Once upon a time, there were two siblings named Emma and Jack. They lived in a cozy house with a big, sunny backyard where they loved to play. One sunny afternoon, their parents decided to surprise them with a special game: a treasure hunt for chocolate gold coins hidden all over the yard.

Excitedly, Emma and Jack grabbed their baskets and ran outside. Their parents gave them one simple rule: "Collect as many chocolate gold coins as you can find and bring them back to count and share fairly between the two of you."

Emma, the older sister, was very good at spotting shiny things. She searched under the bushes, behind the flower pots, and even inside the little birdhouse. After a while, she found four chocolate gold coins. She held them up proudly, showing them to Jack.

Jack, the younger brother, was a bit smaller but just as determined. He looked in the tall grass, under the garden gnome, and inside the old tree stump. It took some time, but eventually, he found three chocolate gold coins. He was thrilled and couldn't wait to show Emma.

When they finished searching, they went back inside to their parents, who were waiting at the kitchen table. Emma placed her four coins on the table, and Jack added his three coins next to hers. Together, they looked at the small pile of shiny, delicious-looking chocolate gold coins.

Their parents smiled and asked, "How many chocolate gold coins did you find altogether?"

To help them work it out, let's use some loose items from around the house, like buttons, bottle caps, or small toys, to represent the coins.

How did you model the story using the loose items?

How did you combine the two quantities to find the total quantity?

Now, let's think about how to share the coins fairly between Emma and Jack.

How would you share the 7 coins fairly between the two siblings?

What do you think would happen when you try to divide 7 coins equally?

Emma's Coins: Take four items (like buttons) and place them in a row.

Jack's Coins: Take three more items and place them next to Emma's row of items.

Count Altogether: Now, count all the items together to see how many coins there are in total.

Let's count:

1, 2, 3, 4 (Emma's coins), 5, 6, 7 (Jack's coins).

Emma and Jack found a total of 7 chocolate gold coins altogether.

Their parents then revealed a surprise. "You know," their mother said, "I think there might be one more coin hiding in the yard. Why don't you go and see if you can find it?"

Emma and Jack ran back outside and, after a short search, found one more chocolate gold coin under the big oak tree. They added this coin to their collection, making the total number of coins 8.

There are 12 students and 2 tables in the classroom. What are the possible seating arrangements for the students using both tables?

I want you to explore the possible solutions to the problem by using the chairs and tables, or by drawing their ideas

What have you discovered?

How are you showing your thinking?