar manner.
- For an easier activity, display complete number
sentences on the
board, some with correct answers and some with incorrect
answers. Guide students in using their calculators to check them.
Sunny Solutions
- Prepare several 8” yellow construction paper circles to represent
the sun.
- Along the edge of each circle, write six basic facts, each with
a
missing addend.
- Have each pair of students select a prepared circle.
- One student reads
a problem, the other student writes it on his/her
paper.
- Students use the manipulatives to determine the solution,
arranging the final quantity of manipulatives beside the problem
to resemble a ray of sunshine.
- After each student writes the answer on
his/her paper, the pair
solves the remaining problems in a similar manner.
Extensions
Any of these activities can
be completed as whole group or
adapted to a math center for additional practice after the activity
has been completed all together.
Family Connections
- Have students teach their families
the different activities used in
class to reinforce each lesson.
- Students find items around the house they
can count and use to
practice missing addends.
Assessment Plan
- Observe how students count the manipulatives being
used.
- Does one partner seem to dominate the activity?
- Do they count on?
- Use student work pages.
Bibliography
Research Basis
Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., & Pollock, J.E. (2001). Classroom
Instruction that Works.
Research and Theory Related to Practice, pg 66-71.
This section of the book states the importance of practice and how it
is necessary for learning knowledge of any type. The two generalizations
from the research on practice are that mastering a skill requires a fair
amount of focused practice and while practicing, students should adapt
and shape what they have learned using manipulatives and hands on
activities.
Created: 09/21/2005
Updated: 02/05/2018
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