Mathematics

Activity 1: I'm here!

In this activity, students will explore a variety of ways to record their arrival at class each morning. They help to establish the one-to-one correspondence central to the counting process. Parents are encouraged to be involved.

Task 1: First, second, third ...

1. Prepare a wall chart with columns for numbers and students' names.
2. Lay out a set of number cards in order on a table or on the floor. The set should consist of the numbers from 1 to the number of students in the class.
3. Ask students to take the next number in order as they arrive and place it on a wall chart next to their own name.
4. The chart is not only a record of attendance, but can also be used as a stimulus for mathematical conversations during the day.
5. Questions to ask the class:
   • who was here first?
   • Who was the fifth one here?
   • What is Thom's number today?
   • How many children are in class today?
   • How do we know?
   • Who's not here today?

Task 2: How many?

1. Do this activity again at the beginning of a lesson when students are returning to class.
2. As each child arrives they take an item from a container to place:
   • in another container
   • in a line
   • on a grid.
3. Ask students: Does it matter what colour the item is?

Activity 2: Recognising number representations

In this activity the representations of numbers could be a mixture of number names, numerals, tally marks, die faces, figurate numbers, ordinal numbers, number representations from different cultures and number names from different languages.

Recognising number representations

1. Prepare sets of cards showing different representations of numbers from 1 to the number of children in the class.
2. Care needs to be taken when using sets that donʼt naturally go up to the number of students in the class; for example, dice and playing cards.
3. Ask students to take the next number in order as they arrive and place it on a wall chart next to their own name.

Find your mate matching number representations

1. Set up small groups for classroom activities to reinforce understanding that the same number can be represented in different ways. For example, to create five groups of four students for an activity, prepare card sets with numbers represented in different ways such as pictures of people, animals or objects in a variety of number groupings (as shown).
2. Sets may be made with the numbers from 1 to 5, or selected numbers from a greater range, for example: 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10.
3. Students then find the other people in the class with the matching number to form their groups. Students must be familiar with the number representations used.
4. Asian numbers can also be used. The example below shows the numbers for Indonesian, Japanese and Chinese. These would be suitable for students learning languages.

Tally marks

Arabic numerals	Tally marks (English)	Tally marks (Japanese)	Chinese & Japanese numbers
1			一
2			二
3			三
4			四
5			五
6			六
7			七
8			八
9			九
10			十

How do you write and say the numbers 1 - 10 in Japanese?

* For correct pronunciation refer to Fun counting on YouTube featuring a rap song counting from 1–20.

Practising numbers from different countries

*For correct pronunciation see useful websites under References.

Activity 3: Getting to know numbers

This activity assists students to develop a sense of numbers and their representations and show how numbers can be used and where they occur.

This activity is best represented in the classroom as a large collaboratively created wall chart or display. The purpose of the wall chart is to familiarise students with different representations and uses of numbers, different number names, meanings and contexts, and places in which numbers are found, such as in story books, nursery rhymes and price labels.

Different number representations

Stimulate student thinking about any number and its uses by exploring the number 3.

1. Show students the enlarged Get to know three (on the right) or create a similar chart and display it on the wall. Provide students with their own copy for reference.
2. Create a similar template for students to complete for Get to know 4, Get to know 5 and other numbers.
3. This can be a class project with students contributing ideas, artefacts and drawings.
4. Students choose the next theme number. There is no need for the numbers to be developed in order or sequence.
5. Add to and maintain the display for a particular number for a period of time, such as for two or three weeks.
6. Encourage students to add to the collection of materials that have a connection with each number. They could find and cut out pictures representing numbers from magazines.
7. Draw on the different cultural backgrounds and resources of the students to make a richly multicultural display.

Task 2: Variations

1. Add new areas of investigation as students become confident with the focus number. For example, make $3 using $1, $2, 50, 20 and 10 cent coins or make a word problem that has 3 as the answer.
2. When changing the focus number, make an A4-sized version of the display to share with students before removing it. Collection of material for another number can begin at any time.
3. Students may choose alternative names for the collection, such as 'Making friends with 3' or 'Go three!'
4. A big display is beautiful, eye-catching and engaging, so make the display oversized and colourful.
5. Make a class big book of your Get to know collections.

Activity 4: Count along

This activity develops students' counting skills through stories which provide an enjoyable context for learning.

Task 1: Two of everything

Two of Everything is a humorous Chinese folktale with a bit of wisdom, written by Lily Toy Hong and published by Albert Whitman & Company, Morton Grove, Illinois in 1993.

It may be used to stimulate discussions about pairs of objects and doubling, which have links with counting and the development of number language.

Synopsis: Old Mr Haktak finds a large brass pot while digging in his garden. He and his wife discover that the pot has magical powers and doubles everything that falls into it.

1. Explain to the class that you will be reading them a folk tale that comes from China.
2. Show the students where China is on a map of Asia.
3. Display the cover of the story book, Two of Everything, and ask students to describe what they see. Ask them to think about the images and predict what the story might be about.
4. Read the story to the class and discuss why the brass pot was 'magic'.
5. Discuss what the main theme of the story is about. Ask students if they know of other stories with a similar theme; for example, The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
6. Discuss whether they would like to have a 'magic pot' and ask students to give reasons for their answers.
7. Place a 'magic pot' in front of the students. For example this may be a metal pot, a basket or a decorated cardboard box.
8. Ask students to collect identical pairs of objects in the classroom but explain that they must not tell anyone what they have collected.
9. Each student then tells a story about what happens when one of the pair is placed in the 'magic pot'. They conclude their story by revealing the identical pair. It is important to make sure that each pair of objects is identical in regard to colour, shape and other features so there is an element of class self-correction in the activity.

Task 2: Variations

1. Ask students 'What would happen if ...?' questions. For example: What would happen if ...
   • I dropped a red cube into the pot
   • I dropped two marbles into the pot
   • I dropped four 10 cent coins into the pot?
2. Add new investigations into doubling options as your students become more confident. For example:
   • What happens if I drop $1 in the pot and keep returning the money to the pot? For example: $1 becomes $2, $2 becomes $4 and so on.
   • How many times would I have to keep returning the money to the pot to have more than $10? ... $20? ... $100?