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Piaget Would be Proud! Assessment, Mental Math, Manipulatives, Thinking, Missing Addends, and Kumquats!

 Hi All,

This is a super simple, but very revealing activity and so works as a good assessment. Fantastic for Pre-K, Kindergarten, and Grade 1. Try it out and see what you learn about your students.

Display a small number of objects in your open hands. Here we have 4 kumquats. (Because I have a kumquat tree in my yard. Any small manipulative will do.)


Put your hands behind your back. Close one hand and bring both hands back out in front of you to display 2 kumquats visible in one hand and a closed hand with the rest of them. Remind students that you started with 4 and there are still 4 all together.

Ask students, what is in the closed hand. Ask how they know this. Then reveal and discuss.


Try another one. Show the 4 objects again, 2 in each hand. Put your hands behind your back and redistribute with 1 object in one hand and 3 objects in the other. Bring your hands to the front and ask how many are in your closed hand. Ask how they know this. 


Then reveal and discuss.

 


You might even record these little problems like this:

2 + ? = 4

1 + ? = 4

Wow! Missing addends! Of course you change up the number of objects and if you get too many for your hands, just put them on a table and cover the hidden set with a piece of cardboard instead of trying to hold them in your hands. 

Kids like this activity, and see it as a game, but you learn a lot about their development as well as building a nice springboard to learning addition combinations. Parents and grandparents this is a fun, appropriate developmental activity to play with your kids and grandkids too.

Have fun!

Bob

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