LESSON PLAN

Title/topic: Halloween Hunt Using Manipulatives to create and solve number sentences from story
problems.

Grade level & Subject: First Grade Math

Background of School & Students: Students attend school in Glastonbury, CT, a suburban town.
There are 17 students in the class. The math lesson will take place after literacy stations, just before
lunch. The math lesson lasts one hour. At this time of day, students are typically tired, as they do not
have lunch or a break until 12:20.

There is a special ed para in the room at all times for one student, Joey, who has behavioral issues.
This student has trouble controlling his emotions, but is not a disturbance to the class when with the
para. He works well when working with the para.

There is another student, Chris, in the class who has not yet qualified for special ed, but is well-
behind grade-level. This student works when prompted by a teacher, or when given teacher support.

Curricular context (unit, relevant content preceding, concurrent with, or following):

Every Wednesday, the students work on problem-solving skills. Students have previously learned
how to form and solve number sentences within 10, using strategies such as count-on. They have
done this only given numbers, and not story problems.

Standards (Common Core State Standards [CCSSM]):

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.A.1 Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word
problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together by using objects
and equations
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.A.2 Solve world problems that call for addition of three (two)
whole numbers whose sum is less than or equal to 20 by using objects and equations
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.C.6 Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for
addition and subtraction within 10

CCSS Mathematical Practices:

MP1 - Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them students will read a word
problem and use manipulatives to help them solve it
MP2 - Reason quantitatively students will work with addition and subtraction problems
MP4 - Model with mathematics students will use models such as manipulatives and
student volunteers
MP5 - Use appropriate tools strategically students will make use of tools to model their
word problems
MP6 - Attend to Precision students will be precise when solving their number problems and
counting out unifix cubes to solve the problems
MP7 - Look for and make use of structure students will use the structure of addition and
subtraction number sentences

Content Objective(s):
1. SWBAT use manipulatives to represent numbers in story problems for addition and
subtraction within 20.
2. SWBAT write a number sentence for a story problem for addition and subtraction within 20.
3. SWBAT solve a number sentence using manipulatives for addition and subtraction problems
 within 20.
Language Objective(s):
1. SWBAT use key vocabulary to accurately explain how and why they are using manipulatives
to represent number sentences or story problems.
2. Students will use the language frame:
a. I know that the number sentence is _______ because __________.
Key Vocabulary with Definition(s):
Addition bringing two (or more) amounts together to make a new amount
Subtraction taking an amount of something away from the total/original amount to make a
new amount
Equals the same as
Manipulatives objects that we can use to represent items in story problems

Materials:
Halloween Hunt worksheet
10 Story problems pre-cut out placed in bags at each station
pencil
unifix cubes (manipulatives) placed at each station at least 20 at each station
o 10 up front with the teacher to demonstrate the whole-class problem
glue sticks placed at each station
bins numbered 1-10 to place each stations materials in
3 large images of ghosts
4 large images of pumpkins

Learning Activities
Initiation:
1. Students will be working in their literacy stations. There is a timer set that goes off when it
has one minute left. The students know to begin cleaning up their stations at that one minute
mark, and are expected to be cleaned up fully when the timer actually goes off. During this
time, I will announce that the students should meet on the carpet in their pre-assigned carpet
seats for the math lesson.
2. When the students are in their assigned seats, I will use a strategy bring their attention
towards me. This strategy is to say voices, to which the students know to respond with
shhh. Each time this is done, I say thats once or thats twice etc. until all of the
students are focused on me.
3. I will explain to the students that today, they will be working on building more problem
solving strategies so that they can independently work on finding solutions to problems.
Many times, addition and subtraction problems are not just presented as numbers, but are
presented as real life scenarios. We call these word problems or story problems.
a. Ask the students if they have worked with a word or story problem before. Who can
explain what it is?
b. What is an example of a story problem?
4. I will ask for 7 student volunteers (I will not tell the students how many students I am
choosing, as this will give away the solution to the word problem). Students will volunteer by
raising their hands. I will strategically choose student volunteers as a mix of students that
typically participate and students that do not typically participate. This will help every type of
 student feel included in the process. These 7 volunteers will stand up and move to the side of
the carpet.
5. I will present the students with the following portion of a word problem: Three children
went trick-or-treating dressed up as ghosts. I will then ask the students that remain seated
how we could represent this using our volunteers. I will show the students the three images of
ghosts, and ask what we can do with them to represent the students dressed up as ghosts.
Hopefully, the students will tell me that three of the volunteers should move to a different
portion of the classroom, and I will have those three ghosts move to the front of the carpet.
a. The first three students will be handed the three large images of ghosts.
b. If the students do not say that the images should be given to three students, I will say
so I have three ghosts and 3 students, how can these students represent the ghosts?
6. I will then present the students with the next part of the word problem: Four children dressed
up as pumpkins joined them to go trick-or-treating. Again, I will ask the students how the
remaining volunteers can represent these new children, showing them the four large pictures
of pumpkins. Hopefully the students will tell me that the remaining four volunteers should
join the first three volunteers at the front of the carpet.
a. The next four students will be handed the four large images of pumpkins.
b. If the students do not say that the images should be given to four students, I will again
say So I have four pumpkins, and four remaining students. How can they represent
the pumpkins?
7. I will then present the final portion of the word problem: How many children went trick-or-
treating all together?. I will ask students to turn and talk to discuss strategies that they could
use to find out how many students there are all together. When students are done in their pair
share, I will us an attention grabber such as one two three, eyes on me to regain their
attention. Students will then be given the opportunity to present their ideas to the class.
a. Students should present ideas such as to count the students standing at the front of the
class or to count on from the first three volunteers.
b. Students will answer the question with 7 children went trick-or-treating If this is
the case, then I will ask if students agree or disagree with this answer and why. If they
answer with something incorrect, I will also give the students the opportunity to agree
or disagree with their peers. They will do this by giving me a thumbs up if they agree
or a thumbs down if they disagree. I will call on a student with their thumb up or
down and ask them to explain.
8. I will explain to the students that this is called the acting it out strategy. I will then say now
wait a minute, can we have our friends act out every word problem we do? In the middle of
class, is it reasonable to have 10 of your friends get up to help you?
Lesson Development:
1. I will ask the students if they have any other idea as to how they can act out or represent the
story problem. Students will be given the opportunity to turn and talk about other strategies.
Some students will suggest to use objects instead of student volunteers.
2. I will bring out a box of unifix cubes, and say ok, lets test it out and see if it works the same
way using objects instead of our friends.
a. Using the same exact story problem, I will have the students walk me through using
the cubes to represent the children dressed as ghosts and the children dressed as
pumpkins.
b. I will ask the students how they can use the cubes in my hand to find out how many
children there are trick-or-treating total, and if they can count them the same way they
could count the student volunteers.
 c. When the students come to a consensus as to how to use the cubes (representing each
of the parts, and then combining them to make the whole, and then counting the
whole), I will begin the practice activity
3. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY (will take half an hour): For the independent/pair practice
activity, the students will complete a Halloween hunt of word problems placed around the
room. There are 10 word problems, 8 addition problems (within 10) and 2 challenge
subtraction problems. These will be previously cut out by the teacher and placed in bags at
each station. At the stations, the students will glue the word problem into one of the boxes on
the Halloween hunt worksheet. They will then use unifix cubes to act out the word problem,
and to write and solve the number sentence. There will be 8 groups of students, so two of the
stations will always be empty (accounting for the two challenge problems). At each pre-set-up
station will be a bin with the word problems and unifix cubes.
a. While the students are still seated on the carpet, I will hold up the worksheet that they
will complete. I will tell them that they will work in pairs and will travel around the
room completing the word problems and worksheet. I will specifically state that there
can only be one pair at each station, so when a group is ready to move on, they can
not go to a station that already has students at it. (I will make this fun by saying that
all the students are trying to complete the hunt, and if more than one group is working
at a station at a time, they will give the answers away. Theyre all Halloween
detectives!) I will also explicitly say that they cannot go to the same station twice.
i. I will have a worksheet at the front of the class with me, as well as one of the
pre-cut out word problems. I will demonstrate where the problem should be
glued by holding it up in front of the class. I will then indicate the pre-made
number sentence that they should fill in for the story problem.
b. I will explain that each group should try to complete three non-challenge problems,
before trying a challenge subtraction problem, which are the stations that have the red
bins. If they finish these four problems, they can flip the sheet over and keep working
on more problems.
c. TRANSITION: I will then send the students off in pre-determined pairs (these pairs
have been made based on skill level the students completed a pre-activity on the
material. During this, Mrs. Rose and I walked around the room and observed their
work, and asked them to explain what they were doing) I will send the two students
who need special accommodations off first with their para, so that they will have the
assistance they need. I will then send off the middle-level kids (who have been paired
strategically). I will then send off my high level kids.
i. The high-level students have been paired together because I will call them up
to me before sending them off to do their work. I will let these students know
that they have an extra challenge: to represent the word problems on their
worksheet in some other form eg. Drawings or part-part-whole diagrams.
d. During the activity, I will walk around and observe/help the students. I will monitor
that students are appropriately going to stations. I will ask students how and why they
are solving the problems in certain ways, and what strategies they are using.
Closure:
1. When the allotted time (half an hour) is up, I will allow the students to finish the problem that
they are working on, and then will ask them to join me again on the carpet. I will do this by
walking around to individual groups and telling them to finish what they are working on,
rather than creating a whole-class commotion. I will give the students the opportunity to
present their work to the class. I will do this by asking students who has a particular word
 problem that they found fun, interesting, or difficult. Students will be asked to raise their
hands, and when called on, will read the story problem they are thinking of. The other
students will then be asked if they completed that problem, and if so, what number sentence
they got. Students will have the chance to agree/disagree, explain why, and demonstrate with
the unifix cubes used from the beginning of the lesson. Multiple students will have the chance
to share their problems, and multiple students will have the chance to respond to them.
a. This allows the students to hear/be exposed to all of the word problems, even if they
did not get to them on their own.
b. Students who completed the challenge problems will have the opportunity to discuss
them with the class. Other students will be asked if they agree or disagree with the
processes and solutions.
c. Students who had difficulties will be given the chance to ask questions.

Opportunity to engage in Higher-order thinking (H.O.T.):

Students will work together in pairs to discuss different strategies.
Students will be asked if they agree with the thought processes and solutions that other
students have come up with.
Students will frequently be asked how and why they have completed something.
Differentiation:
Students are split up into pairs strategically based on their performance in a pre-activity. The low-
level students will work together with the help of a para. The typical students will be paired together
strategically for instance, the focused students will be paired with the unfocused students, the verbal
with the non-verbal, or students who are typically helpful with students who might need assistance.
Finally, the high-level students will be paired together and given an extra challenge to complete
during the hunt.
Assessment (Please identify the objectives being assessed by each assessment, e.g.,CO1,
LO1&2):
a. Student work will be collected Accuracy of number sentences and solutions will be
checked. (CO2, CO3)
b. Students will be observed during the practice activity, and will be asked to demonstrate their
used of the manipulatives or verbally explain their thought processes (CO1, CO3)

Selected SIOP Features Checklist (you may add others) Check off here & highlight in lesson plan
Preparation:
_x_ Content objectives
_x_ Language objectives
Comprehensible Input:
_x_ Clear explanation of academic tasks
_x_ Variety of techniques
Building Background:
_x_ Links to Background Experience
_x_ Links to Past Learning
_x_ Key vocabulary
Strategies:
_x_ Questions & tasks to promote H.O.T.
x Phrasing questions in multiple ways
x Providing students with think time

References (Include at least 2 sources for ideas used in the plan):

Mrs. Rose (Michelle Rose) Cooperating Teacher
Blog- Provided the ideas and template for the Halloween hunt exercise.
http://www.ayearofmanyfirsts.com/