Treasure Boxes

In these engaging activities children use collections of small interesting objects, "treasures," in an innovative series of mathematics activities. Working with treasures provides fresh ways for students to learn and grow, bringing many important science and math skills to life.

Six main activities are outlined for teachers with clear step-by-step directions, complete with assessment outlines and "going further" suggestions. The activities build upon one another to allow students to develop their abilities in many areas of math and science. Challenges that require careful observation, sorting and classification, logical thinking, graphing, and analyzing data are woven throughout this unit.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction
Time Frame
Activity 1 Collecting Treasures
Activity 2 Exploring Treasures
Activity 3 Treasures of Many Sorts
Activity 4 Treasure Graphs
Activity 5 Treasure Maps
Activity 6 Sharing Treasures
Going Further
Sources for Materials
Assessment Suggestions
Literature Connections
Summary Outlines
Sample Letter to Families

"I like how the children share in collecting, sorting and setting up the boxes. The correlation of each activity with computer programs and with children's literature is excellent. The inclusion of a section on literature connections provides a wonderful resource. . . . Treasure Boxes is a well-designed, teacher friendly program. I highly recommend it as a supplemental resource in early-childhood and elementary classes."-Teaching Children Mathematics, March 1999