Mrs. Vella's 1st Grade Super Stars

Worksheets: Please look in the front of your child’s  green folder on Monday for worksheets with concepts that will be taught in class.  The purpose of this homework is for a quick review, some practice, and a chance for parents to see what their child is learning in math.  Please complete every other problem (alternate between evens and odds so your child gets practice doing story problems AND “Vocabulary Check”/ “Test Practice” problems each week).  If your child wants to do every problem they are certainly free to do so! Please help your child read the directions/example problems and allow them to talk about the problems as they figure out the answers. Please check your child’s answers for accuracy.

2. Fluency Timings: This week, we are working on “Make A Ten” again.  With your timing in the plastic sheet protector (included in your GREEN folder), use a dry-erase marker to practice MONDAY-THURSDAY. On THURSDAY, have a parent time you while you complete all 20 problems with pencil (write directly on the paper this time). Work on 1 timing each day, Monday-Thursday. On Thursday, record your time and score on the paper, THEN attach it to your student’s homework at the end of the week. [The target goal is to finish all 20 problems in 1 minute, with 90% accuracy (18 out of 20 problems correct).]

•  Helpful Hint:  Here’s how we’re learning to “Make A Ten:  Use fingers to show the biggest number.  The fingers that are down are what you add to the first number make a 10.

   (Example: ____+ 8 =10.) Put 8 fingers up, 2 fingers are down, add them together to make a 10….2+8=10

  (Example: 3 +_____=10.)  Put 3 fingers up, 7 fingers are down add them together to make a ten… 3+7=10

• Other helpful ways to practice “Make a Ten” are:  Make or pull out of a set of flash cards the combinations to make a 10 (1 + 9, 9 + 1, 2 + 8, 8 + 2, 3 + 7, 7 + 3, 4 +6, 6 + 4, 5 + 5).

  Be sure to cover one of the addends on the flash cards.  Your child then tells you the missing addend needed to make a sum of 10.

  *We make “tens” in our head because it’s so easy to add on to 10!  (7 + 4 is the same as 7 + 3 = 10 plus 1 more… 11!)

   Play the game “Bears in a Cave”: Use 10 small objects to represent bears.  Take turns hiding some of the “bears” behind your back (in the cave) and show your partner how many “bears” are not in the cave.  They must figure out how many bears are in the cave. 

  You can use this game or flash cards to learn the strategy instead of the dry-erase practice.  Be sure to complete the paper timing still (at least 1 per day).

Worksheets: Please look in the front of your child’s  green folder on Monday for worksheets with concepts that will be taught in class.  The purpose of this homework is for a quick review, some practice, and a chance for parents to see what their child is learning in math.  Please complete every other problem (alternate between evens and odds so your child gets practice doing story problems AND “Vocabulary Check”/ “Test Practice” problems each week).  If your child wants to do every problem they are certainly free to do so! Please help your child read the directions/example problems and allow them to talk about the problems as they figure out the answers. Please check your child’s answers for accuracy.

2. Fluency Timings: This week, we are working on “Make A Ten.”  With your timing in the plastic sheet protector (included in your GREEN folder), use a dry-erase marker to practice MONDAY-THURSDAY. On THURSDAY, have a parent time you while you complete all 20 problems with pencil (write directly on the paper this time). Work on 1 timing each day, Monday-Thursday. Record your time and score on the paper, THEN attach it to your student’s homework at the end of the week. [The target goal is to finish all 20 problems in 1 minute, with 90% accuracy (18 out of 20 problems correct).]

•  Helpful Hint:  Here’s how we’re learning to “Make A Ten:  Use fingers to show the biggest number.  The fingers that are down are what you add to the first number make a 10.

   (Example: ____+ 8 =10.) Put 8 fingers up, 2 fingers are down, add them together to make a 10….2+8=10

  (Example: 3 +_____=10.)  Put 3 fingers up, 7 fingers are down add them together to make a ten… 3+7=10