Reindeer Boots

Children will use problem-solving techniques to answer the question, “How many boots will Santa need for his reindeer?”

A lesson plan for grade K Mathematics

By Vanette Hann

Learn more

Related pages

• Math Fun: We have compiled some of our favorite mathematics instructional resources to help students develop a sense of numbers and how they are used by us everyday. Students will have fun practicing their skills and trying new problem-solving ideas.
• Dear Tootsie Roll company: The students will measure the surface area and wrapper area of five pieces of candy. Using appropriate formulas and measuring techniques, they will complete information needed for a spreadsheet and database. Students wrap up the lesson by writing a letter to the company with the most wasted paper to explain how the waste affects them as consumers and a suggestion for correcting the problem.
• Math in the White House: This plan uses an online tour of the White House to reinforce the concept of tallying.

Related topics

• Learn more about arithmetic and mathematics.

Help

Please read our disclaimer for lesson plans.

Legal

Learning outcomes

Students will work in cooperative groups of 4 or 5 to solve a story problem. The group will use their choice of materials in the classroom to solve the proposed question. After the children record their work on a 18 x 24 sheet of drawing paper, they will return to the whole group and explain how they solved the problem.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

45 minutes

Materials/resources

• Pattern
• Blocks
• Unifex cubes
• Crayons
• Pencils
• Counters
• 18 x 24 drawing paper
• Or any choice of materials from the classroom

Technology resources

For the follow up, children will use a computer and internet connection to visit sites about reindeer.

Pre-activities

Read stories about reindeer such as “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” and “The Night Before Christmas” several times before the lesson.

Reread “The Night Before Christmas.”

Activities

1. After discussing the details of the books by asking questions for comprehension, tell the children the following story:
   

   One day Santa was talking to Rudolph. Rudolph was very sad because it was so cold at the North Pole. He told Santa that because it had been such a hard winter, all of the reindeer were freezing as they stood in the deep, deep snow. Santa was very worried, because he knew that Christmas was almost here and he didn’t want his reindeer getting sick. Santa thought and thought of what he could possibly do to help his reindeer. Then he remembered that when his feet were cold, he always got his warmest boots to wear. That always helped because, when his feet were warm, the rest of him seemed warmer. Santa had an idea! He told the reindeer that he would make them some extra warm boots for their paws. As he started to work, he had to decide how many boots he would need to make.

   Question: How many boots will Santa need to make for all of his reindeer?

2. Divide the children into groups of 4 or 5 and tell them to:
   • First talk about the problem among themselves. State what it is that you need to know in order to solve this problem.
   • Determine what materials will be needed in order to solve the problem.
   • Work out the problem together using the materials that they think will help them solve the problem.
   • Draw and illustrate how they solved the problem.
   • Write about the process showing what they did.
3. The teacher should walk around the room posing questions to foster deeper thinking. It is amazing how children are able to solve problems in this fashion. Some groups will use manipulatives and put them in groups of 2 or 4, some will draw the reindeer and legs, others may draw the legs with the boots ond others may use tally marks.

Assessment

• The teacher observes and takes notes while walking around the room questioning and listening to the children discuss strategies.
• Children have completed a poster showing their results.
• Children share and explain the process of solving the problems to the class. The teacher observes the group explanations.

Supplemental information

I have included an attachment of the posters that the children drew as they were solving the posed problem. You can see the various ways that the groups illustrated the problem as well as the levels of thinking that were present.

Related websites

Reindeer and Christmas websites:

• At NorthPole.net students can explore Santa’s house, play games, learn about Christmas around the world, and read a message from Rudolph.
• The Corporation for Public Broadcasting hold’s archived Journey North resources, including this information about caribou.
• Visit the Reindeer Barn at NorthPole.com.

Comments

This lesson was an exciting adventure for my class this year. It is amazing how well kindergarten children are able to work together to solve problems.