➕ This Week in Math: Exploring Addition!

Your student is learning two different ways to understand addition:

1. Joining groups that are actively moving.
   For example, if 2 students join 3 others to play a game, there are now 5 students playing.
2. Putting together non-moving objects (like counters) to focus on parts and a whole.

Along the way, your student is discovering some important patterns:

• Adding 0 to a number keeps it the same.
  
  
• Adding 1 to a number gives the next counting number.
  
  

Your student is also practicing finding missing partner numbers (addends). For example, to solve 5 + ? = 9, they might use counters and learn that 5 and 4 make 9.

The goal of this chapter is building understanding, not memorizing facts—so it’s perfectly okay if your student still uses objects or counters to find answers.

🧠 Try These At-Home Activities

🎲 Partner Number Toss
Use two number cubes (cover the 6s with tape to make them 0). Have your student toss them, say the two partner numbers, and name the total. You can even extend it by writing the addition sentence.

✋ “Get to Ten” with Fingers
One player holds up a number of fingers. The other says how many are shown and how many more are needed to make 10. Example: “Seven fingers… it takes three more to get to ten.”

🃏 Partner Match Card Game
Make two sets of cards numbered 1–5. Place them face down. Players flip two cards to find partners that make 6 (like 2 and 4). Partners get to keep the cards—whoever has the most at the end wins!

If you’d like this in a more formal, shorter, or more playful style, I can adjust it!

🔢 Hello Math Families!

We’re diving into Chapter 5: Compose and Decompose Numbers to 10—and it’s going to be a blast! 🎉
This month, our little mathematicians will explore how two parts make a whole and how a whole can be taken apart into smaller parts. These ideas help build a strong foundation for addition and subtraction later on!

We’ll be using number bonds to show how parts and wholes connect—think of them like friendship bracelets for numbers! 💛

🧠 Big Math Ideas

We’ll explore:

• Partner Numbers (numbers that work together to make another number)
  
  
• Putting Together & Taking Apart numbers up to 10
  
  
• Using Number Bonds to show how parts connect to make a whole
  
  

Key math words to chat about at home:
part, whole, number bond, partner numbers, put together, take apart

🏠 Math Fun at Home!

Try these easy (and giggle-worthy) ways to play with numbers together:

🪙 Penny Toss

Drop up to 10 pennies on the table!
👉 Count how many landed on heads, how many on tails, and how many total.
Ask: “What two parts make the whole?”

🌱 Bean Drop Challenge

Make a line on the table with tape or chalk.
Drop 10 beans and count how many landed on each side.
Write or draw your results—like tiny number scientists! 🧪

✋ Finger Flash

On “3,” each of you show some fingers!
“How many do you have?” “How many do I have?”
Then ask, “How many fingers altogether?”
(You just made a number bond!)

🧤 Button Toss Game

Grab 10 buttons and a cup. Take turns tossing them in!
Count how many made it in and how many missed.
Then say, “5 and 3 make 8!” or whatever your total is.

🏡 Real-World Challenge

Find groups of things around your home to split and combine:

• Snack time! “You have 3 apple slices and 2 more—how many in all?”
  
  
• Toy time! “Let’s take apart our 10 blocks—how many are red and how many are blue?”
  
  
• Cleanup time! “You put away 4 books, I put away 6—how many together?”
  
  

🧩 Learning Goals for Module 5

By the end of this unit, your child will be able to:
⭐ Name the parts and whole for numbers up to 10
⭐ Use number bonds to show how numbers work together
⭐ Recognize that 5 can be part of many combinations (like 5 + 3 = 8 or 5 + 4 = 9!)

💬 Keep It Going!

Encourage math talk by asking:
• “What two numbers could make 7?”
• “Can you show me another way to make 10?”
• “What’s a part and what’s a whole in our snack?”

Learning math is all about play, discovery, and connection—so keep counting, combining, and celebrating those “aha!” moments! 🎈

We will be wrapping up our comparing numbers chapter (Chapter 4) this week! If you would still like to work on those things at home, you can check last week's updates for more information! In this chapter, your student will put together two small groups of objects (parts) to form a larger group (the whole). They will also take apart a whole group to form two parts. They will use a number bond to show the numbers of objects in the parts and in the whole. Learning how two parts make a whole is the first step in learning to add and subtract. The vocabulary words for this chapter are put together, take apart, part, whole, partner numbers, and number bond. Use the activities below to help your student practice putting together parts to make a whole and taking apart a whole to make parts. (If you have questions about what a number bond looks like, please let me know!)

Activities at home! 

• Drop up to ten pennies on a table. Have your student name the number of heads, the number of tails, and the number of all pennies. 
• Make a line on a tabletop with chalk or tape. Invite your student to drop up to ten dried beans or other small objects on the table. Ask your student to write the numbers of beans that fell on each side of the line and the number of beans in all. 
• On the count of three, you and your student each show up to five fingers. Have your student name the number of fingers each person is showing and the number of fingers in all.
• Set out up to ten buttons or other small objects. Place a cup on a table. Players take turns trying to toss all the buttons, one at a time, into the cup. After each round, guide your student to write the score as the number of buttons in the cup and the number of buttons outside the cup. Talk about how the two numbers are parts of the whole. Help your student work toward the learning targets and success criteria shown on the back of this page. Keep an eye out for groups of objects that you can sort into two groups in some way. Have fun with your students!

In this chapter, your student compares numbers up to 10 as equal to, greater than, or less than each other. Your student also learns to classify objects into categories. You can use the activities below to practice and review number comparisons, sorting and classifying, and data collection. 

• Place up to ten pennies on a table. Ask your student to place an equal number of pennies on the table. After you have played for a while, vary the game so that your student sets out a number of pennies that is greater than or less than the number of pennies you place on the table. 
• Play the finger game from Chapter 2 to compare numbers to ten. Hold up two to nine fingers. Have your student name the number of fingers. Then ask your student to hold up an equal number of fingers, a greater number of fingers, or a number of fingers that is less. 
• Use scraps of paper to make two sets of number cards from 0 to 10. Mix up the cards and place them facedown on a table. Each player takes a number card and turns it faceup. Players compare the numbers. The player who has the greater number takes the faceup cards. Play continues until there are no cards left in the pile. The player with more (or the most) number cards wins
• Invite your student to help you sort the laundry. Have your student describe the sorting rule, such as light and dark items or clothing and towels. Have your student count the number of items in each group. 
• Help your student make a chart to tally and compare the number of cans of vegetables that are peas and the number of cans of vegetables that are not peas

This week we will continue Chapter Three. In this chapter, your student learns about the numbers 6 through 10. Your student will count a number of objects, then color the same number of boxes in a ten frame. ten frame After learning about each quantity, your student will learn to write the numeral. At the end of the chapter, your student writes the numbers in order both forward and backward. This chapter's vocabulary includes exposure to the written number words six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. Your student uses the words in conversation but is not expected to write the words. Here are a few activities you can use with your student to practice numbers to ten. 

• Make a ten frame by cutting the last two egg cups off an empty egg carton. Have your student count up to ten small objects (such as beans, coins, or buttons) as they drop each object into a cup of the ten-frame carton. Change the activity by starting with up to ten objects in cups of the ten-frame carton. Have your student name and write the number of objects. 
• Play a game using fingers on both hands to count and to name numbers. Take turns. One player holds up six or more fingers, and the other player names the number. 
• Make a poster together showing objects that are commonly found in groups of six, seven, eight, nine, or ten, such as six juice boxes in a package, seven days in a week, eight legs on a spider, nine squares in tic-tac-toe, and ten pins in bowling. • Show your student page numbers in a book. Have your student count up to page 10 and back to page 1 by flipping pages. 

This week we will begin Chapter Three. In this chapter, your student learns about the numbers 6 through 10. Your student will count a number of objects, then color the same number of boxes in a ten frame. ten frame After learning about each quantity, your student will learn to write the numeral. At the end of the chapter, your student writes the numbers in order both forward and backward. This chapter's vocabulary includes exposure to the written number words six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. Your student uses the words in conversation but is not expected to write the words. Here are a few activities you can use with your student to practice numbers to ten. 

• Make a ten frame by cutting the last two egg cups off an empty egg carton. Have your student count up to ten small objects (such as beans, coins, or buttons) as they drop each object into a cup of the ten-frame carton. Change the activity by starting with up to ten objects in cups of the ten-frame carton. Have your student name and write the number of objects. 
• Play a game using fingers on both hands to count and to name numbers. Take turns. One player holds up six or more fingers, and the other player names the number. 
• Make a poster together showing objects that are commonly found in groups of six, seven, eight, nine, or ten, such as six juice boxes in a package, seven days in a week, eight legs on a spider, nine squares in tic-tac-toe, and ten pins in bowling. • Show your student page numbers in a book. Have your student count up to page 10 and back to page 1 by flipping pages. 

We are continuing chapter two of our math curriculum this week. In this chapter, your student will learn to compare numbers from 0 to 5. At first, they will draw lines, matching objects in one group with objects in a second group to see if any are left over. Then they will count the numbers of objects in two groups to compare the numbers. Finally, they will simply compare two numbers. Throughout the chapter, your student will circle a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down to show whether two groups or numbers are equal. They will circle a group or number to show that it is greater than another, and they will draw a line through a group or number to show that it is less than another. Your student will learn more about comparing numbers in Chapters 4 and 9. 

In the middle of the week, we will be moving to Chapter 3, where we will be working on counting and writing numbers 6-10! 

You can use the following activities to practice and review comparing numbers throughout the year:

• Look for opportunities to talk about one-to-one correspondences in your home. For example: How many mittens do you need for two hands? How many dinner plates do you need for four family members?
• When setting the table, have your student count a group of forks, and then a group of spoons. Ask your student whether the groups are equal in number. If not, ask which group has a greater (or lesser) number of objects. 
• Play a finger game to compare numbers. Hold up two to four fingers. Have your student name the number of fingers. Then ask your student to hold up an equal number of fingers, a greater number of fingers, or a lesser number of fingers. 
• Use masking tape to change the sixes to zeros on two number cubes. Take turns tossing the number cubes and comparing the numbers.
• Place a number of small objects, such as paperclips or beans in each of your hands. Invite your student to guess which hand has more. Have your student verify the guess by counting the objects and comparing the numbers.

We are starting chapter two of our math curriculum this week. In this chapter, your student will learn to compare numbers from 0 to 5. At first, they will draw lines, matching objects in one group with objects in a second group to see if any are left over. Then they will count the numbers of objects in two groups to compare the numbers. Finally, they will simply compare two numbers. Throughout the chapter, your student will circle a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down to show whether two groups or numbers are equal. They will circle a group or number to show that it is greater than another, and they will draw a line through a group or number to show that it is less than another. Your student will learn more about comparing numbers in Chapters 4 and 9. 

You can use the following activities to practice and review comparing numbers throughout the year:

• Look for opportunities to talk about one-to-one correspondences in your home. For example: How many mittens do you need for two hands? How many dinner plates do you need for four family members?
• When setting the table, have your student count a group of forks, and then a group of spoons. Ask your student whether the groups are equal in number. If not, ask which group has a greater (or lesser) number of objects. 
• Play a finger game to compare numbers. Hold up two to four fingers. Have your student name the number of fingers. Then ask your student to hold up an equal number of fingers, a greater number of fingers, or a lesser number of fingers. 
• Use masking tape to change the sixes to zeros on two number cubes. Take turns tossing the number cubes and comparing the numbers.
• Place a number of small objects, such as paperclips or beans in each of your hands. Invite your student to guess which hand has more. Have your student verify the guess by counting the objects and comparing the numbers.

This week we are continuing our first Unit in our math curriculum, and working with numbers 0-5. 

Use the following activities to model, count, and write numbers with your student. 

• Use objects in your home to talk about numbers. Ask, “How many forks do I have? May I please have four grapes? How many socks are you wearing?” 

• Toss coins on a table so that the coins fall in a random arrangement. Ask your student to count the coins and say the number. Repeat this a number of times to give your student practice visualizing a number of coins in different ways. For example, your student might see that three can name the number of coins in a row as well as the number of coins that resemble two eyes and a nose. 

• Play a game using fingers on one hand to count and to name numbers. One player holds up one or more fingers, or a fist for 0, and the other player says the number. Take turns. 

• Help your student form groups of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 objects. Invite your student to use pieces of paper to write and label the number in each group. Then challenge your student to order the numbers by placing the pieces of paper in a row.