A Math Story
Peter and Lucy are in second grade and are very busy. They haven't had much time to visit their friends in the forest. Finally, a weekend has come where the garden was harvested and they were finally free to go play.
They set out to the forest, past the big rock, and to the great hemlock that was Chipper's home. They called but no one was about. Where could he be? "Let's go find Chipper's cousin, Chatter. She will know where he is." She lived in the big oak tree at the edge of the farm.
When they arrived, they found a very upset Chatterer. "Chipper is missing, " she sobbed. "Pirates came in wee hours of the early morning and set a trap. You know that Chipper loves walnuts. He couldn't resist going into a box where lay a pile of them. He should have known better than to trust a strange smelling box. But the walnuts were too much of a temptation. When he went in, the box shut and I couldn't get him out. Soon I heard the sound of feet and I hid in the tree above. I watched as the Pirates took him away. They left talking about Squirrel Pie!" she sobbed. "It must be the infamous Pirate Perry. All the forest creatures have heard of him. He's got one leg and a taste for squirrel and goose and rabbit that makes us all shiver to think about it.
"Do you know where they went?" asked Lucy?
"Yes," said Chattered. I followed them to the river and along the banks as they rowed to their ship.
"Take us there," said Peter. "There is no time to lose."
Chatterer took Lucy and Peter quickly to the river and they rafted down beyond the farm. The water got deeper and after a few minutes of rowing, they spotted a strange ship around a bend in the river. It was a ship known as the Caravel. It had two masts with sails shaped like triangles.
Peter and Lucy and Chatterer watched as the men busily took down the masts. It looked like they had just finished sailing and were getting ready to spend the night. Soon they boarded row boats and sailed off to the opposite shore. All the pirates appeared to be gone except for a single lookout.
"This looks like our chance," said Peter. They climbed back into the raft. Lucy was excellent at steering the raft and she skillfully guided it along the side opposite to where the lookout stood.
"Lucy, I am going to go alone. You and Chatterer raft over to the shore. When I am ready for you I will whistle our secret squirrel call."
Lucy rafted to the shore and hid among the reeds. Meanwhile, Peter climbed up the rope ladder to the deck. No one was about. He could see the door which led down below. He quietly crept to the door, opened it and slowly snuck down the steps – he counted 12 steps in all.
He searched the different cabins on either side of the hallway. At the end of the hallway was a big door. He peered in – it was the kitchen. Quickly he stepped in. Looking around, he saw a wooded cage on a table. Could it be Chippers? He went over to it and whispered, "Chipper, are you in there."
"Chip, chip, chip, yes ! Peter is that you? Help!"
"Don't worry. I'll have you out in a minute." And he did. Peter left the box just as he had found it, except that it was empty. He hoped they wouldn't notice Chipper being gone immediately. Peter quietly went back out the door and headed back toward the stairs. But, wait! There was the sound of voices up on the deck. They were talking at the top of the stairs. It sounded like the cook and the captain discussing what was for dinner. "I'll cook up that squirrel and we'll have squirrel pie tonight." they heard him say.
Peter opened the first door he found and looked around for a place to hide. It was a very nice cabin, and he guessed it was the captain's. He saw a wooden chest on the floor, and without a second thought, he opened it, climbed in with Chipper, and shut it again. While he sat there in the dark, he wondered if it was such a great idea. What if the captain were to lock the chest? And what was all this stuff in it? He felt around and felt something metallic. It was cold and round. He put one of them in his pocket and then he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. It had a funny sound to it. Every other step made a clunk sound, as though it were wood on wood. Step – clunk. Step – clunk.
Then the steps stopped and they heard the captain talking. Peter thought to himself, It must be
the one legged Pirate Perry. His wooden leg clunks every 2nd step. Let's see… Peter noticed that there were two "clunks" from the wooden leg and decided that the captain had taken __4_ steps. (Note: You should have a wooden dowel "leg" to make the sounds for the children.)
Then he heard again, Step – clunk, Step – clunk. He stopped again. "Let's see," he thought. That is _4__ more steps. He has taken 4 plus 4 steps = __8__ total.
With 12 total steps, that means what plus 8 will equal 12? He has __4__ steps left.
Peter next heard something different. It was Step – clunk, Step – clunk, Step – clunk but these went back up the stairs. Pirate Perry was at step number 8 and he took __6__ steps back up. Let's see, that's 8 minus 6 = __2__. He was at step number _2__.
Then down the stairs again, Step – clunk, Step – clunk, Step – clunk, Step – clunk, Step – clunk and then Pirate Perry paused. Where was he now? Peter had heard 5 clunks of the wooden leg. He had taken __10__ more steps, that made 2 plus 10 equals __12__ in all.
Peter knew that Pirate Perry stood at the bottom of the steps. Then with 3 more clunk's, Peter knew he had taken __6__ steps down the hallway and stood in front of the cabin door.
Practice. Students practice adding and subtracting 1-9 up to 24.
These will be written on the board and copied into their math books. The lesson ends with a game:
Make 10 - 20
Goal: Make tens and have the most number of cards in your stack when done. Number of Players: 2+
Directions:
• Remove all the Picture cards, Aces count as 1
• Deal all cards face down into a grid of 3 x 3. Some piles may have one more or less – this is not an issue
• First player turns over two cards. If any two cards which are turned over can make ten or twenty together, take them to your pile.
• After making all the 10s or 20s you can, next player goes.
• If one of the nine piles of cards is exhausted, take one of the face up cards from another pile and put it in the empty place.
• Continue until all cards are gone (with a full deck, all cards should be gone if the math was done correctly!).
Peter and Lucy are in second grade and are very busy. They haven't had much time to visit their friends in the forest. Finally, a weekend has come where the garden was harvested and they were finally free to go play.
They set out to the forest, past the big rock, and to the great hemlock that was Chipper's home. They called but no one was about. Where could he be? "Let's go find Chipper's cousin, Chatter. She will know where he is." She lived in the big oak tree at the edge of the farm.
When they arrived, they found a very upset Chatterer. "Chipper is missing, " she sobbed. "Pirates came in wee hours of the early morning and set a trap. You know that Chipper loves walnuts. He couldn't resist going into a box where lay a pile of them. He should have known better than to trust a strange smelling box. But the walnuts were too much of a temptation. When he went in, the box shut and I couldn't get him out. Soon I heard the sound of feet and I hid in the tree above. I watched as the Pirates took him away. They left talking about Squirrel Pie!" she sobbed. "It must be the infamous Pirate Perry. All the forest creatures have heard of him. He's got one leg and a taste for squirrel and goose and rabbit that makes us all shiver to think about it.
"Do you know where they went?" asked Lucy?
"Yes," said Chattered. I followed them to the river and along the banks as they rowed to their ship.
"Take us there," said Peter. "There is no time to lose."
Chatterer took Lucy and Peter quickly to the river and they rafted down beyond the farm. The water got deeper and after a few minutes of rowing, they spotted a strange ship around a bend in the river. It was a ship known as the Caravel. It had two masts with sails shaped like triangles.
Peter and Lucy and Chatterer watched as the men busily took down the masts. It looked like they had just finished sailing and were getting ready to spend the night. Soon they boarded row boats and sailed off to the opposite shore. All the pirates appeared to be gone except for a single lookout.
"This looks like our chance," said Peter. They climbed back into the raft. Lucy was excellent at steering the raft and she skillfully guided it along the side opposite to where the lookout stood.
"Lucy, I am going to go alone. You and Chatterer raft over to the shore. When I am ready for you I will whistle our secret squirrel call."
Lucy rafted to the shore and hid among the reeds. Meanwhile, Peter climbed up the rope ladder to the deck. No one was about. He could see the door which led down below. He quietly crept to the door, opened it and slowly snuck down the steps – he counted 12 steps in all.
He searched the different cabins on either side of the hallway. At the end of the hallway was a big door. He peered in – it was the kitchen. Quickly he stepped in. Looking around, he saw a wooded cage on a table. Could it be Chippers? He went over to it and whispered, "Chipper, are you in there."
"Chip, chip, chip, yes ! Peter is that you? Help!"
"Don't worry. I'll have you out in a minute." And he did. Peter left the box just as he had found it, except that it was empty. He hoped they wouldn't notice Chipper being gone immediately. Peter quietly went back out the door and headed back toward the stairs. But, wait! There was the sound of voices up on the deck. They were talking at the top of the stairs. It sounded like the cook and the captain discussing what was for dinner. "I'll cook up that squirrel and we'll have squirrel pie tonight." they heard him say.
Peter opened the first door he found and looked around for a place to hide. It was a very nice cabin, and he guessed it was the captain's. He saw a wooden chest on the floor, and without a second thought, he opened it, climbed in with Chipper, and shut it again. While he sat there in the dark, he wondered if it was such a great idea. What if the captain were to lock the chest? And what was all this stuff in it? He felt around and felt something metallic. It was cold and round. He put one of them in his pocket and then he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. It had a funny sound to it. Every other step made a clunk sound, as though it were wood on wood. Step – clunk. Step – clunk.
Then the steps stopped and they heard the captain talking. Peter thought to himself, It must be
the one legged Pirate Perry. His wooden leg clunks every 2nd step. Let's see… Peter noticed that there were two "clunks" from the wooden leg and decided that the captain had taken __4_ steps. (Note: You should have a wooden dowel "leg" to make the sounds for the children.)
Then he heard again, Step – clunk, Step – clunk. He stopped again. "Let's see," he thought. That is _4__ more steps. He has taken 4 plus 4 steps = __8__ total.
With 12 total steps, that means what plus 8 will equal 12? He has __4__ steps left.
Peter next heard something different. It was Step – clunk, Step – clunk, Step – clunk but these went back up the stairs. Pirate Perry was at step number 8 and he took __6__ steps back up. Let's see, that's 8 minus 6 = __2__. He was at step number _2__.
Then down the stairs again, Step – clunk, Step – clunk, Step – clunk, Step – clunk, Step – clunk and then Pirate Perry paused. Where was he now? Peter had heard 5 clunks of the wooden leg. He had taken __10__ more steps, that made 2 plus 10 equals __12__ in all.
Peter knew that Pirate Perry stood at the bottom of the steps. Then with 3 more clunk's, Peter knew he had taken __6__ steps down the hallway and stood in front of the cabin door.
Practice. Students practice adding and subtracting 1-9 up to 24.
These will be written on the board and copied into their math books. The lesson ends with a game:
Make 10 - 20
Goal: Make tens and have the most number of cards in your stack when done. Number of Players: 2+
Directions:
• Remove all the Picture cards, Aces count as 1
• Deal all cards face down into a grid of 3 x 3. Some piles may have one more or less – this is not an issue
• First player turns over two cards. If any two cards which are turned over can make ten or twenty together, take them to your pile.
• After making all the 10s or 20s you can, next player goes.
• If one of the nine piles of cards is exhausted, take one of the face up cards from another pile and put it in the empty place.
• Continue until all cards are gone (with a full deck, all cards should be gone if the math was done correctly!).
