Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to create a calendar to count down to your birthday using basic arithmetic skills.

Materials and Prep

• Paper
• Pencil or pen

No prior knowledge or preparation is required for this lesson.

Activities

1. Create a grid on a piece of paper to represent a calendar for the month leading up to your birthday.
2. Write the numbers 1 to 30 (or the number of days in the month) in the grid, starting from the top left corner.
3. Circle the number that represents today's date.
4. Count the number of days left until your birthday by subtracting today's date from your birthday date. Write this number in a box at the bottom of the calendar.
5. Each day, cross out one number on the calendar to indicate that a day has passed.
6. Continue crossing out numbers each day until you reach your birthday.

Second Grade Talking Points

• "Today, we are going to learn how to make a calendar to count down to your birthday."
• "We will use numbers and basic arithmetic skills to calculate the number of days left until your birthday."
• "First, we will create a grid to represent the calendar for the month leading up to your birthday."
• "Then, we will write the numbers 1 to 30 (or the number of days in the month) in the grid, starting from the top left corner."
• "Next, we will circle the number that represents today's date."
• "To find out how many days are left until your birthday, we will subtract today's date from your birthday date."
• "We will write this number in a box at the bottom of the calendar."
• "Each day, we will cross out one number on the calendar to indicate that a day has passed."
• "We will continue crossing out numbers each day until we reach your birthday."