First week of school math lesson plans for lower elementary students to get off to a great start!

Your logical mind tells you that you need to plan math, but your brain is still on summer vacation. You know you want to begin the year on the right foot, but you are asking yourself how this is done. You need solutions for your first week of school math lesson plans. I know that it always took me a few days to get back in the groove! I learned a few things over the years so that when I saw the darling faces of my students I would be ready.

Here are 5 days of lesson plans to help you feel confident that you can have an amazing school year in math.

Day 1 – First Day of School Math Activities

Math Mindset Goal: The goal for today is to get my students excited about math. I call them mathematicians from the first day, and I absolutely love the little grin they get on their faces when they know what this means.

• Warm-Up: Begin with a quick number talk by solving a simple equation to help them begin thinking about math. Unfortunately, some of them haven’t even considered a math fact since the last day of school. Can you relate? This is a fantastic time to encourage them to think of multiple strategies to solve one problem.
  
• Activity: Let your students shine with a “Math About Me” activity. You can find one here within this Back to School booklet. 

• Mini-Lesson: Discuss what mathematicians do.

Here are some ideas to help you guide your students.

Mathematicians notice things.

They wonder.

They ask questions.

Mathematicians explain their thinking.

• Closure: Write in math journals using this  prompt. “Today I used math when I…”
  

Day 2 – First Week of School Math

Goal: Today’s goal is to build number sense and place value meaning. One year I followed my textbook which taught place value in the middle of the school year. I knew I was making a mistake, but I was trying to stick to the scope and sequence which did not begin with these lessons. I paid the price the entire school year, and I learned my lesson to always begin with place value.

• Warm-Up: Begin with “Today’s Number.”Pick a number and have your students represent it in multiple ways. Here are a few suggestions.

 Represent with tens and ones

Tally marks 

Number line

Equation

• Activity: Place Value Stations
  
  1. Build numbers with place value blocks. Write some numbers on cards and have students represent the numbers.
     
  2. Make cards with numbers written in expanded form. Have students write the number.
     
  3. Roll 2–3 dice and create the largest or smallest number.
     
• Closure: Play a “Show Me” game. Write a number on your whiteboard. Then have students write the number on their whiteboards that is 10 more or 10 less than the given number because whiteboards are a magical tool for you can see what your students are understanding.
  

Day 3 –  Place Value Math

Goal: Since place value is so important, we are going to keep moving forward with it. Our goal today is to strengthen the understanding of tens and ones to prepare for larger numbers.

• Warm-Up: Play “Mystery Number.” First, give a clue such as “I have 3 tens and 4 ones. Then ask “What number am I?”
  
• Activity: Place Value Scoot. Use cards with numbers in standard, expanded, or picture form placed around the room. Students walk around the room and record their answers. Here are a few examples that you might want to use.
  
• Partner Practice: Play “Build and Compare.” – Partners roll dice, build the numbers with base-ten blocks and then compare using >, <, or =.
  
• Closure: Time to use your math journal again with the prompt “One way to show a number is…”

Day 4 – Addition Strategies for First Week of School Math Lesson Plans

Goal: Remember summer brain. At first, it might be a good idea to review addition strategies before you begin your number talk today. Addition strategies help us solve equations, and there are a variety of strategies that can be used to solve problems.

• Warm-Up: Begin with a number talk with an addition problem such as 8 + 7. Then have students explain their thinking as they solve this problem.
  
• Activity: Students always love a challenge so use this to your advantage with the “Ways to Make…” activity. First, give your students a target number, and they need to find as many ways as possible to make the number using addition.
  
• Partner Practice: Play “Race to 20” game. You can also increase the difficulty by increasing the number. Students need a partner, but you can have it played in a threesome also. Roll two dice, add them together, and find the number on the number line. Then the next person repeats the process. Students continue taking turns and adding the numbers to the number from their previous turn. Play continues until someone reaches 20 or the target number.
  
• Closure: Have students Turn and Talk and share one new strategy they learned from a partner.
  

Use these addition and subtraction strategy posters to help you in your classroom during the first week and throughout the school year. Put your name and email address in the boxes below, and they will be in your inbox.

Practice addition and subtraction strategies!

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Day 5 – Subtraction Strategies for First Week of School Math Lesson Plans

Goal: Somehow summer vacation causes students to forget about subtraction. They definitely need a reminder of subtraction, and it is important to connect it to real life. Today is a great day to do this!

• Warm-Up: Begin with a number talk with a subtraction problem such as 15 – 9.
  
• Activity: Give your students simple story problems that they can model with counters. With the summer break, manipulatives give them the support they need after a break. Here is an example. “You had 12 crackers and ate 5. How many are left?”
  
• Math Game: Play a game of “Cover Up.” First, students begin with 20 counters and then roll a die. Then they remove the number of counters they rolled until they get to zero.
  
• Closure: Use your math journals again with the prompt “One way to solve subtraction problems is…”
  

Now you have begun the year on the right foot. You have used your first week of school math lesson plans, and your students are excited about math and summer brain has turned into school brain. You are back in the groove, and as you can see, it is going to be a fantastic year with your mathematicians!