Ten Black Dots

Ten Black Dots

Reviewed by: Mandy Gottlieb

Title: Ten Black Dots

Author and Illustrator: Donald Crews

Recommended Grade Level: Preschool-Kindergarten

Common Core Standards Addressed:

PK. CC

Count to tell the number of objects.

3. Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities to 10; connect counting to cardinality.

a.    When counting objects, say the number names in the standard order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object. 


b.    Understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted. The number of objects is the same regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted.

c.    Understand that each successive number name refers to a quantity that is one larger. 


4. Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 10 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 5 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1–10, count out that many objects.

Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practice:

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4 

Model with mathematics

*Students should be able to learn from this book that countable objects are present all over our real-life environments. Students should use the counting skills learned in this book, to solve problems involving counting objects in their environments (ex. being able to take out a specific number of toys from the toy box).

CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP6 

Attend to precision.

*Students should learn from this book that each number name corresponds with a specific number symbol. Students should also learn from this book that each number represents a specific quantity of items.  

Summary:

This book’s goal is to teach students how to count from 1-10. This book explains how dots are found in common things in our environment. The book gives examples of things that contain 1-10 dots in order. At the end of the book, the author encourages the reader to count lines of dots of 10 and under, to reinforce the counting skills taught in the book.

Rating: 

I think this is a four-star book for teaching students counting skills. I really like that the book shows students how counting can be incorporated in the real world and how most things we encounter on a daily basis can be counted. The only thing that concerns me is that this book only focuses on counting dots. From this book, students may misunderstand and think that dots are the only things we can count. After reading the book to the students, the teacher should clarify to students that we can count dots but that we can count other things as well.

Classroom Ideas

1. You can use this book as a part of your instruction in teaching students how to count from one to ten. You can read this book to students during whole class instruction. After reading the book to the students, you can have some students come up individually and count a line of dots in the book. You can differentiate instruction and have students count shorter or longer lines of dots depending on their counting level. Students who are able to count to higher single digit numbers, like 8, can could practice counting 9 dots. Whereas, students who are having trouble counting up to 5, can come up and practice that skill. You can ask students questions, while they are in front of the class like, if I had one more dot here how many dots would I have? You can also ask if I started counting with this dot how many dots would I have? If the student cannot answer, you can have a friend answer for him or you can explain the answer to the class.

2. After reading this book to students, have students work in pairs on a matching game at their tables. Pair students with lower level counting skills with students who have higher level counting skills so the student with lower level counting skills can learn from the student with higher level counting skills. Have students randomly pick a card with a certain number from 1-10 and then ask them to find a card with that specific number of objects, or vice a versa. Give students five minutes to play this game so they do not get bored. Tell the class to keep track of how many matches they make to also practice counting. Tell the class that whoever gets the most matches will get a sticker to keep students motivated. Go around the class to make sure students are on task and to mentally challenge students. For example, ask a student who matched the symbol to “2” to a card with two balls, how many balls there be if we had one more ball. Also ask the students how many of the items they would have if you started counting with a different item. Have students who successfully answer these questions explain their reasoning to the whole class after this activity is done so all of the students can learn even if they originally have difficulty answering these questions. This activity would reinforce students learning of associating a number symbol, to a number name and to a number quantity.

3. After reading this book to students, present students with a problem. My friend Tessa went to the store and bought a shirt with five black dots, can you draw me a picture of a shirt with five black dots. If students are easily able to do this ask them to draw a shirt with eight black dots. If students, are having trouble doing this ask them to draw a shirt with two black dots. Go around the classroom and make sure the students understand the task, can articulate how they decided to put a certain number of dots on their picture and can count the number of dots in their picture.  

4. After reading this book to students, you can give the students a homework assignment to find an object in their environment with a certain number of dots. The students can bring the object to school to show the class and count the dots when presenting their object to the class. You can differentiate instruction by having students find an object with a certain number of dots that matches their counting level. For students, who are having trouble counting to five have them find an object with five dots. For students, who have mastered counting to five give them an object to find with seven dots. Inform parents of this assignment through a take home letter, so they can help their child find objects with a specific number of dots if needed. This assignment would show students how counting can be used in real life and that most things in our environment can be counted. Hopefully, this assignment will serve as an encouragement for students to count more things in their environment outside of school.

5. After reading the students this book, give the students a worksheet with shapes that can be created through connecting the dots. After the students connect the dots to create the shape, have the students fill in their shape with a crayon. Afterwards, ask the students to count the number of dots used to create the shape. Also, ask students what shape they created. Give the students 1 more dot to count than the number they have mastered counting up to, so a student who mastered counting to 4 should be given a shape to create using five dots. This activity also reinforces shape learning.