Frog Math
Predict, Ponder, Play

Grades K—3

Written by Jaine Kopp

This engaging, creative unit has been endorsed by mathematics educators nationwide for its application of guided-discovery methods through cooperative, interdisciplinary activities. In an artful interweaving of mathematics and literature, this lively series jumps off from one of the well-known Frog and Toad are Friends stories, "The Lost Button." The story leads to free exploration of buttons, then sorting and classifying and a game of Guess the Sort. Students design their own buttons and use a graphing grid to organize data.

Things turn amphibian again when students try to guess the number of small plastic frogs in a jar (and the number of lima beans in a handful) to develop the valuable life-skill of estimating. A Frog Pond board game helps students develop strategic-thinking skills; Hop to the Pond is an experiment in probability and statistics. Masters for these games and one supplemental activity are included. As in all GEMS guides, resources and literature connections are provided to help the teacher stock and expand the unit.

Time: Six 45- to 60-minute sessions.

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