Foundation

Number: Taking handfuls

Students learn to use subitisable groups and benchmark numbers to quantify and compare collections up to 20.

'Number: Taking handfuls' is one of our new teaching sequences for V9

  • On the 'Sequence overview' tab you'll find all the tasks in this sequence, a suggested implementation plan and curriculum alignment.
  • The 'Our design decisions' tab shows how key mathematical ideas develop over the sequence, and feature an overview video to explain the sequence design.
  • Have you taught this sequence? Use the Feedback button to let us know how it went!

Tasks in this sequence

Foundation

Task 1 • How big is a handful?

Students learn that there are some ways of arranging items in a collection to make it easy to see the total number of items.

Task 1
Number: Taking handfuls
Foundation

Task 2 • Rolling Handfuls

A short dice-rolling game builds students’ understanding that the same quantity can be arranged in different ways without changing the total.

Task 2
Number: Taking handfuls
Build
Student using counters
Foundation

Task 3 • Comparing handfuls

Students learn that common units are needed to easily compare and order different quantities.

Task 3
Number: Taking handfuls
Foundation

Task 4 • Towers of 5

Students build their ability to use benchmark numbers to quantify and compare collections.

Task 4
Number: Taking handfuls
Build
Student using counters
Foundation

Task 5 • Using 10

Students learn the value of using 10 to quantify and compare larger collections.

Task 5
Number: Taking handfuls
Foundation

Task 6 • Close to 20

Students build their use of 10 as a benchmark to quantify and compare collections. 

Task 6
Number: Taking handfuls
Build
Student using counters

Suggested implementation

This time plan is just one way that you might choose to implement this sequence. We have used a warm-up activity at the start of most lessons, and some tasks are split across two lessons. The timing provided in the tasks’ documentation align with this implementation advice.

 Week 1Week 2
Monday

Task 1 • How big is a handful?

  • Launch and Explore
  • Gallery walk
  • Connect
  • Summarise

Task 5 • Using 10

  • Warm-up
  • Launch and Explore
  • Gallery walk
Tuesday

Task 2 • Rolling handfuls

  • Warm-up
  • Play the game Rolling Handfuls

Task 5 • Using 10

  • Warm-up
  • Connect
  • Summarise
  • Additional time to explore further
Wednesday

Task 3 • Comparing handfuls

  • Warm-up
  • Launch and Explore
  • Gallery walk

Task 6 • Close to 20

  • Warm-up
  • Play the game Close to 20
Thursday

Task 3 • Comparing handfuls

  • Warm-up
  • Connect
  • Summarise
  • Additional time to explore further

Task 1 • How big is a handful?

  • Make 10-frames available for students to use if they choose. 
  • Complete as an assessment task.
Friday

Task 4 • Towers of 5

  • Warm-up
  • Play the game Towers of 5

Task 6 • Close to 20

  • Warm-up
  • Play the game Close to 20

Curriculum and syllabus alignment

Achievement standards

In Foundation, students make connections between number names, numerals and position in the sequence of numbers from zero to at least 20. They use subitising and counting strategies to quantify collections. Students compare the size of collections to at least 20. They partition and combine collections up to 10 in different ways, representing these with numbers. Students represent practical situations that involve quantifying, equal sharing, adding to and taking away from collections to at least 10.

Australian Curriculum V9 alignment

Number