Friday, May 13, 2011

Levels, Counters, and Blocks- OH MY!




This past week I went to pick up the first round of items which is the third grade class set. Walking into the store I grabbed a hand basket as I typically don't buy enough items to really worry about the space limit. I talk to the lady and let her know what is going on as I hand her the items list. Her eyes grew big once she saw the list. "You are going shopping today!" she said, then tells me I will need a push buggy.

She begins roaming around the store finding items. When there are about four items in the buggy I say aloud to a coworker, "Was this worth 16 weeks of training and enduring through a marathon?" She replies, "I don't know. Was it?" I then respond, "I'll let you know when I see all the things sitting in the basket." About 30 minutes later the buggy was full.

As she put each item into the buggy I thought how the item would be used. An image would pop in my head of one of my students struggling with a concept previously. Then, an image of them using the tools that were about to be purchased. I am confident these math manipulatives will help my students! At that moment I decided it was worth all the hard work, energy and effort. Now my students will have hands on materials that will help them understand and foster a love for math! :)

It was like Christmas as I opened each item. Ryan and I even played with several of the items! If we enjoyed it that much I know my students will be thrilled to use them!

No comments:

Post a Comment