Math lesson plan · Kindergarten (Reception and Year 1 in England) · 45 minutes
Zero means none
Number sense
CCSS K.CC.A.3England: Reception Number
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Zero means none.
- 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: Count pictures up to 5
Leads to: Adding and taking away zero
Materials: Place value chart, Base-ten blocks or a number line, Mini whiteboards and pens, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Count pictures up to 5). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- How many dots are there? ● ● ● → 3Prompt: Touch each one as you count it.
- Which number tells how many triangles? ▲ ▲ ▲ (4 / 5 / 2 / 3) → 3Prompt: Count them carefully, one at a time.
- Kwame counted these squares and said "4". Is Kwame right? ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ (Yes / No) → NoPrompt: Count the pictures yourself first.
Hook · 5 min
- Show a number in the news or a price tag and ask what each digit is worth.
- Share the objective: Zero means none. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: There were 4 leaves in a bowl. Aisha took all 4 of them out. How many leaves are in the bowl now?
- Step 1: 4 − 4 = 0
- Step 2: There are 0 left.
- Answer: 0
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- There were 3 shells in a bowl. Zoe took all 3 of them out. How many shells are in the bowl now? → 0Prompt: All of them were taken out.
- Box A has 4 strawberries, box B has 0 and box C has 3. Which box is empty? (A / B / C) → BPrompt: Empty means nothing inside.
You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- 4 − 4 = ? → 0Prompt: Start with 4 and take all 4 away.
- Box A has 6 buttons, box B has 0 and box C has 2. Which box is empty? (A / B / C) → BPrompt: Empty means nothing inside.
Watch out for
- Reading 1,045 as one thousand four hundred five: point to each place and say its value.
- Thinking a longer number is always bigger, even with decimals (0.45 vs 0.5).
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Count pictures up to 5.
- Use concrete materials: place value chart.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Adding and taking away zero.
- 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