We can determine quantity without counting by seeing small collections at a glance.
The same quantity can be arranged in different ways without changing the total in the collection.
Each pair
A collection of counters
A 6-sided die with the numbers 9-14 marked on it
Each student
Rolling Handfuls Student sheet
Build
Reflect on the previous lesson and the different ways that students arranged their handfuls to make it easy to see how many items they had.
Show students how to play Rolling Handfuls in pairs:
- Students take turns rolling a die with the numbers 9-14 marked on it.
- Both students collect the number of counters shown on the die. These are their ‘handfuls’.
- Each student arranges their collection to make it easy to see how many counters there are altogether.
- Students compare their arrangements. They look at how the arrangements are similar and different, and make sure that both arrangements have the same number of counters.
- Students record the two different ways of arranging the handfuls on their student sheet. If they both arranged the counters the same way, they only record the arrangement once.
Learning Goal
Through this simple activity, students continue to explore ways of arranging collections so that it is easy to see how many there are without needing to count. They also see that different arrangements can be used for the same quantity, and, while these arrangements may look different, they are equivalent in value.
Through this simple activity, students continue to explore ways of arranging collections so that it is easy to see how many there are without needing to count. They also see that different arrangements can be used for the same quantity, and, while these arrangements may look different, they are equivalent in value.