Objective:
The students will complete subtraction problems.

Materials

• Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Worksheet

• Monkey Manipulatives

Procedure

1. Introduce or review the finger play "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed".

2. Pass out the Monkey Manipulatives and the Monkeys Jumping on the Bed Worksheet.  

3. Have the students cut the Monkey Manipulatives out to be used to solve subtraction problems.  Younger students may need to only cut out 10 or less monkeys, while older students may cut out all 20.

4. Give the students math problems to solve with their worksheets and manipulatives.  For example, "8 little monkeys were jumping on the bed.  5 fell off and bumped their heads.  How many were left?"  Have the students solve the math problems and then write the equations at the bottom of the sheet.  Older students may be given more difficult problems.

Other Lesson Ideas

1. Use the internet or books to find out how much different species of monkeys weigh.  Find objects in the classroom that weigh the same amount.  Organize the species from lightest to heaviest.

2. Give the students the Monkey Manipulatives worksheet and have them cut them out and color them to form different patterns.  They may glue their patterns on to long strips of paper.