The full kindergarten year in math: every unit and every week, step by step, with what to do, how to do it and why.
This is the whole kindergarten math year, week by week. Most of it happens with real things on a table: cups, buttons, blocks, coins. Each week says what to work on, what to try, and why it comes next, so a five-year-old moves from 'how many cups do we need?' to adding and taking away within 10.
This is a full kindergarten year of math: 36 teaching weeks in 8 units, on the same NYC 2026-27 calendar as the English plan. Every standard code and its wording is copied from NYSED's official documents (see Sources). Where Astor makes its own choices (timing, monthly targets, activities), the plan says so.
NYSED's Kindergarten Overview says kindergarten time should focus on two areas: (1) a sound sense of numbers by representing and comparing numbers, at first with sets of objects; and (2) recognizing and describing shapes and using spatial relations. It adds that more learning time in kindergarten should go to number than to any other topic, and that every standard should be included in instruction. This plan gives number and operations most of the year: Units 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 and most of Unit 8 (about 28 of 36 weeks), with geometry and measurement in Units 3 and 7.
NYSED also notes that kindergartners should see addition and subtraction equations and are encouraged to write them, but writing equations is not required in kindergarten; and that reversing numerals when writing is common at this age.
36 weeks · Sept to June
How the year works
Before day one: what a normal day looks like, and how the whole year fits together.
Children name circles, triangles, rectangles, squares, and hexagons in any size or turn, describe them in their own words, sort them, and put shapes together to make new shapes and pictures.
NY-K.G.1, NY-K.G.2, NY-K.G.4, NY-K.G.6
The Greedy Triangle, Mouse Shapes
November-January
13-16 (Nov 30 - Jan 8; 20 days)
Unit 4: Understanding Addition and Subtraction
Adding is putting together or adding to; subtracting is taking apart or taking from.
NY-K.OA.1, NY-K.OA.2a, NY-K.OA.2b, NY-K.MD.4
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, Quack and Count
January-February
17-20 (Jan 11 - Feb 5; 19 days)
Unit 5: Composing and Decomposing Numbers to 10
Numbers are made of other numbers: 5 is 4 and 1, and also 3 and 2.
NY-K.OA.3, NY-K.OA.4, NY-K.OA.2b
Ten Black Dots (reread), Mouse Count (reread)
February-March
21-25 (Feb 8 - Mar 19; 24 days)
Unit 6: Numbers 0-20 and Counting to 100
Teen numbers are ten ones and some more ones: 14 is 10 and 4.
Unit 8: Putting It All Together: Fluency, Patterns, Coins, and Data
Children pull the year together: they add and subtract within 5 quickly, sort and count data about our school, explore coins and identify pennies and dimes, and create their own patterns.
About 60 minutes, plus a 5-minute counting routine at morning meeting. The shape follows Illustrative Mathematics lessons (a warm-up, one or more activities, and a lesson synthesis) with center time. Minutes are Astor's suggestion.
Part
Minutes
What happens
NYC Solves shift
Counting routine (morning meeting)
5
Count the days in school on a ten-frame and a 100-chart; choral count by ones or tens; count on from a new number
Sense-making
Warm-up
10
A quick image (flash a dot card or ten-frame: 'How many? How do you know?'), a Notice and Wonder picture, or a choral count
Discourse
Activity 1 (launch and work)
15
One shared task everyone can start and that can stretch: a story to act out, a collection to count, shapes to sort. Children work with a partner and tools
Low-floor, high-ceiling
Activity 2 or centers
15-20
Practice games and centers that revisit earlier skills (spaced review); teacher pulls a small group
Low-floor, high-ceiling
Lesson synthesis
5-10
Two or three children share strategies; the teacher connects them to the math idea and the words of the day
Discourse
Ways to keep kids talking
'How did you count?' 'Can you show me?' 'Who did it a different way?' 'Do you agree? Why?' (Standards for Mathematical Practice 3 and 6.)
Swaps from around the house
dried beans or buttons for counters, an egg carton cut to 10 cups for a ten-frame, LEGO bricks for connecting cubes, cereal boxes, cans, and balls for solid shapes, a homemade balance from a hanger and two cups.
Weeks 1-4, Sep 10 - Oct 2 (16 teaching days)
Math in Our World
Math is everywhere and math is talk. Children explore tools, see small amounts without counting, match one-to-one ('Are there enough cups?'), and count real collections.
What this unit is about
Math is everywhere and math is talk. Children explore tools, see small amounts without counting, match one-to-one ('Are there enough cups?'), and count real collections.
Curriculum connection: IM Kindergarten Unit 1, Math in Our World (17 lessons in the IM v1 scope and sequence; sections: Explore Our Math Tools, Recognize Quantities, Are There Enough?, Counting Collections).
connecting cubes, two-color counters, pattern blocks, dot cards (1-5), small collections in bags (buttons, bottle caps, shells, toy cars), paper cups and napkins for 'are there enough' tasks.
Books to read together
Ten Black Dots - Donald Crews; Mouse Count - Ellen Stoll Walsh; Pattern Fish - Trudy Harris.
Week 1 · Explore math tools
This week (Sep 10-Sep 11 (2 days)): Explore math tools: free play with cubes, counters, pattern blocks; class rules for tools
Try this:
Centers and games: Tool tubs; name each tool
Why start here: Math is everywhere and math is talk.
Week 2 · See it fast
This week (Sep 14-Sep 18 (5 days)): See it fast: show 1-5 dots or fingers and say how many without counting
Try this:
Centers and games: Dot card match; build patterns with cubes (AB) (NY-K.OA.6)
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.OA.6 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
Week 3 · Are there enough? Match cups to children, napkins to cups
This week (Sep 22-Sep 25 (4 days)): Are there enough? Match cups to children, napkins to cups (1:1)
Try this:
Centers and games: Snack-table matching; sort buttons by color and count each group (NY-K.MD.3)
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.MD.3 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
Week 4 · Counting collections
This week (Sep 28-Oct 2 (5 days)): Counting collections: count up to 10 objects in a line and in a circle; touch-and-move
Try this:
Centers and games: Counting collections with partners; record with drawings
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on are there enough? Match cups to children, napkins to cups.
The big finish
Counting Collection share: partners count a bag of objects, show how they kept track, and tell 'how many'.
How to tell it's clicking
One-on-one: count 7 cubes in a line; ask 'How many?' without recounting (cardinality, NY-K.CC.4b); rote count as far as you can (note the number).
Weeks 5-9, Oct 5 - Nov 6 (24 teaching days)
Numbers 1-10
Children count, count out, and compare groups up to 10, learn to write numerals 0-10, and use 'first' through 'tenth'. The count stays the same no matter how the objects are arranged.
What this unit is about
Children count, count out, and compare groups up to 10, learn to write numerals 0-10, and use 'first' through 'tenth'. The count stays the same no matter how the objects are arranged.
Curriculum connection: IM Kindergarten Unit 2, Numbers 1-10 (22 lessons; sections: Count and Compare Groups of Objects, Count and Compare Groups of Images, Connect Quantities and Numbers, Compare Numbers).
ten-frames and five-frames, two-color counters, number cards 0-10, dot cards, dice, a number path 0-10 on the floor, ten toy animals in a line for ordinals.
Books to read together
Fish Eyes - Lois Ehlert; Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 - Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson; Zero the Hero - Joan Holub; Ten Flashing Fireflies - Philemon Sturges.
Week 5 · Count and compare objects
This week (Oct 5-Oct 9 (5 days)): Count and compare objects: more, fewer, same (matching and counting)
Try this:
Centers and games: Build a tower: who has more? (NY-K.CC.6)
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.CC.6 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
Week 6 · Count images in rows, arrays, and scattered
This week (Oct 13-Oct 16 (4 days)): Count images in rows, arrays, and scattered (up to 10)
Try this:
Centers and games: Ten-frame flash; count the pictures
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on count and compare objects.
Week 7 · Connect quantities and numerals 0-10
This week (Oct 19-Oct 23 (5 days)): Connect quantities and numerals 0-10; zero means none; write numerals
Try this:
Centers and games: Numeral writing with playdough and sand; 'show me 6' (NY-K.CC.5b)
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.CC.5b in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
Week 8 · One more
This week (Oct 26-Oct 30 (5 days)): One more: each next number is one more (staircase towers); ordinal words first-tenth
Try this:
Centers and games: Line up ten animals: who is third? (NY-K.CC.4d)
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.CC.4d in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
Week 9 · Compare written numerals 1-10
This week (Nov 2-Nov 6 (5 days)): Compare written numerals 1-10: which is greater? Use the number path
Try this:
Centers and games: War card game with 1-10 (NY-K.CC.7)
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.CC.7 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
The big finish
Number Book 0-10: one page per number with numeral, dots in a ten-frame, and a drawing of that many things.
How to tell it's clicking
One-on-one: count out 8 from a pile (NY-K.CC.5b); which is more, 6 or 9? (NY-K.CC.7); write numerals 0-10 from dictation (NY-K.CC.3).
Weeks 10-12, Nov 9 - Nov 25 (12 teaching days)
Flat Shapes All Around Us
Children name circles, triangles, rectangles, squares, and hexagons in any size or turn, describe them in their own words, sort them, and put shapes together to make new shapes and pictures.
What this unit is about
Children name circles, triangles, rectangles, squares, and hexagons in any size or turn, describe them in their own words, sort them, and put shapes together to make new shapes and pictures.
Curriculum connection: IM Kindergarten Unit 3, Flat Shapes All Around Us (15 lessons; sections: Exploring Shapes in Our Environment, Making Shapes).
The New York standards this unit teaches
NY-K.G.1, NY-K.G.2, NY-K.G.4, NY-K.G.6
Skills we keep fresh from earlier units
NY-K.G.5, NY-K.CC.5a, NY-K.CC.6, NY-K.MD.3
What you'll need
pattern blocks, attribute blocks, paper shapes in many sizes and orientations, straws and pipe cleaners for building shapes, a classroom 'shape hunt' clipboard.
Books to read together
The Greedy Triangle - Marilyn Burns; Mouse Shapes - Ellen Stoll Walsh; Bear in a Square - Stella Blackstone; The Shape of Things - Dayle Ann Dodds.
Week 10 · Shapes in our world
This week (Nov 9-Nov 13 (4 days)): Shapes in our world: shape hunt in the classroom and on the walk to school; above, below, beside, next to
Try this:
Centers and games: Which one doesn't belong? sort shapes by your own rule
Why start here: Children name circles, triangles, rectangles, squares, and hexagons in any size or turn, describe them in their own words, sort them, and put shapes together to make new shapes and pictures.
Week 11 · Same shape, different size or turn
This week (Nov 16-Nov 20 (5 days)): Same shape, different size or turn: a triangle is still a triangle when it is tipped over (NY-K.G.2); count sides and corners
Try this:
Centers and games: Build triangles and squares with straws (NY-K.G.5 practice)
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.G.2, NY-K.G.5 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
Week 12 · Put shapes together
This week (Nov 23-Nov 25 (3 days)): Put shapes together: two triangles make a square; pattern block puzzles (3-day week)
Try this:
Centers and games: Pattern block picture; count each shape used
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on same shape, different size or turn.
The big finish
Shape Picture: make an animal or building from pattern blocks, then tell a partner which shapes you used and where (above, next to).
How to tell it's clicking
One-on-one: show a tilted triangle and a long thin rectangle and ask the names (NY-K.G.2); 'Make a rectangle from these two triangles' (NY-K.G.6).
Weeks 13-16, Nov 30 - Jan 8 (20 teaching days)
Understanding Addition and Subtraction
Adding is putting together or adding to; subtracting is taking apart or taking from. Children act out stories, use fingers, pennies, cubes, and drawings, and begin to read and say expressions like 3 + 2.
What this unit is about
Adding is putting together or adding to; subtracting is taking apart or taking from. Children act out stories, use fingers, pennies, cubes, and drawings, and begin to read and say expressions like 3 + 2.
Curriculum connection: IM Kindergarten Unit 4, Understanding Addition and Subtraction (18 lessons; sections: Count to Add and Subtract, Represent and Solve Story Problems, Addition and Subtraction Expressions).
The New York standards this unit teaches
NY-K.OA.1, NY-K.OA.2a, NY-K.OA.2b, NY-K.MD.4
Skills we keep fresh from earlier units
NY-K.CC.4c, NY-K.CC.5b, NY-K.CC.3, NY-K.OA.5
What you'll need
two-color counters, connecting cubes, pennies (real or play), 'story mats' (a pond, a bus, a farm), five-frames, whiteboards.
Books to read together
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons - Eric Litwin; Quack and Count - Keith Baker; Benny's Pennies - Pat Brisson.
Week 13 · Count to add
This week (Nov 30-Dec 4 (5 days)): Count to add: join two groups and count all; act out 'add to' stories
Try this:
Centers and games: Story mats with counters
Why start here: Adding is putting together or adding to; subtracting is taking apart or taking from.
Week 14 · Count to subtract
This week (Dec 7-Dec 11 (5 days)): Count to subtract: take some away and count what is left; act out 'take from' stories
Try this:
Centers and games: Pennies as counters: meet the penny (NY-K.MD.4)
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.MD.4 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
Week 15 · Represent and solve story problems with objects and drawings
This week (Dec 14-Dec 18 (5 days)): Represent and solve story problems with objects and drawings (drawings show the math, not the details)
Try this:
Centers and games: Make up a story for a partner to act out
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on count to subtract.
Week 16 · Read and say expressions
This week (Jan 4-Jan 8 (5 days)): Read and say expressions: 2 + 3, 5 - 1; match an expression to a story
Try this:
Centers and games: Expression match cards; fluency within 5 games
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on represent and solve story problems with objects and drawings.
The big finish
Class Story Problem Book: each child draws one add-to or take-from story about our class and the class solves it.
How to tell it's clicking
One-on-one: 'There are 4 birds. 3 more come. How many now?' Watch which tool the child chooses (NY-K.OA.2b, MP5).
Weeks 17-20, Jan 11 - Feb 5 (19 teaching days)
Composing and Decomposing Numbers to 10
Numbers are made of other numbers: 5 is 4 and 1, and also 3 and 2. Children find all the ways to break apart numbers to 10, find the partner that makes 10, and solve 'put together' and 'both addends unknown' stories.
What this unit is about
Numbers are made of other numbers: 5 is 4 and 1, and also 3 and 2. Children find all the ways to break apart numbers to 10, find the partner that makes 10, and solve 'put together' and 'both addends unknown' stories.
Curriculum connection: IM Kindergarten Unit 5, Composing and Decomposing Numbers to 10 (15 lessons; sections: Make and Break Apart Numbers to 9, More Types of Story Problems, Make and Break Apart 10).
The New York standards this unit teaches
NY-K.OA.3, NY-K.OA.4, NY-K.OA.2b
Skills we keep fresh from earlier units
NY-K.OA.1, NY-K.OA.2a, NY-K.OA.5, NY-K.CC.6
What you'll need
two-color counters (shake and spill), ten-frames, a 10-bead rekenrek or two strings of 5 beads, connecting-cube trains, number bonds drawn on whiteboards.
Books to read together
Ten Black Dots (reread) - Donald Crews; Mouse Count (reread) - Ellen Stoll Walsh.
Week 17 · Make and break apart 5 and 6
This week (Jan 11-Jan 15 (5 days)): Make and break apart 5 and 6: shake two-color counters and record each way
Try this:
Centers and games: Shake and record; drawings and equations like 5 = 2 + 3
Why start here: Numbers are made of other numbers: 5 is 4 and 1, and also 3 and 2.
Week 18 · Make and break apart 7, 8, 9
This week (Jan 19-Jan 22 (4 days)): Make and break apart 7, 8, 9; find more than one way
Try this:
Centers and games: Cube trains snapped into two parts
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on make and break apart 5 and 6.
Week 19 · Put together and take apart stories, including 'Grandma has 5 flowers.
This week (Jan 25-Jan 29 (5 days)): Put together and take apart stories, including 'Grandma has 5 flowers. How many could go in the red vase and how many in the blue?'
Try this:
Centers and games: Story problems with more than one answer
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on make and break apart 7, 8, 9.
Week 20 · Make 10
This week (Feb 1-Feb 5 (5 days)): Make 10: given a number 1-9, find the partner that makes 10 on a ten-frame (NY-K.OA.4)
Try this:
Centers and games: 'Make 10' card game (pairs that make 10)
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.OA.4 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
The big finish
'Ways to Make 10' class poster: every pair recorded with a drawing and an equation.
How to tell it's clicking
One-on-one: show 7 on a ten-frame; 'How many more to make 10?' (NY-K.OA.4); 'Show me two ways to make 6' (NY-K.OA.3).
Weeks 21-25, Feb 8 - Mar 19 (24 teaching days)
Numbers 0-20 and Counting to 100
Teen numbers are ten ones and some more ones: 14 is 10 and 4. Children count up to 20 objects, write numerals to 20, and count to 100 by ones and by tens, starting from any number.
What this unit is about
Teen numbers are ten ones and some more ones: 14 is 10 and 4. Children count up to 20 objects, write numerals to 20, and count to 100 by ones and by tens, starting from any number.
Curriculum connection: IM Kindergarten Unit 6, Numbers 0-20 (13 lessons; sections: Count Groups of 11-20 Objects, 10 Ones and Some More, Count Groups of 11-20 Images), extended here with daily counting to 100 for NY-K.CC.1 and NY-K.CC.2.
double ten-frames, 10-sticks of connecting cubes plus loose cubes, a 100-chart, a class '100 days' collection, number cards 0-20, a 20-bead rekenrek.
Books to read together
Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 (reread) - Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson; Zero the Hero (reread) - Joan Holub.
Week 21 · Count groups of 11-20 objects in lines, arrays, and circles
This week (Feb 8-Feb 12 (5 days)): Count groups of 11-20 objects in lines, arrays, and circles; keep track
Try this:
Centers and games: Counting collections to 20
Why start here: Teen numbers are ten ones and some more ones: 14 is 10 and 4.
Week 22 · Ten ones and some more
This week (Feb 22-Feb 26 (5 days)): Ten ones and some more: build teen numbers with a 10-stick and loose cubes; say '10 and 3 is 13'
Try this:
Centers and games: Teen number match: cubes, ten-frame, numeral
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on count groups of 11-20 objects in lines, arrays, and circles.
Week 23 · Count and write numerals 11-20
This week (Mar 1-Mar 5 (5 days)): Count and write numerals 11-20; count images of 11-20
Try this:
Centers and games: Numeral writing to 20; teen bingo
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on ten ones and some more.
Week 24 · Count to 100 by tens with fingers flashing ten
This week (Mar 8-Mar 12 (4 days)): Count to 100 by tens with fingers flashing ten; the 100-chart patterns
Try this:
Centers and games: Choral counts by tens; 100-chart puzzles
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on count and write numerals 11-20.
Week 25 · Count on from any number
This week (Mar 15-Mar 19 (5 days)): Count on from any number ('Start at 47, keep going') (NY-K.CC.2)
Try this:
Centers and games: Counting-on relay; 100-day collection of 10 groups of 10
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.CC.2 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
The big finish
Teen Number Book or 100-Day Collection: ten bags of ten things, counted by tens to 100.
How to tell it's clicking
One-on-one: build 16 with a 10-stick and cubes and say it as '10 and 6' (NY-K.NBT.1); count by tens to 100; start counting at 58 (NY-K.CC.2).
Weeks 26-29, Mar 22 - Apr 16 (19 teaching days)
Solid Shapes and Measurement All Around Us
Flat (two-dimensional) shapes lie on a page; solid (three-dimensional) shapes take up space. Children name cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres, build models of things they see, and directly compare lengths, heights, weights, and capacities.
What this unit is about
Flat (two-dimensional) shapes lie on a page; solid (three-dimensional) shapes take up space. Children name cubes, cones, cylinders, and spheres, build models of things they see, and directly compare lengths, heights, weights, and capacities.
Curriculum connection: IM Kindergarten Unit 7, Solid Shapes All Around Us (16 lessons; sections: Compose and Count with Flat Shapes; Describe, Compare, and Create Solid Shapes, which includes comparing weight and capacity).
geoblocks and a solid-shapes set, real objects (cans, balls, boxes, party hats), a pan balance, cups and containers with rice or water, string and paper strips for comparing length.
Books to read together
Inch by Inch - Leo Lionni.
Week 26 · Flat or solid? Sort pictures and real objects
This week (Mar 22-Mar 25 (4 days)): Flat or solid? Sort pictures and real objects (NY-K.G.3) (4-day week)
Try this:
Centers and games: Mystery bag: feel a solid shape and describe it
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.G.3 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
Week 27 · Cubes, cones, cylinders, spheres
This week (Mar 29-Apr 2 (5 days)): Cubes, cones, cylinders, spheres: roll, stack, slide; count faces and corners in our own words
Try this:
Centers and games: Build a city block with geoblocks and boxes (NY-K.G.5)
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.G.5 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
Week 28 · Heavier and lighter
This week (Apr 5-Apr 9 (5 days)): Heavier and lighter: pan balance; full and empty: which holds more? (NY-K.MD.1, NY-K.MD.2)
Try this:
Centers and games: Balance station; pour-and-compare station
Why it matters: this is the step that covers NY-K.MD.1, NY-K.MD.2 in the New York standards. Tap the glossary to read the exact wording.
Week 29 · Longer, shorter, taller
This week (Apr 12-Apr 16 (5 days)): Longer, shorter, taller: compare two objects side by side, lining up ends
Try this:
Centers and games: Who is taller? Is my shoe longer than this crayon?
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on heavier and lighter.
The big finish
Build Our Neighborhood: groups build a model of a street from solid shapes, then describe the shapes and compare two buildings ('This one is taller').
How to tell it's clicking
One-on-one: sort 6 objects into flat and solid; compare two pencils and say which is longer and how you know (line up the ends).
Weeks 30-36, May 3 - Jun 25 (33 teaching days)
Putting It All Together: Fluency, Patterns, Coins, and Data
Children pull the year together: they add and subtract within 5 quickly, sort and count data about our school, explore coins and identify pennies and dimes, and create their own patterns.
What this unit is about
Children pull the year together: they add and subtract within 5 quickly, sort and count data about our school, explore coins and identify pennies and dimes, and create their own patterns.
Curriculum connection: IM Kindergarten Unit 8, Putting It All Together (21 lessons; sections: Counting and Comparing, Math in Our School, Fluency within 5, All About 10), plus NYS-specific work on coins (NY-K.MD.4) and patterns (NY-K.OA.6), which are New York additions not in the Common Core K standards.
pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters (real coins or realistic play coins) and magnifying glasses, connecting cubes and colored tiles for patterns, sorting mats and a class graph, dice and cards for fluency games.
Books to read together
Benny's Pennies (reread) - Pat Brisson; Pattern Fish (reread) - Trudy Harris; Mouse Paint - Ellen Stoll Walsh (sorting by color).
Week 30 · Count and compare review
This week (May 3-May 7 (5 days)): Count and compare review: how many, which has more, numbers to 20
Try this:
Centers and games: Spin and compare; counting collections
Why start here: Children pull the year together: they add and subtract within 5 quickly, sort and count data about our school, explore coins and identify pennies and dimes, and create their own patterns.
Week 31 · Math in our school
This week (May 10-May 14 (5 days)): Math in our school: ask a question, sort answers into categories (10 or fewer each), count, and order the categories by count
Try this:
Centers and games: Class survey and picture graph
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on count and compare review.
Week 32 · Coins
This week (May 18-May 21 (4 days)): Coins: look closely at pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters; sort by look; identify pennies and dimes (4-day week)
Try this:
Centers and games: Coin sort; 'penny or dime?' game
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on math in our school.
Week 33 · Fluency within 5
This week (May 24-May 28 (5 days)): Fluency within 5: quick games, fingers, five-frames
Try this:
Centers and games: Roll and add; take-away bowling with 5 pins
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on coins.
Week 34 · Patterns
This week (Jun 1-Jun 4 (4 days)): Patterns: copy, extend, and create AB, AAB, ABC patterns with objects (4-day week)
Try this:
Centers and games: Pattern trains; pattern movements (clap, stomp)
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on fluency within 5.
Week 35 · All about 10
This week (Jun 14-Jun 18 (5 days)): All about 10: partners of 10 review; end-of-year interviews
Try this:
Centers and games: Make 10 games
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on patterns.
Week 36 · Math celebration and review
This week (Jun 21-Jun 25 (5 days)): Math celebration and review
Try this:
Centers and games: Family math night games
Why now: it builds on last week, when the class worked on all about 10.
The big finish
Math Museum for families: each child shows a pattern they created, a coin sort, and a favorite game.
How to tell it's clicking
One-on-one end-of-year interview (see Assessments): fluency within 5, identify a penny and a dime, extend and create a pattern, count to 100.
All year
Checking, helping, and sample days
How to tell it is working, what to do when a child gets stuck, and three real days walked through start to finish.
Sample day 1 - October, Unit 2 (Week 8: one more, and first through tenth)
Counting routine (5 min). Day 33 of school: show 3 tens and 3 ones on ten-frames; count by ones to 33.
Warm-up (10 min). Flash a ten-frame with 6 dots for 2 seconds. 'How many? How did you see it?' ('5 and 1 more.')
Activity 1 (15 min). Staircase towers: each pair builds cube towers 1 to 10. 'What do you notice?' Children see that each tower is one more than the last (NY-K.CC.4c).
Activity 2 (15 min). Animal parade: line up ten toy animals. 'Who is first? Who is fifth? Who is right after the third?' (NY-K.CC.4d). Pairs take turns asking each other.
Synthesis (5 min). 'If I add one more cube to the 7 tower, how tall is it? How do you know without counting all?'
Sample day 2 - January, Unit 5 (Week 17: ways to make 5)
Counting routine (5 min). Count by tens to 100, then count on by ones from 75 to 85.
Warm-up (10 min). Show 5 fingers as 3 and 2, then 4 and 1. 'Is it still 5?'
Activity 1 (15 min). Shake and spill: put 5 two-color counters in a cup, shake, spill. Count red and yellow. Record with a drawing and, when ready, an equation (5 = 3 + 2) (NY-K.OA.3).
Activity 2 / centers (20 min). Teacher group: the NYSED 'both addends unknown' story type ('Grandma has 5 flowers. How many can go in the red vase and how many in the blue vase?'). Other centers: cube trains, dot-card match, fluency game within 5.
Synthesis (10 min). Make a class chart of every way we found to make 5. 'Did we find them all? How can we tell?' (MP7, MP8)
Sample day 3 - May, Unit 8 (Week 32: coins)
Counting routine (5 min). Count on from 91 to 100; count by tens.
Warm-up (10 min). Notice and Wonder with a large photo of a penny and a dime side by side.
Activity 1 (15 min). Coin detectives: each pair gets pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters and magnifying glasses. Sort them any way you like, then explain your sort (size, color, pictures, edges) (NY-K.MD.4, NY-K.MD.3).
Activity 2 (15 min). 'Penny or dime?' game: a partner hides a coin in one hand; the other names it after looking. Count the pennies in a pile of 10 or fewer (NY-K.CC.5a).
Synthesis (5 min). 'How can you tell a dime from a penny?' Record children's words on a chart.
Assessments and benchmarks
NYC Reads names a citywide reading screener (Acadience) for K-2; Astor did not find a citywide kindergarten math screener in the NYC Solves pages it could check, so use your school's curriculum assessments if it has them. The tools below are Astor's.
1. Unit interviews
Each unit ends with a short one-on-one interview (listed under each unit). Kindergarten math is best checked with objects in hand and a conversation, not a worksheet.
2. Monthly classroom benchmarks (Astor targets)
These are Astor's planning targets, paced so every standard is reached by June. They are not NYSED numbers.
By the end of
Counting (NY-K.CC.1, CC.2)
Counting objects and numerals (CC.3-CC.7)
Operations (OA, NBT)
Shapes and measurement (G, MD)
September
Rote counts to 20
Counts 5 objects with 1:1 and says how many; sees 1-4 without counting
Copies an AB pattern
Sorts objects by one attribute
October
Counts to 30
Counts out up to 10; compares two groups; writes 0-5
Write the numbers I say: 0, 7, 12, 19; show 0 with an empty cup
NY-K.CC.4
Count 15 cubes and explain how you knew when to stop
NY-K.CC.4a
Watch for touching each object once while saying each number once
NY-K.CC.4b
After counting 9, ask 'How many?' (answers 9 without recounting); rearrange and ask again
NY-K.CC.4c
'Here are 6. If I add one, how many?'
NY-K.CC.4d
Line of 10 toys: 'Point to the fourth one'
NY-K.CC.5a
Count 18 counters in a circle; count 9 scattered counters
NY-K.CC.5b
'Give me 14 cubes'
NY-K.CC.6
Two groups (7 and 9): which has more? Show how you know
NY-K.CC.7
Number cards 4 and 8: which is greater?
NY-K.OA.1
Show 3 + 2 with fingers, cubes, or a drawing
NY-K.OA.2a
Solve 6 + 3 and 9 - 4 with any tool
NY-K.OA.2b
Solve one add-to, one take-from, one put-together story within 10
NY-K.OA.3
Show two different ways to break apart 8
NY-K.OA.4
Ten-frame with 6: how many more to make 10?
NY-K.OA.5
Answer 2 + 3, 4 - 1, 5 - 2, 1 + 4 quickly
NY-K.OA.6
Extend a red-blue-blue pattern; then make your own pattern
NY-K.NBT.1
Build 17 with a 10-stick and loose cubes; tell how many tens-of-ones and how many more
NY-K.MD.1
Describe this bottle: tall or short, heavy or light, full or empty
NY-K.MD.2
Which pencil is longer? Show how you compared
NY-K.MD.3
Sort 10 buttons by color, count each group, and say which has the most
NY-K.MD.4
From a pile of coins, find a penny and a dime; tell one thing you notice about a nickel and a quarter
NY-K.G.1
'Find something shaped like a circle above the board'
NY-K.G.2
Name a tipped-over triangle and a big and a small square
NY-K.G.3
Sort pictures and objects into flat and solid
NY-K.G.4
Tell how a cube and a square are alike and different
NY-K.G.5
Build or draw a model of a door, window, or table with shapes
NY-K.G.6
Make a hexagon from pattern-block triangles
Support for every learner
Multilingual learners. Use gestures, real objects, and number words in the home language alongside English; post a picture word bank (more, fewer, same, add, take away, shape names).
Students with disabilities. Use larger manipulatives, fewer objects at once, visual schedules for centers, and the supports in each child's IEP. NYSED notes that manipulatives and visual models should always be connected to written symbols and methods.
Children ready for more. Same task, bigger numbers (count to 120, story problems to 20), and 'Is there another way?' prompts.
Notes on sources and limits
Codes. All 30 kindergarten codes and sub-codes are copied from the NYSED standards document; NY-K.OA.6 and NY-K.MD.4 appear only on the Next Generation side of the NYSED crosswalk (no 2011 match).
Curriculum mapping. Unit titles, section titles, and lesson counts come from Illustrative Mathematics' published K materials (the lesson counts come from IM's v1 scope and sequence, which says goals are "subject to minor changes"). IM is aligned to the Common Core, so the coin and pattern work in Unit 8 and earlier units is Astor's addition to cover the two NYS-only standards.
NYC Solves in elementary school is new in 2026-27 and covers four districts so far; most NYC elementary schools are not yet on a mandated math curriculum. Districts 5 and 25 use i-Ready and Amplify Desmos, which have their own sequences.
Astor's own choices: daily minutes, monthly targets, activities, centers, household swaps, and interview tasks. The "Grandma has 5 flowers" story is adapted from the 'Both Addends Unknown' example in NYSED's problem-type chart.
No citywide K math screener was found in the NYC Solves pages checked.
Where this plan comes from
New York State. The NYS Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards (NYSED, 2017) give kindergarten five domains: Counting and Cardinality (NY-K.CC), Operations and Algebraic Thinking (NY-K.OA), Number and Operations in Base Ten (NY-K.NBT), Measurement and Data (NY-K.MD), and Geometry (NY-K.G), plus the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice. Two kindergarten standards are New York additions with no matching 2011 standard in NYSED's crosswalk: NY-K.OA.6 (patterns) and NY-K.MD.4 (exploring coins). Many published curricula built on the Common Core do not teach these two, so this plan adds them on purpose.
New York City. NYC Solves is NYC Public Schools' set of high-quality math curricula. Its Math Shifts name three classroom habits this plan builds in every day: beginning with sense-making, shared low-floor, high-ceiling tasks, and discourse to demonstrate understanding. NYC Solves reached elementary schools for the first time in 2026-27 (Phase 1 Elementary: Districts 5, 11, 12, 25). The May 21, 2026 city announcement lists the K-5 curricula as i-Ready Mathematics Classroom (District 5), Illustrative Mathematics (Districts 11 and 12), and Amplify Desmos Mathematics (District 25). The unit sequence here follows Illustrative Mathematics (IM) K-5's eight kindergarten units, which IM publishes openly.
Calendar. Same as the English plan: 177 student days on the NYCPS 2026-2027 calendar, 167 used as 36 teaching weeks, 10 flex days.
The standards, word for word
NY-K.CC.1
Count to 100 by ones and by tens.
NY-K.CC.2
Count to 100 by ones beginning from any given number (instead of beginning at 1).
NY-K.CC.3
Write numbers from 0 to 20. Represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0-20 (with 0 representing a count of no objects).
NY-K.CC.4
Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities up to 20; connect counting to cardinality.
NY-K.CC.4a
When counting objects, say the number names in the standard order, pairing each object with one and only one number name and each number name with one and only one object. (1:1 correspondence)
NY-K.CC.4b
Understand that the last number name said tells the number of objects counted, (cardinality). The number of objects is the same regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted.
NY-K.CC.4c
Understand the concept that each successive number name refers to a quantity that is one larger.
NY-K.CC.4d
Understand the concept of ordinal numbers (first through tenth) to describe the relative position and magnitude of whole numbers.
NY-K.CC.5a
Answer counting questions using as many as 20 objects arranged in a line, a rectangular array, and a circle. Answer counting questions using as many as 10 objects in a scattered configuration.
NY-K.CC.5b
Given a number from 1-20, count out that many objects.
NY-K.CC.6
Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than (more than), less than (fewer than), or equal to (the same as) the number of objects in another group. Note: Include groups with up to ten objects.
NY-K.CC.7
Compare two numbers between 1 and 10 presented as written numerals.
NY-K.OA.1
Represent addition and subtraction using objects, fingers, pennies, drawings, sounds, acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, equations, or other strategies.
NY-K.OA.2a
Add and subtract within 10.
NY-K.OA.2b
Solve addition and subtraction word problems within 10.
NY-K.OA.3
Decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more than one way. Record each decomposition with a drawing or equation.
NY-K.OA.4
Find the number that makes 10 when given a number from 1 to 9. Record the answer with a drawing or equation.
NY-K.OA.5
Fluently add and subtract within 5.
NY-K.OA.6
Duplicate, extend, and create simple patterns using concrete objects.
NY-K.NBT.1
Compose and decompose the numbers from 11 to 19 into ten ones and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine ones.
NY-K.MD.1
Describe measurable attributes of an object(s), such as length or weight, using appropriate vocabulary.
NY-K.MD.2
Directly compare two objects with a common measurable attribute and describe the difference.
NY-K.MD.3
Classify objects into given categories; count the objects in each category and sort the categories by count. Note: Limit category counts to be less than or equal to 10.
NY-K.MD.4
Explore coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters) and begin identifying pennies and dimes.
NY-K.G.1
Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
NY-K.G.2
Name shapes regardless of their orientation or overall size.
NY-K.G.3
Understand the difference between two-dimensional (lying in a plane, "flat") and three-dimensional ("solid") shapes.
NY-K.G.4
Analyze, compare, and sort two- and three-dimensional shapes, in different sizes and orientations, using informal language to describe their similarities, differences, parts, and other attributes.
NY-K.G.5
Model objects in their environment by building and/or drawing shapes.
NY-K.G.6
Compose larger shapes from simple shapes.
Sources for every line: credits. The same guide as its own page: guide.