by Tim Stednitz

Grade Level: 1-2

Content Area: Math

• Students will gain an understanding of how our weekly and monthly calendar works.
• Students will be able to identify important days such as birthdays and holidays.
• Students will be able to identify those same special occasions as numerically odd/even days.
• Students will also be able to identify the numbers before/after any given number from 0 through 999.

Other Materials

• List of all student’s birthdays (for those that don’t know theirs)
• School calendar with important days marked to show students
• Blank calendars for students to record information on
• Pencils

Procedures

(This lesson, at least the first time you do it with first graders, will last 3 math periods with each math period being 60 minutes long)

DAY 1
The first day of this Lesson can be repeated on the first school day of each month.

1. First give students a blank copy of the September calendar.
2. Put a transparency on the overhead with the month of September displayed. If you have an ELMO in your building that would be a great tool to use.
3. As a class fill in all important days like Labor Day and the teachers birthday, which happens to be September 29th, and any other birthdays that might be in this month along with school pep rallies, assemblies, library check-out or any other days you think are important.
4. Once all students have filled in their calendar have them turn on their handheld and bring up the Calendar Application. You will want the entire month displayed on their screen. Discuss again the abbreviations for each of the days of the week.
5. Have each student fill in the important days that are on their paper copy by tapping on that day with their Stylus and then enter the information using their keyboard. (Graffiti isn’t taught until later because we want to be sure they know their alphabet first).
6. End with a discussion about the calendar and how it works. Explain the 30, 31 or 28-29 days for each month as a pre-teaching for next days lesson. Talk about if you are on the 31st day and you add 1 day you are now on the 1st day of the next month, and how months can start on different days of the week etc.
   

Day 2

1. Hand out blank calendars to each student.
2. Students will work in pairs. Have the students turn on their handhelds and have them fill in the month of their own birthday using the calendar in the handheld to show what day to start on. Make sure they add their birthday. If pre taught from the day before, it will go fairly quickly.
3. After filling out their calendar, they enter their birthday information into their handheld by tapping on that day with the stylus.
4. After putting in their birthday they give their calendar to their partner and they add it to their handheld.
5. Now, using your partner’s calendar, answer the questions from the Even/Odd handout.

Day 3

1. Beam Prize Wheel to each student.
2. Using the data gathered from the second day answer the questions about you and your partner’s birthday.
3. You are to use a calculator to answer those questions that require one.
4. Have students bring up Prize Wheel on their handheld.
5. Enter the lower limit number as 1 and the upper limit number as 999.
6. Have each student set the game in motion and answer the questions on their sheet, using the number they get. Spin again until all questions are answered. (You can differentiate this game by what questions you put on the students sheet).