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Fish Eyes Mini-unit

Ehlert, Lois. (1990). Fish Eyes. New York: Harcourt Brace. Learning Objectives: Count with understanding and recognize {how many| in sets of objects Connect number words and numerals to the quantities they represent, using various physical models and representations Understand the effects of adding and subtracting whole numbers Develop and use strategies for whole number computations, with a focus on addition and subtraction Use a variety of methods and tools to compute, including objects, mental computation, estimation, paper and pencil

Math Vocabulary to Use


count minus graph equals subtract less add more plus

Fishing for Numbers


Print, cut, and laminate the numbered fish cards on the following pages. Make a fishing pole by tying one end of a piece of yarn or string to a wooden dowel rod. Tie a magnet to the other end of the piece of yarn or string. Spread the fish cutouts around a small blow-up swimming pool or cut a large round shape out of blue bulletin board paper to make water. Students can {go fishing in the pond. Have them {catch| the fish and add the numbers together. Have them use counters if needed. Ask students to put fish back into the pond and subtract that number from the total for subtraction practice.

Goldfish Cracker Addition


Give each child a cup of 10 goldfish crackers and a blue 9 X 12 sheet of construction paper (for the pond). Each page in the book has an addition problem at the bottom. Read the sentence and have the students put the appropriate number of fish crackers on their paper. Repeat this for all of the addition problems in the book. Have the children make up a few of their own and share them with a partner.

Fish Graphing
Have students answer the authors question at the end of the book. (Use the black and white fish cutouts for the graph) Create a class graph. {Do you wish to be a Fish?| Analyze the graph.

Fish Eyes Class Book


Create a class book patterned after Lois Ehlerts book Fish Eyes. There are two ways to make the book. A student does 1, a student does 2, a student does 3, etc. or students can use a number generator such as dice or playing cards to choose their number. If going in numerical order, have students use 2 colors of unifix cubes to make a combination of the number they were given. For example: If there number was 5, they may have a tower of 3 yellow cubes and 2 red ones. When using number generator, have students add the 2 dice rolled or the 2 cards pulled together for the total number of fish. For example: 2 dots + 3 dots = 5 dots total Page Example: If my number is 9, my page would look like this: I would write the numeral 9 in the box in the top left corner. Then I would write {Nine (describing word) Fish. For example: Nine shiny fish on the blanks next to the box at the top. I would use crayons, markers, stickers, or stamps to make fish that matched what I rolled or pulled or made with a tower of cubes. For example: I would draw 4 red fish and 5 blue fish in the open area on the page.

Write the equation on the lines at the bottom.

Do You Wish to be a Fish?

Yes No

Analyzing Our Graph


___________kids wish to be a fish ___________kids do not wish to be a fish More kids (wish/do not wish) to be a fish. More (girls/boys) than (girls/boys) wish to be a fish. How many more? ___________

Fish Eyes
A Class Book You Can Count On

By the Little Fishies in Room ______

_______________ _________________ _______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

Egg Carton Math


Write the numbers 1-12 on the bottom of the sections of an egg carton or on the bottom of the sections of a plastic ice tray.

Students can read the number and place the corresponding number of goldfish crackers in the section. You can repeat this activity using numbers 11-20, multiples of 2 or 5, or all even or odd numbers.

For Addition Practice


Have students use a two-colored mat to create addition problems. To create mats, tape 2 different colored 9 X 6 pieces of construction paper together and laminate. Students can use number cards and (+) and (=) cards to write out the equations.

Act it Out
Have the children wear fish headbands and pretend to be the fish in the story. Have them use their bodies to act out the addition problems. To create the fish headbands- print on cardstock, watercolor, cut and laminate the fish cutouts on the following pages. Staple them to sentence strip headbands.

Fishy Snack
Materials needed: one graham cracker per child, blue frosting (mix blue food coloring into white icing), wooden popsicle sticks (for spreading the icing), Swedish fish, gummi fish or goldfish grahams, brown sugar (optional) Students can focus on a certain number and every child can put the same amount of fish on their cracker of they can create an addition equation by using two different colors of gummi fish and adding them together or they can add the fish on one side of their cracker to the fish on the other side and tell a partner their equation. Have students use popsicle sticks to spread the blue frosting on their graham cracker for water. Add fish and small amounts of brown sugar (sand)

Fun Fish Counters and Resources


I have a set of these great fish counters and the kids love them! We use them for sorting, patterning, counting, adding, subtracting, one to one, etc. I got mine from Lakeshore years ago, but could not find them on the site now. Learning Resources was the cheapest site I found with them, They sell them 60 for $21.99.

A few fun fish items from oriental trading

Colorful Fish 144 for 8.00

sea life creatures 90 for 13.50

Fish Beads- 100 for 6.00

Fantastic Fish 400 for 14.00

Design your own giant paper fish 12 for 10.00 (good for acting out story problems)

1 3

2 4

5 7

6 8

9 11

10 0 12

9 11

10 0 12

13 15

14 0 16

17 19

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