Schools across the country are getting set to celebrate their 100th day of class. Most celebrations take place in January, but some are much earlier or later, depending upon when classes started. Typically, this is a primary school event, but this year, why not extend the celebration into middle and upper grades as well?
Here are a few math and reading ideas to help get the 100 days celebration started.
Counting to 100 and Other Math Activities
In the primary grades, many of the 100th day of school activities revolve around counting. Some teachers may start collection 100 objects on the first day of school – one for each day until the magic number of 100 is reached. This not only lends itself to counting; activities about calendars and predictions can be built in – "how many school days in September?" – "when will we reach 50 in our collection?"
If a collection wasn’t started on the first day of school, teachers typically ask children to bring in their own collections of 100 objects they’ve gathered to see what “100 looks like.” Other activities might include estimating and practice with addition or subtraction.
“100 Activities” for Middle Grade Students
Students in the middle grades can get in on the 100 days fun by learning about different numeration systems. Review the base 10 system used in mathematics. Introduce Roman numerals, and emphasize the relationship between them. Have students use this system to count to 100.
Upper grade students might also enjoy learning about the Mayan or Egyptian numeration systems. Again, emphasize the symbols used for 100 and have students practice counting using these unique systems. Or, for more advanced students, teach how to note 100 objects in the binary or base 2 system.
100 Days of School Books
Reading books about 100 is a great way to extend the celebration. Here are a few great 100th day of school books to share with primary grade students.
- Curious George Learns to Count from 1 to 100 by H.A. Reyes [HMH, 2005]
- The Night Before the 100th Day of School by Natasha Wing [Grosset & Dunlap, 2005]
- 100 School Days by Anne Rockwell [HarperCollins, 2004]
Students will also enjoy hearing stories about other things 100.
- If You Lived 100 Years Ago by Ann McGovern [Scholastic Paperbacks, 1999]
- 100 Years Ago by Donna Marriott [Creative Teaching Press,1998]
- About 100 Years Ago by Trumbauer [Capstone Press, 2000]
Celebrate the 100th day of school with counting activities, exploring mathematical numeration systems, and by reading and sharing some great books about the number 100.
100 Pennies on 100th Day of School
|
