Running head: MIAA 350 Reflection - K

Reflection on Mathematics Lesson Kindergarten

Christina L Hambleton
Teachers College of San Joaquin
November 1st, 2014

Abstract

The following written reflection analyzes a mathematics lesson given to a small group of
students within a Kindergarten class. The lesson was on counting by ones. To facilitate
discourse, implement essential questions, I utilized the Four-Phase Process, introduced by
instructor Molly Johnson in my MIAA 320: Mathematical Discourse class.

Reflection on Mathematics Lesson Kindergarten

I was tasked with teaching a small group of Kindergarten students how to count by ones
both verbally and in written expression. The group presented to me testing low during the
teachers recent math assessment. My group consisted of four boys and three girls. The lesson
took two days; 20 minutes at each meeting.
To begin, I asked each child to bring their whiteboard, marker, and eraser to our table. I
acquired a bag of linking cubes from the teacher. The teacher informed me that students were not
yet using the linking cubes. I was appreciative of the opportunity to be able to introduce the
manipulative concepts to my group.
To initiate mathematical discourse, I first asked the question, How much is 1 + 1? This
elicited numerous responses. Some answered with 2. Some did not know the answer. One boy
said the answer is 11. When I asked why he thought that, he replied, cuz it does.
I asked the students to choose a handful of linking cubes from my bag and place them by
their white boards. I then explained to them that one cube is equal to the number one. By placing
one cube next to another, you then have two cubes; proving that 1 + 1 = 2. All understood this
concept except for 11. He still insisted that 1 + 1 = 11. To help him clarify, I asked him to
count out eleven cubes into a pile. I then asked him to put two cubes in a pile. I asked him to tell
me which pile was bigger. When he saw the actual difference in size, via the cubes, he was able
to understand that 1 + 1 = 2; not 11.
Once we mastered 1+1, we continued through to 1 + 10 = 11. Each time students were
asked to first say the answer, and then write the equation. They were then asked to match the
cubes to the numbers in the equation. One student insisted on creating patterns with his cubes,
which I highly encouraged as this is a very useful strategy for future mathematical algorithms.

Common mistakes included omitting the + sign and writing 14 = 3, writing numbers
backward, miscounting the cubes, and grouping the cubes together instead of separating them in
conjunction with the written equations.
By the end of the second day and second lesson, all students were able to correctly
verbalize and write equations from 1+1 through 1+10. They were also able to correctly use the
linking cubes and understand the concept of adding them to form answers to given equations. I
definitely believe that the implementation of the cubes is what expedited the learning process and
assisted with the students ability to visualize and comprehend 1-1 correspondence between the
number and object.