Math lesson plan · Kindergarten (Reception and Year 1 in England) · 30 minutes
Sort, count and compare groups
Statistics and probability
CCSS K.MD.B.3England: Reception Number
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Sort, count and compare groups.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Sort things: which one does not belong?; Count pictures from 6 to 10
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Squared paper for charts, Class survey data, Sticky notes for a live chart, Mini whiteboards and pens, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Sort things: which one does not belong?; Count pictures from 6 to 10). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which one does not belong? train, bike, cat, boat (train / bike / cat / boat) → catPrompt: What do most of them have in common?
- How many dots are there? ● ● ● ● ● ● → 6Prompt: The top line has 5. Start at 5 and keep counting.
- Sort these into animals and fruit: banana, cherry, cherry, horse, plum, sheep. How many are animals? → 2Prompt: Go through the list one at a time.
Hook · 3 min
- Take a quick class survey (favorite fruit, travel to school) and ask what the results tell us.
- Share the objective: Sort, count and compare groups. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Sort the shapes. Which kind is there the most of? ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ♥ ■ ■ ▲ ■ ■ ▲ ♥
- Step 1: ▲: 6, ♥: 2, ■: 4
- Step 2: ▲
- Answer: ▲
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Sort the shapes. Which kind is there the most of? ▲ ● ● ■ ▲ ● ▲ ▲ ● ▲ ▲ (▲ / ■ / ●) → ▲Prompt: Count each kind of shape separately.
- How many more ★ than ● are there? ★ ● ★ ● ★ ● ● ● ★ ★ ★ ★ ● → 1Prompt: Count each kind first.
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- How many more ▲ than ■ are there? ▲ ▲ ▲ ■ ▲ → 3Prompt: Count each kind first.
- Sort the shapes. Which kind is there the fewest of? ◆ ◆ ★ ♥ ◆ ◆ ★ ★ ◆ (◆ / ♥ / ★) → ♥Prompt: Count each kind of shape separately.
Watch out for
- Forgetting to put data in order before finding the median.
- Reading a bar's height wrongly when the scale goes up in 2s or 5s.
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Sort things: which one does not belong?.
- Use concrete materials: squared paper for charts.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/math/kindergarten.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder