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Features

24 cards, four to a page, with dashed lines to cut them apart
Six groups: counting and number, patterns, shapes and space, measuring and comparing, sorting, estimating
Each card: a small loose-parts picture and the question in big words to set out on the table
Set out: the materials to put out (pebbles, shells, sticks, acorns, buttons, gems)
Listen for: the math to notice in the children's talk and play
Open questions with many answers, such as "How many pebbles fit inside the circle?"
Every page in color and in black and white

Skills Covered

Count a collection and compare amounts
Make, copy and continue patterns
Build and fill shapes, and make designs that match on both sides

Compare lengths and weights and put things in order
Sort by a rule, then sort another way
Estimate how many, then count to check

How to Use This Pack

Six pages of cards for the teacher, one group a page, four cards each, with dashed lines to cut on. Page 1 is counting and number (pebbles in a circle, ways to make 5, numbers made with sticks, which pile has more). Page 2 is patterns (what comes next, a pattern around a plate, the same pattern with other things, patterns in nature). Page 3 is shapes and space (shapes from sticks, filling a shape, a pebble tower, a design the same on both sides). Page 4 is measuring and comparing (the longest stick, buttons long, which is heavier, shells in order). Page 5 is sorting (how to sort, another way, which one does not belong, where this one goes). Page 6 is estimating (acorns in a jar, more than 10, handfuls to fill a bowl, gems to cover a leaf). Every card has the question in big words, Set out: (the materials) and Listen for: (the math to notice when children talk).

In the Classroom

Cut the cards apart and choose one for the math table or a small group. Set out the materials on the card the way you would set a table: a cloth or tray, a basket of loose parts, a mirror or a light table if you have one. Read the question aloud and step back. Listen, take photos and write down what children say, using the Listen for: line as a guide; children's own questions often lead to the next day's card. Change the card every few days, or keep one out for a week and watch the ideas grow.

At Home

Pick one card and gather the same kind of things from around the house or outside: stones, shells, buttons, bottle caps, sticks or dry pasta. Put them on a tray with the question and play alongside your child. Ask "How do you know?" and "Is there another way?" rather than giving an answer.

Tips for Success

Keep the question out where children can see it, and read it aloud often
Real things work best: gather pebbles, shells, sticks and acorns with the children
Write down children's words exactly as they say them; they are the documentation
There is no right answer to find: a child who finds a new way has done the work
Laminate the cards so they last on a busy math table

Common Core Standards Alignment

This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

K.CC.B.4a Count objects by saying numbers in order and matching exactly one number to each object, none skipped or counted twice.
K.CC.B.4b Know the final number in a count gives the total, and the total stays the same however the objects are arranged or counted.
K.CC.B.5 Tell how many: up to 20 objects in a line, array or circle, or 10 scattered. Also count out a requested number up to 20.
K.MD.A.1 Name the features of an object that can be measured, such as how long or how heavy it is, including several for one object.
K.MD.A.2 Put two objects side by side to see which is longer, taller, heavier and so on, and describe the difference.
K.MD.B.3 Sort objects into named groups, count each group (up to 10), and order the groups by how many they hold.

Math Provocation Cards

Pre-K – 1st Grade

Reggio-inspired invitation cards for a math table: 24 open questions to set out with loose parts, in six groups from counting to estimating. Each card shows the question in big words, what to set out and what to listen for in the children's talk, so the teacher can step back while children explore.

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What’s Included

6 pages of cards in color and in black and white (12 pages)
24 provocation cards, four to a page, to cut apart
Counting and number, patterns, shapes and space, measuring and comparing, sorting and estimating
No answer key: every question is open, with many answers

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Free to print and share

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