All in the numbers

Christine Carrillo

They counted buttons and put them on shirts. They counted dried pasta

and placed them on dinner plates, and they counted fish and released

them into the ocean among seaweed and coral.

It was all part of work on independent math assignments.

About 10 kindergartners at Killybrooke Elementary School in Costa

Mesa spent Monday morning testing their mathematical talents with

counting games.

“This is making it concrete for them and teaching them about the

number sentences they need to write,” said Tina Reinemann, who has

taught kindergarten for more than 39 years. “This makes it quite real

for them.”

Using tangible items to figure out the answer to various

mathematical equations, like two plus three or four plus one, these

kindergartners could more easily rely on their counting skills to

help them get the answer.

“I like to count buttons,” said 6-year-old James Rydjeski, who can

count up to 109. “You can put them away easily and they’re fun.”

While the students don’t focus on what they’re learning from these

different hands-on activities, they nevertheless are learning.

“It’s very hands on and gives math meaning for them,” said Kathy

Sanchez, the principal at Killybrooke. “We have really high

expectations for our kindergartners.”

The idea behind using such activities is to introduce the young

students to various mathematical concepts such as number combinations

and number sentences, which are requirements of the state standards.

Trying to teach those concepts to 5- and 6-year-old children,

however, presents a number of challenges that teachers have had to

adjust to.

“We are finding interesting ways to make sure the students learn

and are reaching the state standards,” Reinemann said. “It’s a

daunting task and they need to be met ... but it’s still

kindergarten.”

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot

education writer Christine Carrillo visits a campus in the

Newport-Mesa area and writes about her experience.