Meredith Ellison

Monkey Math

1st Grade Addition and Subtraction

Learning Expectations:

Content Standard 1.0 The student will develop number and operation sense
needed to represent numbers and number relationships verbally, symbolically,
and graphically and to compute fluently and make reasonable estimates in
problem solving.

1.1 Understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among

numbers, and number systems.

1.2 Understand meanings of operations and how they relate to one another.

1.3 Solve problems, compute fluently, and make reasonable estimates.

Materials Needed:

Banana Pieces (30 per group)

Plate
Paper

Pencil

Handouts (will be provided)

Chocolate

Nuts

Sprinkles

Objectives:

 Learn to work in small groups

 Understand basic concepts of addition and subtraction
 Understand whether addition is needed or subtraction
 Understand take away means subtraction, and add more
means addition

Goals:

Students are placed in groups of four. There are four groups.

Students will add and take away bananas from their pile and
count what is left over. As time passes, students will understand
that they are actually adding and subtracting. Teacher will give
worksheets to each student. It will contain, for example, 2+3.
Hopefully after the banana activity each child will be able to
answer the questions correctly.

Directions:

Students are placed in groups of four. There will be four

separate groups. Thirty banana pieces will be given to each
group. Students are to first count how many bananas are given
to them, and record it on a piece of paper. They will come up
with thirty. Next, Teacher will introduce subtraction by telling the
students to lay out all thirty banana pieces in a row. Then, the
teacher will have the students take away five bananas. The
students will then count their left over bananas. They will come
up with twenty five. One student will record their group’s answer
on the paper. Students are to use a minus sign every time the
teacher says take away. Once the students have their twenty-five
bananas laid out in a row, the teacher will instruct the students
to take away more bananas. This will go on until the students
have one banana left in their pile. This is where the teacher will
introduce addition. With the one banana piece still on the
student’s tables, the teacher will instruct the students to add
nine more bananas to the pile. The students will then add nine
bananas to the one on the table. The students will then count all
their banana pieces. They will come up to ten. One student will
write the group’s answer on the piece of paper using the plus
sign for the word add. This activity will continue until the
students have all thirty bananas back in their original piles. The
students will then throw away the bananas that each child has
handled. After this the teacher will present a worksheet to the
class that has actual addition and subtraction problems on it.
This will help the teacher access whether the banana activity
helped each individual student understand addition and
subtraction. After the activity and worksheet is complete, the
students will be presented with frozen bananas on a stick. They
can add chocolate, nuts (if not allergic), and sprinkles to their
bananas for a treat for all their hard work!

Worksheets Below!!
 Monkey Math

Help Milo the monkey add his bananas!!

1.

___________

2.

__________
 Monkey Math

Help Milo the monkey subtract his bananas!!

1.

______________

2.

________________