Lesson 14

The purpose of this warm-up is for students to experience part of the Questions About Us routine. Students continue to engage in this routine throughout the section, focused on answering, “How many of us are here today?” In this activity, students develop ideas for how to represent how many students are here today. Student ideas should drive which representation is created. Representing their classmates with drawings helps students to move toward an abstract representation of objects and, eventually later in the year, a written number (MP2).

• Display a blank poster.
• “How can we show how many of us are here today?”
• 30 seconds: quiet think time
• 30 seconds: partner discussion
• Share responses.
• Monitor for students who suggest drawing a stick figure of each student or writing each student’s name. 
• Draw a stick figure for each student or write each student’s name. 

• “How can we figure out how many of us are here?” (We can count each person. We can count each stick figure or name.)
• Count each student. 
• “How many of us are here today?”
• Count each name or stick figure. 
• “How many of us are here today?”

• “What did we do to show each student in our class?”

The purpose of this activity is for students to count their collection in a way that makes sense to them and say the last number counted when asked “how many” (cardinality). Initially when asked “how many”, students may recount the collection of objects. As students develop an understanding that the last number said tells the number of objects counted, they no longer have to recount and can instead answer “how many” by restating the last number. Students are provided with counting mats and 5-frames to help them accurately count or organize their collections. Students use appropriate tools strategically as they choose which tools help them count their collections (MP5).

Additional collections can be provided to allow students to choose a new collection to count.

• Groups of 2

• Give each student a bag of objects. Give students access to 5-frames and a counting mat. 
• “Figure out how many objects are in your collection.”
• 2 minutes: independent work time
• “Switch collections with a partner. Figure out how many objects are in your new collection.”
• 2 minutes: independent work time
• “Ask your partner ‘How many objects are in your collection?’”
• 2 minutes: partner discussion

If students recount the group of objects when asked “how many?”, consider asking:

• “Can you tell me how many objects there are without counting them again?”

• Invite a student to demonstrate how they counted their collection.
• “How many objects are in _____’s collection? How do you know?” (There are _____ objects. I know because that’s the last number they said.)
• If needed, “The last number we say when we count tells us how many objects there are.”
• After each student shares, write or display the number and say, “There are _____ objects in their collection.”

The purpose of this optional activity is for students to use an egg carton as a tool to help them match one object with one number. Based on formative assessment data from previous sections and observation during the first activity, this activity will be helpful for students who are not yet matching each object with one and only one number. If egg cartons are not available, the blackline master can be provided to students. Other items with clear sections such as muffin tins can be used. This activity also serves as further formative assessment on students’ counting concepts, including one-to-one correspondence, keeping track of objects that have been counted, and understanding that the last number tells us “how many.” The egg-carton helps students see the importance of counting each object exactly once in order to get an accurate count (MP6).

This activity can be used with a small-group or the whole class. Students who do not need this optional activity may benefit from additional time working in centers.

• Display an egg carton and a collection of 6–10 objects.
• “How can the egg carton help us make sure that we say one number for each object while we count?”
• 30 seconds: quiet think time
• Share responses.

• Give each student a bag of 6–10 cubes and an egg carton. 
• “Use the egg carton to figure out how many objects are in your collection.”
• 2 minutes: independent work time
• As students count, monitor for students who say one number as they put each object into a section of the egg carton.

If students say more than one number for each object, give them larger objects to count. Demonstrate counting slowly and using an exaggerated gesture while counting each object.

• Invite previously identified students to demonstrate how they used the egg carton to count their collection.
• “Take turns counting your collection with your partner. As you place each object in the egg carton, your partner says one number.”
• 2 minutes: partner work time
• If needed, “When we count, we say 1 number for each object.”

The purpose of this activity is for students to learn what’s required for stage 3 of the Connecting Cubes center. Students use a specified number of each color of connecting cube to build with. While the written number is provided, students can use the images to determine how many connecting cubes they need. For example, 4 blue connecting cubes are pictured next to the number “4”. Students can place blue connecting cubes on top of the connecting cubes in the picture to determine how many they need. Students may also count to determine how many connecting cubes they need.

The blackline master for this center will be used again in future lessons. Consider laminating the copies of them or placing them in sheet protectors.

After they participate in the center, students choose from any stage of previously introduced centers.

• Connecting Cubes
• Pattern Blocks
• Geoblocks
• Picture Books

• Gather materials from:
  • Connecting Cubes, Stages 1 and 2
  • Pattern Blocks, Stages 1, 2, and 3
  • Geoblocks, Stages 1 and 2
  • Picture Books, Stages 1 and 2

• Groups of 2
• Display the student book.
• “What do you notice? What do you wonder?”
• 30 seconds: quiet think time
• 1 minute: partner discussion
• Share and record responses.
• Give each group of students connecting cubes.
• “This page shows me which connecting cubes I need. Work with your partner to take out all of the connecting cubes that you need.”
• 3 minutes: partner work time
• Monitor for students who place connecting cubes on top of the images to determine how many connecting cubes they need.
• Invite previously identified students to share how they determined how many connecting cubes they needed.
• “Now you can use your connecting cubes to create whatever you’d like. You can make an animal or a tower or something else.”
• 4 minutes: partner work time

• “Now you can choose another center. You can also choose to continue working with Connecting Cubes.”
• If students choose to continue with Connecting Cubes, give them a copy of the blackline master with more connecting cubes they can get and build with.
• Display the center choices in the student book.
• Invite students to work at the center of their choice. 
• 10 minutes: center work time
• If there is time, invite students to choose another center.

• Invite two students to share what they built with connecting cubes.
• “Tell your partner what is the same about what ______ and ______ made.”