This week we have been inquiring deeper into numbers through storytelling. Usually we have the illustrations in books to support our understanding of stories, but this tim, we had to use a new strategy called 'visualization', which means making a picture in our heads of what we are hearing. We also had some props and materials to support us. Ms. Alison adapted a beautiful story from a Waldorf mathematics blog to tell a story of the number one. The children absolutely loved it! |
When I was a little girl, my family traveled to a special place. It was a beautiful valley with blue water and a green forest. The water reached all the way to the ocean through the mountains. My mum called this valley "the place of great gifts". My family stayed there for many days. Every day we woke up with the golden sun and walked along the edge of the water. We loved looking at the big green trees in the forest. It was a very special time. |
One night there was a full moon. When we went out, we could see that the moon had magically changed the sea. The tide had shifted. The stars twinkled and I could hear the sound of waves on the rocks of the beach. My mum said to me, "Come quick Alison...there is so much wonder to see in the world!"
We collected our baskets, packed some food and blankets, and left. We explored the beach discovering so many little treasures. I wanted to fill my basket, but my mum reminded me that we were looking for ONE special shell, ONE that was as old as the ocean and carried the whispers of the mermaids. A seagull called out and landed on a shell. I looked at it. On the outside the shell was rough from the waves, but on the inside it was perfect. Mum looked at it, picked it up and smiled. Yes! This was the one! |
After listening to the story, we all listened to the ONE special shell. We could hear the whispers of the mermaids!! We each took a counting shell and one pearl to put inside it. We discussed all the things that there were one of in the story and that we could think of in our own world. We made a list as a class and learned a poem to remember how to write the number one: The number one is like a stick, A straight line down that's very quick! Everyone is very excited to hear the next part of the story next week! |