Comparing More Than, Less Than, Same: Representational Level

More Teaching Plans on this topic: Concrete

PHASE 1: Initial Acquisition of Skill

Teach Skill with Authentic Context

Description: In this lesson toys and items from manipulative tubs are used since children are familiar with toys and the manipulative tubs and are familiar with looking at pictures of their toys in books and catalogs.

Build Meaningful Student Connections

Purpose: to assist students to build meaningful connections between what they have experienced using toys and other concrete objects to identify and make groups that show more than, less than, and same, and using drawings and pictures to represent the concept.

* The following description is an example of how you might implement this instructional strategy for Learning Objective 1. A similar process can be used for the other learning objectives in this plan.

Learning Objective 1: Identify if a given group of concrete objects has more than, less than, or the same number of objects when compared to a group of representations of concrete objects

Materials:

Teacher -

• Counting Blocks,
• Picture of train of counting blocks
• Counting links
• Picture of pattern of links
• Models of cookies used in concrete lesson

Description:

1) L ink to students' prior knowledge of sharing and comparing groups of toys. Provide visual examples of the cookies or other concrete items used to make groups in the previous lesson.

For Example:

As we play with toys at home or here at school, we sometimes need to decide how many we need. If we are building a long train with blocks, our train might need more blocks (show a picture of a train and, demonstrate adding more blocks to a train to make it longer than the picture). If you are making a chain of links, you might choose less of one color than another to create a pattern (show links and picture of pattern made from links, demonstrate adding less of one color). We often compare two groups, just like we compared the cookies that Lucy and Marcus had. (Show display from concrete lesson.) At first, Marcus had less cookies than Lucy, then Marcus had more cookies than Lucy, and finally Marcus had the same number of cookies as Lucy.

2) I dentify the skill students will learn: Use pictures, stamps, and drawings to compare groups.

For Example:

Today we will learn to make groups that show more than, less than, and the same by using drawings and pictures.

3) P rovide rationale/meaning for comparing more than, less than, same.

For Example:

When we make groups that show more, less, or the same it can help us when we make patterns when we count.

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Provide Explicit Teacher Modeling

Purpose: to provide students a clear teacher model of how to use drawings, pictures, and other representations of concrete objects to identify and make groups that show the same as, less than or more than a given group.

Learning Objective 1: Identify if a given group of objects has more than, less than, or the same number when compared to a group of representations of objects.

Materials:

Teacher -

• Objects (blocks, balls, counting bears, stuffed animals, trucks, cookie models),
• Pictures, drawings and stamps of objects,
• Crayons/markers for dots and tally marks,
• White board or other board to display groups and write on

Description:

A. Break down the skill of identifying if a given group of objects has more than, less than, or the same number when compared to a group of representations of objects.

1) Count items in both groups using tally marks.

2) Match the items in first group to the items in second group.

3) Count and check using tally marks.

Learning Objective 2: Identify if a given group of representations has more than, less than, or the same number when compared to another group of representations of objects.

Materials:

Teacher -

• Pictures, drawings and/or stamps of trucks and blocks (or other toys)
• Crayons/markers for dots and tally marks,
• White board

Description:

A. Break down the skill of identifying if a given group of representations has more than, less than, or the same number when compared to another group of representations of objects.

1) Count items in both groups using tally marks.

2) Match the items in first group to the items in second group .

3) Count and check using tally marks.

Learning Objective 3: Create a group with more than, less than, or the same number of representations as a given group of representations.

Materials:

Teacher -

• Pictures, drawings, or stamps of cookies
  Crayons/markers for dots and tally marks,
  White board or other visual display

Description:

A. Break down the skill of creating a group with more than, less than, or the same number of representations as a given group of representations.

1) Count items in first group.

2) Make a second group.

3) Count items in both groups.

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Scaffold Instruction

Purpose: to provide students an opportunity to build their initial understanding of how to identify and make groups that show the same as, more than, or less than a given group of objects using representations of objects and to provide you the opportunity to evaluate your students' level of understanding after you have initially modeled this skill.

*Scaffolding at the representational/drawing level of instruction should occur using the same process as scaffolding instruction at the concrete level of instruction (See the description of Scaffolding Instruction for "Identify if a given group of objects has more than, less than, or the same number of objects when compared to another group of objects" in the Concrete Level Instructional Plan). The steps used during Explicit Teacher Modeling should be used as structure for scaffolding your instruction.

Materials:

• Dependent on the skill (See materials listed for the specific skill under Explicit Teacher Modeling).

Description:

1. Scaffold instruction using a high level of teacher direction/support (*Dependent on the needs of your students, you may want to continue to associate concrete materials with drawings at this level as described under Explicit Teacher Modeling.) *Move to the next phase of scaffolding only when students demonstrate understanding and ability to respond accurately to your prompts.

2. Scaffold instruction using a medium level of teacher direction/support (*If you associated concrete materials with drawings while scaffolding using a high level of teacher direction/support, then do not include concrete materials during this phase of scaffolding). *Move to the next phase of scaffolding only when students demonstrate understanding and ability to respond accurately to your prompts.

3. Scaffold instruction using a low level of teacher direction/support (*Students should actually draw as you prompt during this phase of Scaffolding Instruction.). *Move students to independent practice of the skill only after they demonstrate the ability to perform the skill with limited prompting from you.

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Videos

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