Movers Math Teacher Guide Kindergarten Math Topic: Addition vs Subtraction Word Problems
Movers Math Teacher Guide
A movement-based approach to identifying operations, heavily scaffolded for English Language Learners.
Pacing
45 Minutes
Active instruction + stations
Setup
25 Students
100% Active Movement Setup
Visuals
Join vs Go
Color-coded body verbs
The "Lily Pad" Whole-Class Floor Plan
To maximize active engagement, place 25 poly-spots, tape squares, or carpet spots across the room. Every student has their own "Lily Pad" . This setup allows all 25 students to perform body movements simultaneously.
JOIN Action (+): All students **hop forward** off their Lily Pad, make their bodies as **big** as possible, and pull their hands in.
GO Action (-): All students **take a big step back** off their Lily Pad, crouch down **small**, and freeze like ice blocks.
ELL Dual-Scaffolding Matrix
Operation Verbal Verbs (English/Spanish) Total Physical Response (TPR) Gesture JOIN (+) In, fly in (volar hacia), more (más), join (juntar), run in (correr adentro) Step forward, extend arms high and pull inward dynamically. GO (-) Go away, run off (huir), pop (explotar), eat (comer), leave (irse) Step backward, drop down low, hands waving away to the sides.
Active Vocabulary Visual Anchors
Do not rely solely on the written text. Whenever reading stories, hold up the matching dual-language story cards (from the Printable Bundle). Associate the Spanish translation immediately alongside the physical action to support L1 learners.
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Movers Math Lesson Delivery
Step-by-step facilitation and formative assessment tools.
Interactive Facilitation Script
Warm-Up & Intro (10 min)
"Everyone stand on your Lily Pad! Let's practice moving! When I say JOIN , everyone hop forward and make your bodies HUGE! Go! JOIN! Juntar! Perfect! Now, when I say GO , step backward and get as small as a bug! GO! Irse! Excellent! Today, we are all going to be the math story together!"
Interactive Modeling: Addition (15 min)
Instruct all students to start standing on their pads."JOIN! JOIN!" . Write "3 + 2" on the whiteboard.
Interactive Modeling: Subtraction
Instruct all students to start standing on their pads."GO! GO!" . Write "5 - 2" on the whiteboard.
active game: Movers Showdown
Read a story card. Instead of calling on individuals, **all 25 students** immediately perform the body movement (forward/big for addition, backward/small for subtraction). This gives the teacher an instant, zero-writing visual evaluation of the whole class's comprehension.
ELL-Friendly Observational Rubric
Criteria Beginning (1) Developing (2) Meets (3) TPR Hand Gestures Does not perform hands gestures even after modeling. Performs gesture with delay by imitating peers. Independently performs correct gesture immediately. Lily Pad Movement Steps incorrect direction or does not move. Hops correct direction with delay by following others. Instantly hops or steps in the correct direction. Verbal Support Unable to say "Join" or "Go" in either language. Vocalizes response in Spanish (Juntar/Irse). Vocalizes response in both L1 and English correctly.
Safety Tip: Remind students to stay inside their local personal space while jumping. This prevents collisions while keeping the math lessons active and high-energy.
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Action Movers Slides Kindergarten Math
Active Learning
JOIN and GO!
Let's move our bodies to solve fun math stories!
Stand up on your Lily Pads, let's move! Math Movers Series
Word Power #1 Operation: Addition
Action Word
JOIN
Juntar
What does it mean?
More friends come IN .
The group gets BIGGER !
Hop forward off your spot!
Look for words like: In, Fly In, Hop In, More Slide 2 of 6
Word Power #2 Operation: Subtraction
Action Word
GO
Irse
What does it mean?
Friends walk or run OUT .
The group gets SMALLER !
Step backward and freeze small!
Look for words like: Away, Run Off, Pop, Eat, Leave Slide 3 of 6
How to Play Classroom Code of Movement
1
Listen!
Keep ears open. Listen to the funny math story.
2
Decide!
Did friends JOIN (+) or did they GO (-)?
3
Move!
Hop **forward** (JOIN) or step **backward** (GO) on your Lily Pad!
Safety First: Stay on your own space. Hands to yourself!
Let's Try Together! Story Arena #1
The Wise Owls 🦉
"3 little owls sit on a leafy branch.2 more owls fly in to sit with them!"
Did the new owls JOIN (+) or did they GO (-)?
JOIN (+) / Juntar
GO (-) / Irse
Hint: "Fly in" means more owls! Hop forward! Slide 5 of 6
Let's Try Together! Story Arena #2
The Flying Balloons 🎈
"5 shiny red balloons float in the blue sky.2 balloons pop and go away!"
Did the balloons JOIN (+) or did they GO (-)?
JOIN (+) / Juntar
GO (-) / Irse
Hint: "Pop" means fewer balloons! Step backward! Slide 6 of 6
Action Story Printable Cards My Math Mat Movers Series • Desk Organizer
Name:
Date:
👉 Place your Action Sorting Cards on the correct side of the mat!
ADDITION
JOIN
Juntar
Place JOIN cards here!
(The group gets bigger! 📈)
Clue Words / Pistas:
In • Fly In • Hop In • More • Plus
-
SUBTRACTION
GO
Irse
Place GO cards here!
(The group gets smaller! 📉)
Clue Words / Pistas:
Away • Run Off • Pop • Eat • Out
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Bilingual Story Cards
Cut out these 4 cards. Use them for teacher read-alouds or station sorting activities!
STORY A 🌳 Birds
"4 happy birds sit in a tree. Suddenly, 3 more birds fly in to join them."
"4 pajaritos felices están en un árbol. De repente, 3 pájaros más vuelan para unirse a ellos."
Target: JOIN (+) Bilingual Series
STORY B 🍪 Cookies
"6 sweet cookies sit on a white plate. My brother eats 2 cookies."
"6 galletas dulces están en un plato blanco. Mi hermano se come 2 galletas."
Target: GO (-) Bilingual Series
STORY C 🐸 Frogs
"5 green frogs sit on a wet log. 3 of the frogs hop away into the pond."
"5 ranas verdes están en un tronco. 3 ranas saltan lejos hacia el estanque."
Target: GO (-) Bilingual Series
STORY D 🚗 Cars
"2 fast red cars stop at a red light. 4 more cars drive up behind them."
"2 autos rojos rápidos paran en el semáforo. 4 autos más conducen detrás."
Target: JOIN (+) Bilingual Series
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Verb Sorting Cards
Cut out these cards. Have students sort them into "JOIN" or "GO" on their Desk Mat.
Card 1
Fly In
Volar adentro
Example: "Birds fly in..."
Card 2
Run Away
Correr lejos
Example: "Dogs run away..."
Card 3
Eat up
Comer
Example: "We eat cookies..."
Card 4
Get More
Obtener más
Example: "We get more toys..."
Card 5
Pop
Action Station Activity Packet Station Rotation Packet Kindergarten Math • Active Stations
Name:
Date:
1
Station 1: Sensory Tub Math Sorting
Directions: Scoop an object from the sensory tub. 🟢 Green frogs mean JOIN (+). 🔴 Red bugs mean GO (-). Draw what you found, then circle the correct action symbol below!
Scoop #1
Draw your object here
Is it:
JOIN (+)
GO (-)
Scoop #2
Draw your object here
Is it:
JOIN (+)
GO (-)
Scoop #3
Draw your object here
Is it:
JOIN (+)
GO (-)
Scoop #4
Draw your object here
Is it:
JOIN (+)
GO (-)
How many total scoops did your group make?
Join and Go • Station Pack Page 1 of 2
Station Rotation Packet Kindergarten Math • Active Stations
Name:
Date:
2
Station 2: Action Dice Roller
Directions: Roll the custom Action Word Dice with your partner. Look at the action word. Write the word on the line, then circle if it means JOIN (+) or GO (-) !
Roll #1
Write Action Word:
JOIN (+) / Juntar
GO (-) / Irse
Roll #2
Write Action Word:
JOIN (+) / Juntar
GO (-) / Irse
Roll #3
Write Action Word:
JOIN (+) / Juntar
GO (-) / Irse
Roll #4
Write Action Word:
JOIN (+) / Juntar
GO (-) / Irse
Partner High-Five! Swap papers and check each other's work! 🤝
Join and Go • Station Pack Page 2 of 2
