March 10, 2021 | Becca Brasser
The question occupies nearly the entire 100th Day of School in first grade. Students count to 100 individually and collaboratively, by 1’s, 5’s, and 10’s. Every student uses a collection of items from home or school to sort and count to 100. Some brought Pokemon cards, pennies, and popsicle sticks. Some used shells, teddy bear counters, or sea glass from the classroom to count by 10’s and 5’s.
On the 100th day of school students also play games, do 100 jumping jacks, fill in empty 100 charts, make trains of 100 cubes, and more!
They come up with as many expressions for 100 as they can: 50 x 2, 99 + 1, 10 + 90, 200 – 100, etc.
We know that children learn best and build understanding when they use their hands. They transition from concrete, hands-on experiences to abstract understandings. An understanding of the number 100 is an important benchmark in numeracy, and the 100th day provides a multitude of opportunities to experience that number in both concrete and abstract ways.