Goal: Compare the number present with the number enrolled
Grades: K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Group size: 4 or more Time: 10 minutes or less
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Materials: List of children in the group (optional) Paper and pencil (optional) Prerequisites: None |
Use one of these methods to take attendance:
Children get in a circle and count off: the first person says 1, the second says 2, and so on.
If children sign in on arrival, a pair counts how many signed in.
Give out a list of everyone in the group. Children check off everyone present and count the total.
2. Compare with the total enrolled
Make sure everyone knows the total enrolled and the number present today.
Ask young children questions that involve counting, adding, and subtracting: How many are here today? How many are absent? Does that add up to the total enrolled?
Ask older children questions involving fractions or percents: Are more than half of us here? How do you know? Are more than 75% of us here? More than 90%?
Children find the answers in their heads, with pencil and paper, or with calculators.
Variations
Have We Done Half? (Grades K, 1, 2)
When children are making something for the whole group—valentines, invitations, or friendship bracelets—they use the attendance list to keep track of how many they have made. They announce when they’ve made enough for half the group.
How Many Fingers? (Grades 3, 4)
Children figure out how many fingers (or fingers and toes together) there are in the room. First, they make an estimate: If 39 of us are here today, about how many fingers are there? 100? 1000? More? Why do you think so? Then they find the exact answer with a calculator or with mental math, e.g., counting by 5, 10, or 20.
ttendance Over Time (Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Record daily attendance on large paper. Children look for patterns: Do some days of the week typically have greater attendance? On some days, do fewer than half typically show up?
Books and Other Resources
Book ideas to come!
Note: Similar activities are in Russell, S.J., Tierney, C., Mokros, J. and Economopoulos, K. Investigations in Number, Data, and Space. Glenview, IL: Pearson Scott Foresman, 2004.
Comparing amounts with subtraction, fractions, or percents
Subtraction, fractions, and percents are all ways to compare two amounts.
There are 22 enrolled, and only 19 are here today.
Older children know that 22 – 19 = 3. For young children, comparing the number present to the total enrolled can involve adding:
19 are here, there are 22 in all, so 20, 21, 22... there are 3 missing.
Comparing with fractions or percents means finding what part of the whole is present.
19 out of 22 are here today. 19/22 is more than 75% and less than 100 %.
ConnectionsKeeping attendance records
Many afterschool programs gather attendance data. Clubs, city services such as libraries, and businesses also track attendance. For instance, the owners of a corner store need to know about how many people typically stop in on different days of the week so they can plan how much food to have on hand. In many situations, attendance data are also useful for planning staffing and opening hours. Nightclub owners need records on attendance for various bands, so they can book bands that are most likely to draw good crowds.
©2008 TERC, Cambridge, MA. All rights reserved.
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