TITLE:    Introducing Addition

(Variation of activity 7.2 in Chapter 7 of Math Text)
 

CONTENT  AREAS:    Math Addition
 

GRADE  LEVEL:    1^st Grade
 

MATERIALS   NEEDED: 

• So Many Cats by Beatrice Schneck de Regniers
• Pictures of cats

KEY   CONCEPTS:  Addition 

EALR'S (Make the connections clear and specific):

1.1  Use pictures to demonstrate understanding of whole numbers.

Show understanding of whole number operations.

Identify, compare, and order whole numbers.

Use mental arithmetic, pencil and paper as appropriate to task involving whole numbers.

GOALS (Remember the difference between goals and objectives): 

• Introduce the concept of addition through a story.
   

OBJECTIVES:

After listening to the story, students will:

• Represent the number of new cats by putting cat pictures in the chalk tray each time more are added.
• Recognize that addition is the progressive accumulation of a given object
• Be introduced to the + and = sign as different phases of the story are discussed, but no formal instruction yet. Just introduction to seeing the formal representation.

PROCEDURES:  (Label each step in the process:  Activating Prior Knowledge, Disequilibrium, Elaboration, Crystallization)

• Introduction/Preassessment  (Activating Prior Knowledge)
• Today we’re going to read a story about cats and learn about addition.
• Do any of you have pets?
• Does anyone have cats?
• Who can tell me what addition means?
• Any variation of:                                                                            “Addition is the action of joining two or more sets.”

·        Activity 1 (10 min)

o       Pass out sheet of 12 cats to each student with scissors and glue stick.

o       Have students paste a picture of a cat on each card.

o       Have students put them neatly in a pile in front of them on their desk.

o       Tell them I’m going to read the story through once for meaning, then I’m going to read through it again and students will be asked to participate.

o       Read story. (5 min)

·        Activity 2  (15 min) (Disequilibrium, Elaboration)

o       Listen to the story to understand the concept of joining sets of objects together in daily life.

o       As cats are added in the story, students will put a cat card in the chalk tray of the board.

o       Teacher will write a number sentence for some of the additions just to get the students accustomed to seeing what an addition problem looks like. Formal instruction about terms and number sentences will be added each day during the week. (The beginning of disequilibrium as new information is being introduced

.

·        Closure(5 min) (Disequilibrium, Elaboration)

o       What happened with the cats in the story? (More were added)

o       Who can tell me what addition means? (Any variation of: Addition is the action of joining two or more sets.)

·        POST-ASSESSMENT  (Crystallization)

o       Students will get into pairs and invent new stories about cats that arrive and leave.

o       Have some pairs tell their stories, and I’ll ask them to tell me what number sentence I could write on the board to show what happened (to assess their understanding of the concept of addition and to see how many actually are getting familiar with what a number sentence is, and what the + and = sign are).

o       In Language Arts, students will each write and/or draw a short story about cats coming or leaving. These stories will then be written as number sentences during the introduction of next Math class.