Teaching Math

What's 2 For Tuesdays? 

Its a group of bloggers linking  together  to offer YOU 2 special items for sale in our TPT stores this summer. Check out the link above to go to the reserved place in my store where I have 2 different items on sale each week just for you. Be sure and check back each week because you will want to CATCH that special item YOU need next school year ,or even for Summer School or Extended School year.

Teaching Math
Today, for 2 For Tuesdays, I wanted to share about Touch Math. I want to talk  specifically about
teaching counting and number identification and naming. This past year, I taught  several students that had a particularly hard time learning number and counting to 10.
As a teacher of special education working with students with significant disabilities,  many of the kids I work with have great difficulties learning to identify their their numbers and correctly use one to one correspondence to count items.
Many teachers even in general education classes also have students with this problem in learning numbers. One way I have used over the years has been the Touch Math program. This program has been around for a quite awhile and has proven to be quite an effective tool for teaching student with math difficulties.

If you haven't heard of this program, you should look it up. You can click here to see more about it.

Its the best program I have found that works children with many different types of math problems.

It works for children of different ages; from Pre-K through 3 grade. Primarily what TouchMath has done is  assign points to each number that corresponds to the value of the number.TouchMath  provides students with  a multiple sensory way for kids to learn math. The points are single dots in numbers 1-5 and double points (dot plus a ring around the dot). Each number has assigned dots that are affixed to a specific place on the number. The important part of this program is to teach the student HOW to count the dots for each numeral from 1-9.
The Touch Math program uses pictorial objects and dots for the The Touch Points as the students learn to count. First the students can use the pictorial dots (apples, ducks, ladybugs) to learn to touch, count and say the numbers then as they progress, the pictorial objets are faded to dots. Once your students have learned the touch points they have something tangible to touch (the dot) and say the count aloud(say the number). Then using the dots and/or pictorial objects the students can move from counting to adding, in which they use the dots and counting forward to add, In subtraction, the student count backwards and in multiplication and division they count in sequences  to multiply and divide.

Check out this great program! I have seen wonderful things happen when kids realize they really can count or can add!

This week in 2 For Tuesday, I am offering a set of number counting and matching cards with counting points on them. I use them as a supplement to the Touch Math program and it has helped immensely. I also made a set and put them in a work center.
Item 2 today is a review set of worksheets for sight words. These words particularly come from the PCI Reading Program Level 1 but they are also on the Dolch Sight Words list and can be used with any reading program.
WAIT!  Be sure and check out other items in Two for Tuesday!
Click the picture below to go to  Chalk One Up for the Teacher where you will find other links for

2 For Tuesday

Have you every thought of opening a store on Teachers Pay Teachers? Earn extra money for the resources you create for YOUR students!
Use the following link below and start YOUR store today!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Signup/referral:maryann56

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KISMET SAYS....IT'S BOGO TIME at SUPERTEACH'S TPT STORE

Kismet says:

         It's time for something SPECIAL for my followers, and friends!

Its the beginning of the school year, and everyone could use a few more things to make that lesson coming up...just perfect! Now is your chance!

So here's what's happening. 

WHAT:     It's a 24 hour BACK TO SCHOOL BOGO SALE!!

WHERE:   Superteach's TPT store

WHEN:  It starts at midnight Sunday  9/7/14 and lasts just 24 hours.

You will find activities for a variety of reading skills that include letter names, sounds, phonics, word analysis, comprehension, rhyming, sight words, and vocabulary. There are activities for math that include number concepts, greater than less than, colors, money, touch numbers, telling time, color words and decomposing numbers. You will also find activities for writing words and sentence construction.

 Here's what you do!

1.Click the link  below.
Superteach's Special Ed TPT Store

2. Browse the store until your heart's content and find the perfect item or items for you.
3. Purchase the items you have chosen.
4. Choose an item of equal or lesser value for EACH ITEM just purchased. Email  your TPT username PLUS the name of the BOGO items you would like  to maryann412@me.com. I will send you a free copy of the item of your choice. VOILA!! Buy One Get One!!!

ON YOUR MARK,  GET SET, GO!!!
Have fun!

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Math Skills

Hi Everyone!
Its Marvelous Monday again  and I wanted to share a little with you about part of my math class. One of my math groups in my classroom consists of 4 girls ranging from kindergarten through 4th grade all working on number recognition and some form of counting. A couple of them know how to rote count, one of them understands one to one correspondence.

One of the best things I have found to help these girls is touch point counting. It works so well for so many students. The touch points are on the numbers so once they have learned the point system, the counting system is always there for them, whether the points are visible or not.

So this is what we have been working on that since the beginning of the school year. I feel like I have had them count just about everything, realistic objects, pictures, touch points, and pennies.  

What do you use that has worked for you? I would love to hear from you!

However, we are far from mastering this skill at all so I have infused the counting into everything in the classroom. I made a set of touch point numbers 1-9 and laminated them. I redesigned my work systems task boxes so they were number driven and labeled them with touch point numbers.
The girls have a schedule on the board with numbers denoting which task boxes they are supposed to do and in what order. These numbers include the touch points so they can count and read their numbers.
I've incorporated the touch points into a line up system so I can tell them to find a certain number to line up on it. I also incorporated the number words for exposure even though they don't read the yet.

What ways do you use to work on concepts such as counting when you need to repeat and repeat? I am always looking for new ways to work on concepts such as these.

For Marvelous Monday Freebie today, I'm giving you a set of touch point numbers that can be used as a choice board for non verbal students when questions require a numerical answer, used in schedules as seen above or any way you can think of.

Don't forget to check out Manic Monday Freebies!
 
Take it easy everyone! Have a great week!

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Fostering Communication Through Choice Boards

A delightful 1st grader on the autism spectrum entered my classroom and my life this year.  He can cry, but beyond that, has no verbal communication skills. He can sign a few things, but those signs are often poorly executed and difficult for others outside his world to understand. He often runs through his repertoire of signs when asked to use them just to see if he "hits" one that will work. So here I am! I am a new person in his world and I need to communicate with him and him with me. Where do I start?
I chose to start with things he liked. His preferred items.  Luckily, I have one of the most awesome paraprofessional and together we have walked this path together of working our way into his world and him into ours.
 We systematically introduced him to items in our classroom finding a variety of activities he demonstrated interest in doing. One of his first was a 2nd hand office chair I had gotten from a fellow teacher to use at my teaching table. Fortunately, it is very sturdy and safe because we soon discovered he loved to spin in it. The preferred item we found was through his behavior analyst. He shared that he enjoyed gummy bears.
Once I had found 2 items he preferred, I made a choice board with those two items. We set up a schedule for him that alternated work time and choice time. At the end of each work time we asked him to "make a choice".








We started with a board with just two items. A food item of gummy bears and a picture of the chair he LOVES to spin in. It took several weeks to get a good pointing action from him and the moment we got a close proximity of indicating a response as to what he wanted -he got the item.

It was AMAZING to watch this learning in progress. I've worked many years and in many ways with kids with disabilities but I am still in awe and humbled every time when I see learning taking place like this.
The next thing we did was increase his items. We found he like grapes and jumping, so those were also added to his choice board. The jumping was an fantastic find, as it added to his physical activity and seem to funnel some of his energy into an appropriate physical outlet.
Here is an example of the 4 item choice board I made.

 

As you can see I try and use real pictures when at all possible, but sometimes, its quicker and easier to use clip art.

Now we have built up to a choice board with 12 items on it. 

Here are some other examples of choice boards. 

Thanks for stopping by. Check out our Freebie using the link below.

 

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