During one of our Early Years Mathematics lectures, we were asked to share with an activity which included the use of a picture book that could be used in an early years classroom. The activity I have come up with would help children learn ordinal numbers. It includes the children remembering the order of which the animals got on the broom. The teacher would promote the idea of the witch being first on the broom. The cat being second and so on.

This activity could be tackled in many ways:

–          As a class – the teacher could have print outs of 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th and pictures of the witch and the animals for the children to match up.

–          Individually/In pairs – the same idea except on one piece of paper and to be matched up either by drawing lines or colouring the boxes the same colour. Doing this activity in pairs would encourage the children to communicate using the words first, second, third, etc.

The activity can be made more interactive by making a broom and finger puppets (Parker, no date) but I feel that this would be difficult to control and be challenging to support each child individually. Instead a previously made broom and finger puppets would be effective for the teacher to use and explain. If possible one for each table would be beneficial as it could be used as a prop if children are struggling.

By placing the finger puppets on the broom, it would give the teachers the opportunity to assess the children’s understanding of the order. She could ask individual children which animal is 3^rd on the broom. By doing it this way, the children are not simply repeating the animals in the same order and will help with recognition.

Reference

Parker, C. (no date) Room on the Broom – Learning Ordinal Numbers. Available at: http://rainydaymum.co.uk/room-on-the-broom-learning-ordinal-numbers/

We conducted a science experiment to see if the height of which an object was dropped would affect the speed of which it would fall.

The dependent variable was the height and the independent variable was the type, weight and material of the ball, the force of which it was being dropped at, and the surface it was being dropped on.

To select our dependent and independent variable, we used planning sheets which I found very effective as it ensured you that all aspects were covered to make the experiment as controlled as possible. I feel that this would be beneficial for children as it allows them to recognise the elements which need to be considered. This would help clear any confusion the children may have on the experiment which would ensure that the experiment runs as smoothly as possible.

We then predicted what would happen in the experiment. By having the children predict what will happen during the experiment will create a discussion between the children as to why they believe this will happen. This is a key time for teachers to ask open questions as to why the child believes this.

Once we completed the experiment and looked at the results, we instantly noticed a trend that the higher the ball was held the longer it took to hit the ground, this is what we predicted. We portrayed our results in a graph and a table. It is important for children to record their data so that they can begin to develop the skill of recording data and being able to interpret it. It is essential at this stage that the children have recently completed graph work in mathematics or children may not know or remember how to draw a graph. This is where the link between mathematics and science becomes most apparent.

We concluded that the higher the object is dropped at, the longer it takes to hit the surface. By making children conclude their experiment, it will show if they have been able to stay on task and see if their results match their predictions.