Growth Point 3
Counting Growth Points activities
The tasks listed on the following pages are rich tasks from various sources that may be used with multi-level groups or students who are working at a particular level.
3. Counting by 1s (forward/backward, including variable starting points; more/less)
Counts forwards and backwards from various starting points between 1 and 100; knows numbers before and after a given number.
Dot to dots
Materials: Regular, commercially available dot-to-dot pictures (can have numbers altered to be counting by 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s).
Activity: Beginning from a variety of starting numbers other than one, students connect up the dots to make a picture. Similarly they can be used to count backwards by ones, beginning from any number up to 100.
Related key ideas: Number word sequence.
Variation: Count forwards or backwards by 2s , 5s, 10s.
Who am I?
Materials: Set of cards, in counting order from 1 to 28 (or otherwise), one for each student .
Activity: Teacher randomly selects a number from 1 to 28 and gives a simple statement such as ‘I am one less than 22. Who am I?’ The student then responds, ‘I am 21’ and moves to the front of the class. Teacher follows with ‘I am the number after 14’. The student responds with ‘I am 15’ and then places themselves in an appropriate position to the left of Student 21. At the conclusion of the session, all of the students should be in numerical order across the room.
Related key ideas: Quantity, stable-order principle, number word sequence.
Up and down ladder
Materials: Worksheet with vertical ladder, numbered from 1 to 50, with 25 as the start position, spinner with the sections marked as + 1, + 2, + 3, – 1, – 2, – 3.
Activity: Each student places a counter on the start at 25. They then take turns to spin and move their counter either up or down the ladder accordingly. The first to reach either 1 or 50 wins.
Related key ideas: Stable-order principle, cardinality principle.
Marble count
Materials: Tin, marbles (or other small, heavy objects).
Activity: Ask the students to close their eyes and listen as each marble drops into the tin, counting silently to themselves as they go. When the teacher stops dropping marbles, ask students to volunteer the number that they had counted. To check the answer, the whole class can count aloud as they are dropped again.
Related key ideas: Quantity, one-to-one principle, cardinality principle.
Variation: Begin with a number of marbles already in the tin, to allow students practice at not always starting from zero.
Missing numbers
Materials: Worksheet.
Activity: Students complete the worksheet by filling in the numbers that are missing.
Related key ideas: Stable-order principle.
Variation: To introduce this activity, use a 1 to 100 number chart with numbers removed and ask students to identify the numbers that are missing. Encourage strategies such as ‘Check by looking at the number before or after the one that is missing’. Discussion could also follow about the patterns in the vertical columns and how this might be useful as well.
Footy finals
Materials: Four coloured counters in a cloth bag, one representing each football team, a dice with faces + 1, + 1, – 1, – 1, 0, 0.
Activity: Working in groups of four, students are the ‘coach’ of four ‘football’ teams, such as the Red Ravens, Blue Budgies, Green Galahs and Yellow Cockatoos. They have all have made the finals, and need to play one another to find the premiership team. Each team begins with a score of 10 points, and each student is the coach for one of these teams.
To simulate each finals game, the student draws a counter from the bag and plays the other team represented by the coloured counter.
The student then rolls the dice to determine the outcome of the game. If + 1 is rolled, their team wins and scores one point, while the opposition loses a point. Similarly if the dice rolls – 1, the player’s team loses and they must subtract a point while the opposition adds one. A roll of 0 represents a draw, with no points are scored by either team. Counters are replaced after each draw.
Note that if the student draws their own team’s counter, this is considered to be a bye and they lose their turn. For instance, if the ‘coach’ of the Red Ravens draws a green counter, their team is playing the Green Galahs.
The student rolls +1 so Red Ravens wins and gets a point, while the Green Galahs lose a point. First team to score 20 points wins the premiership.
Related key ideas: Quantity, stable-order principle.
Variation: Consider the students who could work with negative numbers.