We are Rounding Stars! Freebie rounding centers, parent page and song!!

 

Rounding is not an easy skill for kids. Here are some of the ways I make this abstract concept a bit more concrete!

PROVIDE REAL TO LIFE EXPERIENCES: 

When teaching kids any math concept it is important to think about when this skill is most often used in life. If we can provide kids with hands on real to life experiences we’re giving meaning to their learning. When do we most often round? When we’re shopping, of course!

I usually prep my anchor charts ahead of time with a bit of pencil and then I am able to write over using markers as I introduce the concept. Creating the chart in front of kids is what anchors their learning. For this rounding chart I cut out a few items from the newspaper ads. We looked the actual prices and using a number line we determined the round number the price fell closest to.

Later kids will do their own shopping and round the total of all their purchases.

I told the kids that I like to get my Christmas shopping done before everyone else to avoid the crowds. I also explained that I like to make sure I was getting a deal and asked for their help in rounding these prices. Visualizing them on a # line from the very beginning helps to solidify the concept for the majority of kids. For those that didn’t grasp it right away I already knew that they were lacking strength is number sense so I worked  more on that with them during our small group time.

USE RHYMES & SONGS:

As another strategy I introduced the rhyme:
4 or less let it rest
5 or more raise the score
We practiced using these steps:
1. Underline the place you’re rounding to
2. Circle the neighbor aka the boss
3. If it’s 4 or less let our neighbor rest and I it’s 5 or more up the score.
4. Everything to the right turns to 0’s

BRIDGE LEARNING WITH HOME:
In my homework binder I always include a page in our “help” section when we begin anything new. This helps families when they are feeling stuck at home. Here is the help page I used for rounding:

 

 

You can grab yours by clicking the picture!

I have a lot of fun rewriting familiar songs to the tune of learning. This time I decided to go with “Rounding Stars” to the tune of Counting Stars by One Republic. Whatever gets them pumped for learning right?!?!

Click the picture for your copy.

 

 

PLAY GAMES FOR PRACTICE: 

You can grab all of these math centers FREE by clicking the picture.