We have been focusing on subtraction this month, so I knew the time had come for a math art project to show what they have learned.Subtraction is always harder to demonstrate visually. I spent a lot of time thinking about how we could do this and then it occurred to me...Cookie Monster! Who doesn't love Cookie Monster? And he is the perfect subtracting tool!
I hopped over to Sesame Street's website and found a directed drawing. He was actually a lot easier to draw that I expected!
Next, I headed over to Amazon for some round labels (affiliate link). I prefer to use stickers for these projects. It allows my students to physically express the problem rather than trying to draw it. I find many times they make a simple mistake when they are just drawing it out.
Next, I gave them the amount of stickers they requested and let them have at it! Having the stickers in their hands helped a lot of my kids who still need to move it around physically in order to see the problem. They could see how after Cookie Monster ate the cookies, they would be gone forever!
As you can see, some were successful when it came to subtraction and some were still thinking of it as an addition problem. We still have a ways to go, but it was a great way to informally assess where everyone was at, in a fun Friday kind of way!
What are your favorite subtraction activities? Let me know in the comments below!
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