Lesson 6
Look for Small Groups
Lesson Purpose
Lesson Narrative
This skill (subitizing) is essential to students’ number work. Students communicate how many there are by showing quantities on their fingers and saying number words (MP6). Although some students may count to determine how many, the focus of this lesson is on recognizing groups of objects without counting.
Students learn two new routines that will be used throughout the year to develop counting concepts. These routines will continue to be developed throughout the section and will be used across the year.
Throughout the section, observe students for the look-fors on the Unit 1, Sections A-D Checkpoint.
In the lesson synthesis, students practice saying the verbal count sequence to 10 in preparation for counting objects in an upcoming section. Add variety to the counting by adding movement. For example, students can count as they clap, stomp their feet, or jump.
- Representation
- MLR8
Learning Goals
Teacher Facing
- Recognize and name the number of objects or images in groups of up to 4 without counting.
Student Facing
- Let’s look for small groups of objects.
Required Materials
Materials to Gather
Required Preparation
Activity 3:
- Gather materials from:
- Connecting Cubes, Stages 1 and 2
- Pattern Blocks, Stages 1 and 2
- Geoblocks, Stages 1 and 2
- Picture Books, Stage 1
Lesson Timeline
| Warm-up | 10 min |
| Activity 1 | 10 min |
| Activity 2 | 10 min |
| Activity 3 | 25 min |
| Lesson Synthesis | 5 min |
| Cool-down | 0 min |
Teacher Reflection Questions
Think about who volunteered to share their thinking with the class today. Are the same students always volunteering, while some students never offer to share? What can you do to help the class understand the value of hearing the ideas of every mathematician?