Lesson 1

Count and Add

Lesson Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is for students to count objects and relate counting to addition. 

Lesson Narrative

Students revisit counting collections, which is an activity introduced in kindergarten. Students count and represent objects in a way that makes sense to them. Students then count dots on two dot cubes to find the total. Together, they relate counting to addition, as the teacher writes expressions to represent the total number of dots on the two cubes (MP2). A 10-frame is provided as a blackline master. Students used 10-frames in kindergarten and may choose to use them throughout this section. Consider making copies on cardstock or laminating them so they can be used repeatedly.

Throughout the lesson, observe students for the look fors on the Section A Checkpoint Assessment, which can be used throughout the section.

Math Community

In the lesson synthesis, students discuss  what it means to be a part of a mathematical community. Prepare a space, such as a piece of poster paper, titled “Math Community”​ ​and a T-chart with the header “Doing Math.”​ ​Partition the column into two sections: students and teacher.

Math Community Chart
  • Engagement
  • MLR8

Learning Goals

Teacher Facing

  • Count and represent a collection of objects.
  • Relate counting to addition.

Student Facing

  • Let’s count objects.

Required Materials

Materials to Gather

Materials to Copy

  • Number Race Stage 3 Gameboard
  • Counting Collections Stages 1 and 2 Recording Sheet
  • 10-Frame Standard

Required Preparation

Activity 1:

  • Create one collection of up to 20 objects such as buttons, counters, connecting cubes, paper clips, square tiles for each group of 2.

CCSS Standards

Building On

Addressing

Building Towards

Lesson Timeline

Warm-up 10 min
Activity 1 20 min
Activity 2 20 min
Lesson Synthesis 10 min
Cool-down 0 min

Teacher Reflection Questions

Reflect on the tone in the classroom during the first lesson of the year. How are you feeling about teaching math, and how are your students feeling about participating in the mathematics this year? How can you tell?

Print Formatted Materials

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Additional Resources

Google Slides

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PowerPoint Slides

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