Equal Shmequal

Equal Shmequal
Charlesbridge Maths Series

Using "Equal Shmequal" by Virginia Kroll to teach place value to Year Two students can be an engaging and effective approach. Here are several strategies to incorporate the book into your lessons:

Introduction to Place Value Concepts

Read Aloud: Start by reading "Equal Shmequal" to the class. Discuss the story's focus on equality and balance, which can segue into discussions about numbers and their values.
Anchor Chart Creation: After reading, create an anchor chart with two columns: "What Equal Means" and "What Equal Does Not Mean." Encourage students to share their thoughts on what they understand about equality in numbers, which can lead into a discussion about how numbers can be broken down into tens and ones.

Hands-On Activities

Manipulative Use: Provide students with base-ten blocks or counters. Have them represent different numbers using these manipulatives, demonstrating how numbers can be composed of tens and ones. For instance, show how the number 23 can be made up of 2 tens and 3 ones.
Balancing Equations: Use the concept from the book where Mouse and her friends balance teams to introduce balancing equations. Create simple equations using base-ten blocks, such as showing that 20 + 3 equals 10 + 13, reinforcing the idea of equality in terms of place value.
Equal Teams Game: Organize a classroom activity where students must form equal teams based on a set number of objects (like counters). This will help them understand grouping and the importance of place value in making equal quantities.

Visual Representation

Number Lines: Create a number line together as a class. Use it to show how numbers increase by tens and how they relate to each other, reinforcing the concept of place value visually.
Drawing and Coloring: Have students draw representations of numbers using tens and ones (e.g., drawing ten apples grouped together for the number 10). This visual aid can help solidify their understanding of how numbers are structured.

Reflection and Assessment

Discussion Questions: After activities, ask reflective questions such as "How do we know these groups are equal?" or "What happens when we add more ones or tens?" This encourages critical thinking about place value.
Exit Tickets: At the end of the lesson, have students write down one thing they learned about place value from the activities inspired by "Equal Shmequal." This can help assess their understanding.

By integrating "Equal Shmequal" into your teaching strategy for place value, you create a fun, relatable context for young learners that emphasizes mathematical concepts through storytelling and interactive activities.

Author: Virginia Kroll

Virginia is the author of numerous children's books, including "Equal Shmequal," which introduces young readers to mathematical concepts like equality, symmetry, and congruence through a story about Mouse and her friends playing tug-of-war. Kroll began her writing career in the mid-1980s, publishing her first book in 1992 after having her fourth child, having previously taught elementary school in Buffalo, New York. She has written under the pseudonym Melrose Cooper to mask her prolific output in a short time.

Book Details:

Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing,U.S.
Format: Paperback
Print length: 32 pages
Dimensions: 21.64 x 0.41 x 24.13 cm
Reading age: 6-8 years old
Publication date: 5 July 2005
ISBN: 978-1570918926

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Using the book Equal Shmequal to teach place value.

To effectively teach place value using the book Equal Shmequal by Virginia Kroll, educators can utilize various engaging activities that connect the story's themes with mathematical concepts.

Overview of Equal Shmequal

Equal Shmequal centers around a group of animals, led by Mouse, who must figure out how to create equal teams for a game of tug-of-war. The narrative introduces the concept of equality and balance, making it relatable for young learners. As the animals realize that having the same number of players does not guarantee fairness, they explore using a seesaw to compare weights, which can serve as an excellent springboard for discussions on place value and numerical relationships.

Suggested Activities for Teaching Place Value

Anchor Chart Discussion: Begin with a class discussion about what "equal" means. Use an anchor chart to list student responses about equality and inequality. This helps assess prior knowledge and sets the stage for deeper mathematical concepts.
Visualizing Equality: Use manipulatives like blocks or counters to create visual representations of equal and unequal groups. For instance, students can physically group items to see how many are needed to balance on a seesaw (or a makeshift balance scale) to reinforce the concept of equivalence in numbers.
Hands-On Practice: After reading the book, have students create their own "teams" using different sets of objects (e.g., buttons or small toys) that represent different values. They can experiment with combinations to find equal values, which directly ties into understanding place value as they manipulate quantities.
Interactive Games: Incorporate games where students must use number cards to create equations that are either equal or not equal. For example, they could use dominoes to represent numbers on each side of an equation and decide if they balance or not.
Math Journals: Have students reflect on their learning by writing in math journals about what they learned from Equal Shmequal regarding equality and place value. This could include drawing representations of their favorite parts of the story and how they relate to numbers.
Collaborative Learning: Pair students for partner activities where they can discuss and solve problems related to equality using scenarios from the book. This promotes teamwork and reinforces their understanding through peer explanations.

By integrating Equal Shmequal into lessons on place value, educators can create a rich learning experience that not only teaches mathematical concepts but also fosters critical thinking and collaboration among students.