Bad Luck Brad

$Bad Luck Brad book cover$

Grade 1
5 skill lessons

Math

Skill lessons

The mathematics the book carries, taught directly. Printable workbook pages and teacher keys are not available for this book yet.

1Never a Sure Thing
2Lots of One Kind, Only Two of the Other
3Five Showings and Just One
4Three Cards for Three Machines
5Two Bars, Then One

Math + reading

Math through the reading

The same book, entered through a sentence it prints. Change one word in the reading and the numbers change with it.

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Reading

Reading and language lessons

The same book read as a text. What a word means in its sentence, how a character is shown, how the writing is put together - no mathematics.

No reading and language lessons for this book yet.

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Skill lessons

5 lessons on the mathematics the book carries. Printable workbook pages and teacher keys are not available for this book yet.

1. Never a Sure Thing Reasoning · Saying why the likelier colour can still fail to come out

Pete has a rule that works and states it plainly: try the machines that hold a lot of what you like. Brad follows it, puts his last quarter into the machine with plenty of purple, and a yellow gumball comes out. Students load a cup the same way, predict with the number that makes them predict it, draw once each onto a class chart, and then count the children the likelier colour let down. The reasoning students perform is the hard half of likelihood at this age: the prediction was good and the outcome still went the other way, and neither fact cancels the other.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Hear Pete's rule and Brad's answer (4 min)
Listen to Pete's rule for choosing a machine, then to what Brad says about red, then to what Pete says about purple. Say Pete's rule back in your own words. Then say whether you think Brad will get a purple gumball, and say what makes you think it.
Word preview: plenty, none
That's because I try the machines that have a lot of what I like.
I know, said Brad, but none of the machines have lots of red, so I probably won't get a red gumball.
You like purple gumballs too, Pete said, and this machine has plenty of purple.
2. Load the machine Pete points at (5 min)
The second machine in the book holds two colours, yellow and purple, and the book never says how many of each, so use eight purple counters and two yellow ones. Put them in the cup and shake it. Say aloud which colour you expect and say the number that makes you expect it.
The second had yellow and purple.
3. Draw once each and count the misses (7 min)
Draw one counter without looking, say its colour aloud, put a mark in that colour's column on the class chart, and drop the counter back in. When everybody has drawn, look at the two columns. Purple was the likelier colour, so count the marks in the yellow column and say that number: that is how many children the likelier colour let down.
4. Say the book's last word on it (4 min)
Listen to what came out of the machine Pete recommended, and to what Pete says straight afterwards. Then finish the frame for your partner about your own class chart: purple was more likely, and yellow still came out blank times. Say whether Pete's rule was a bad rule or a good rule that is not a promise.
Word preview: probably
He put his last quarter in the slot. What came out? A yellow gumball.
I guess it's never a sure thing.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Load the machine Pete points at (4 min)
Put eight purple counters and two yellow ones in the cup, the two colours the book names for that machine, and shake it. Say which colour you expect and say the number that makes you expect it.
The second had yellow and purple.
2. Draw once each and count the misses (5 min)
Draw one counter without looking, say its colour, mark its column on the class chart, and drop it back. When everyone has drawn, count the marks in the yellow column and say how many children the likelier colour let down.

Three levels

Support: Load the cup nine purple to one yellow, so a miss is rare and the point lands on the one child it happens to. The teacher says the first half of the frame and the child says the colour that finishes it. Drawing, naming the colour and putting the mark in the right column is the whole job.
At Grade: Load eight purple to two yellow, predict aloud with the number that makes you predict it, draw once, mark the chart, then say the frame about the finished chart with the yellow count inside it.
Extension: Load one cup five purple to five yellow and another nine purple to one yellow, run ten draws in each, and say which cup made the prediction worth making. Then say how many yellow counters you would have to add to the nine-and-one cup before purple stopped being the likelier colour, and check your answer by drawing.

English learners

Plenty and none are the two words carrying the mathematics here, and neither is a number, so both are shown before they are said: a cup filled to the brim is plenty, an empty hand is none. Sure thing is an idiom and will not translate word by word; teach it as one piece meaning it happens every single time, and show it by pouring a cup that holds only purple. The frame to rehearse is purple was more likely, and yellow still came out. A child who points at the fuller colour, then at the mark in the other column, has said the whole thing; invite them to explain the miss in their strongest language first and then take only the frame into English.

Materials

Printed source passage in this step
Opaque cup per pair of students
Purple and yellow counters, eight purple and two yellow per pair
Class chart with two columns headed purple and yellow
Word cards: plenty, none, probably

Standards & curriculum

These lessons are being matched against curricula now.

2. Lots of One Kind, Only Two of the Other Concept · Deciding which kind you are more likely to draw by seeing which kind there is more of

The bag is the book's clearest case and the only one where it prints both counts. The label promises lots of both kinds, Brad knows better, and when the bag is shaken there are lots of one bar and two of the other. Students load a bag to match, predict aloud which colour will come out, then draw three times in the order the book gives and lay each counter on the child who drew it. What they end with is not a number but a habit: look at what is in the bag before saying what will come out of it.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Hear what was in the bag (4 min)
Listen to the label on the bag, and then to what Brad counts a moment after it is shaken. Say which kind of bar there were lots of and which kind there were only two of. Hold up two fingers for the chocolate chip bars, then open and close both hands for the lemon lime ones.
Word preview: lots, only
The label on the bag read, lots of chocolate chip bars, lots of lemon lime bars, but Brad knew there weren't lots of chocolate chip bars.
Two chocolate chip bars and three kids.
2. Build Brad's bag (6 min)
Drop two red counters into the bag for the two chocolate chip bars, then a big handful of blue ones for the lemon lime bars, and shake it. Before anybody reaches in, both partners point at the colour they think will come out and say out loud why they picked it. No looking inside.
3. Take one out each, three times over (6 min)
Draw in the book's order: Lauren first, then Adam, then Brad. Reach in without looking, take one counter, keep it, and lay it on that name card. When all three cards have a counter on them, look along the row and say how many of the three are red.
Lauren came into the kitchen first, so she'll go first.
4. Say which kind the bag gives you more often (4 min)
Pour the bag out and look at the two piles. Finish the sentence aloud for your partner: there were more blue, so blue was more likely to come out. Then listen to what Brad thought and what he got, and say whether the bag was against him or just fuller of one kind.
Now there's only one chocolate chip bar left, Brad thought.
Unlucky me, he said. Lemon lime.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Build Brad's bag (3 min)
Drop two red counters into the bag for the two chocolate chip bars, then a big handful of blue ones, and shake it. Point at the colour you think will come out and say why before anyone reaches in.
2. Take one out each, three times over (6 min)
Draw in the book's order, Lauren then Adam then Brad, laying each counter on its name card. Say how many of the three counters are red, and say which colour the bag gave more of.
Lauren came into the kitchen first, so she'll go first.

Three levels

Support: Load the bag with two red counters and six blue instead of a big handful, so the two piles can be told apart by eye with no counting at all. Everything else runs whole: three draws in the book's order onto the three name cards, the colour said aloud as each counter lands, and a finger on the fuller pile when asked which colour was more likely.
At Grade: Load two red and about twelve blue, predict aloud before anyone reaches in, draw three times in the book's order onto the name cards, then pour the bag out and say which colour was more likely and why.
Extension: Run the three draws four times over, putting the counters back and shaking between runs, and keep one mark for each run in which a red came out at all. Then say how the bag would have to change for red to come out in most runs, change it, and try again. Say what you did to the bag in words about how many.

English learners

Lots and only are the two words the whole step turns on, and they are quantity words wearing no number, which is the hard part. Bind them to the hands first: a big handful is lots, two fingers is only two, and the bag is shaken in front of the child before either word is asked for. The rehearsable frame is there were more blank, so blank was more likely, said once about each colour. A child who points at the fuller pile and then at the counter that came out has answered completely and may do it with no English at all; invite them to say the two colours and the reason in their strongest language first, then take only the frame into English.

Materials

Printed source passage in this step
Paper bag per pair of students
Two colours of counters, two of one colour and about twelve of the other
Three name cards reading Lauren, Adam and Brad
Word cards: lots, only, more

Standards & curriculum

These lessons are being matched against curricula now.

3. Five Showings and Just One Application · Counting the showings of each movie to find one that fits the time the family needs

This is the only place in the book where Brad's prediction and his luck agree, and it is the only place the book prints two counts side by side. The family needs a four o'clock show; one movie is playing in five theaters and the other in one. Students lay a paper ticket down for every showing they hear read out, count each row, match the two rows against each other, and then hunt the row for the showing the family can actually use. The mathematics is counting and matching, and the point of it is a decision the family has to make.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Hear what the family needs (3 min)
Listen to what Mrs. Gold says the family needs. Say the time back to your partner. Keep hold of it: it is the only thing that decides which movie they can see.
Word preview: show
Let's see when the movies are playing, said Mrs. Gold, we need a 4 o'clock show.
2. Put out a ticket for every showing (7 min)
Listen to the list of showings for the space movie and lay one paper ticket on that movie's strip for each showing you hear. Do the same for the dinosaur movie. Touch each ticket once and count each row aloud, then say the two counts to your partner.
Spaceflight is playing in 5 theaters and dinosaurs in just 1.
But spaceflight is playing at 330, 4 o'clock, 430, 5 o'clock, and 530.
Dinosaurs is playing at 515, said Mrs. Gold.
3. Match the two rows (6 min)
Slide the two strips one under the other and line the tickets up from the left. Put a finger on every space-movie ticket that has no dinosaur ticket underneath it, and count those aloud. Say which movie has more showings, and say how many space-movie tickets were left over when the rows ran out.
4. Find the showing they can use (4 min)
Look along the space movie's list for the showing that says four o'clock and put a finger on it. Then check the dinosaur movie's one showing against the time the family needs. Say which movie the family can see, and say what the two rows of tickets had to do with it.
there was a good chance the time would be right for spaceflight

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Put out a ticket for every showing (5 min)
Lay one paper ticket on a movie's strip for each showing you hear read out, for both movies. Touch each ticket once, count each row aloud, and say the two counts.
Spaceflight is playing in 5 theaters and dinosaurs in just 1.
But spaceflight is playing at 330, 4 o'clock, 430, 5 o'clock, and 530.
2. Match the two rows (4 min)
Slide the strips one under the other, line the tickets up from the left, and put a finger on every space-movie ticket with nothing under it. Say which movie has more showings and how many tickets were left over.

Three levels

Support: Hand the student the space movie's five tickets and the dinosaur movie's one already counted out, so the listening and counting are done. Laying the two rows, matching them from the left and saying which row runs on longer is still the student's work, and so is finding the four o'clock showing.
At Grade: Lay one ticket per showing as the lists are read, count each row aloud, match the rows from the left, say which movie has more showings and how many tickets are left over, then find the four o'clock showing.
Extension: Take the four o'clock ticket out of the space movie's row and say whether the family could still go, and why. Then say how many showings a movie would need before you would call it a good chance of finding the time you want, and say what your number is counting.

English learners

The two words the book leans on here are just and lots, and just is the trap: it looks like the everyday just meaning only a moment ago, and here it means a small amount and nothing else. Show it with the tickets before naming it, one ticket beside five. Lots has a gesture already and can be handed over quickly. The frame to rehearse is the space movie has more showings than the dinosaur movie, said once forward. A child who lays the two rows and points at the leftover tickets has answered; invite them to say the two counts and which is bigger in their strongest language first, then take more than into English.

Materials

Printed source passage in this step
Blank paper tickets, about eight per pair of students
Two labelled paper strips per pair, one for each movie
Word cards: show, just, lots

Standards & curriculum

These lessons are being matched against curricula now.

4. Three Cards for Three Machines Representation · Making a card for each machine that shows only the colours the book names

Three sentences describe three gumball machines, and they do not describe them equally well: one names six colours, one names two, and one says most of it is white and leaves the rest unsaid. Students make a card per machine with one crayon dot for every colour the book actually names, count the dots, and then use the three cards to answer which machine could give Brad the red gumball he asked for and which one never could. The last card is the interesting one, because it cannot be finished, and saying why is the work.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Mark a card for each machine (7 min)
You get three cards, one per machine. Listen to each machine's sentence and put one crayon dot on its card for every colour the book actually names. Put no dot for a colour the book does not name. Count the dots on each card and say the count aloud.
Word preview: mostly
The first machine had mostly white ones.
The second had yellow and purple.
The third machine had white, yellow, purple, green, black and red too.
2. Find the card that could give Brad his red gumball (5 min)
Brad asks for a red one. Hold up the card with a red dot on it. Say how many dots that card has altogether and how many of them are red. Then say whether red is the only colour that machine could give you.
I want a gumball, Brad said, a red one.
3. Find the card that cannot (4 min)
Look at the second machine's card. The book named both of that machine's colours and neither one is red. Turn that card face down and say aloud what Brad would never get out of it, however many quarters he put in.
4. Show the card you could not finish (4 min)
Hold up the first machine's card. It has one white dot and a lot of empty space, because the book says most of that machine is white and never says what the rest of it is. Say why you cannot put a red dot on that card and cannot rule red out either. Then say what the book would have to tell you before you could finish it.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Mark a card for each machine (5 min)
Put one crayon dot on each machine's card for every colour the book names in that machine's sentence, and no dot for a colour it does not name. Count the dots on each card and say the count.
Word preview: mostly
The second had yellow and purple.
The third machine had white, yellow, purple, green, black and red too.
2. Find the card that could give Brad his red gumball (4 min)
Brad asks for a red one. Hold up the card with a red dot on it, say how many dots it has altogether, and say whether red is the only colour that machine could give.
I want a gumball, Brad said, a red one.

Three levels

Support: Work two cards instead of three, the second machine and the third. One dot per colour named is the whole job, and the only question asked is which of the two cards has a red dot on it. The unfinished first card is left out.
At Grade: Mark all three cards from the three sentences, count the dots on each, hold up the card that could give red, name the card that never could, and say why the first machine's card cannot be finished.
Extension: Turn the three cards face down, shuffle them, and let your partner ask yes-or-no questions about colours until they can say which machine each card belongs to. Then say which card was easiest to name and tie that to how many colours the book gave for it.

English learners

The book names six colours and never once uses a word for colour itself, so the colour words arrive here with nothing holding them together; the crayons do that job, and a child can work this whole lesson by matching a crayon to a spoken word. Mostly is the word to spend time on, because it says two things at once, that there is a lot of white and that there is something else. Show it with a pile that is nearly all one crayon. The frame to rehearse is this machine has blank and blank, so it could give you blank. Invite a child to name the colours in their strongest language first and then point to the crayon for each as they take the English word.

Materials

Printed source passage in this step
Three blank cards per pair of students
Crayons in white, yellow, purple, green, black and red
Word cards: mostly, machine, quarter

Standards & curriculum

These lessons are being matched against curricula now.

5. Two Bars, Then One Fluency · Counting a small set of named things and saying how many are left when one is taken

The book counts out loud in only a few places and every one of them is small: six colours in the third gumball machine, two chocolate chip bars, three children, and one bar left after Adam's turn. Students put a counter down for each thing as it is read, count the row by touching once per number word, then slide one counter away and say what is left without starting the count again. The last step takes the counters away and asks for the three numbers from memory, in order.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Count the colours the third machine holds (5 min)
Listen to the list of colours in the third machine and put down one counter for each colour you hear, in a straight line. Touch each counter once and count the line aloud. Say the last number you said, and say what it tells you about the machine.
The third machine had white, yellow, purple, green, black and red too.
2. Count the chocolate chip bars (5 min)
Put out two counters for the two chocolate chip bars and three counters of another colour for the three children. Touch and count each set aloud. Then say which set is bigger without counting either of them again.
Two chocolate chip bars and three kids.
3. Take one out and say what is left (6 min)
Adam's turn takes one chocolate chip bar out of the bag. Slide one of your two counters away and say how many are left, without counting the set again. Then listen to what Brad thinks a moment later and say whether his number and yours are the same.
Word preview: left
Lucky me, he yelled. Chocolate chip.
Now there's only one chocolate chip bar left, Brad thought.
4. Say the counts back with nothing in front of you (4 min)
Push all the counters into a pile and cover them. Say how many colours the third machine held, how many chocolate chip bars there were at the start, and how many were left after Adam's turn. Say the three numbers in that order, twice, touching nothing.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Count the chocolate chip bars (4 min)
Put out two counters for the two chocolate chip bars and three of another colour for the three children. Touch and count each set aloud, then say which set is bigger without counting again.
Two chocolate chip bars and three kids.
2. Take one out and say what is left (5 min)
Adam's turn takes one bar. Slide one counter away and say how many are left without recounting. Then listen to Brad's number and say whether it matches yours.
Word preview: left
Lucky me, he yelled. Chocolate chip.
Now there's only one chocolate chip bar left, Brad thought.

Three levels

Support: Work only the two-and-one part. Put out two counters, hear Adam's turn, slide one away and say one. Counting the set again afterwards to check is allowed and expected here, and the six-colour line is left out entirely.
At Grade: Count the six colours, count the two bars and the three children, take one bar away and say one left without recounting, then say all three numbers back with the counters covered.
Extension: Lay one counter for every colour in the third machine and one for every colour in the second, in two lines, and say how many more colours the third machine holds by matching the two lines rather than counting the gap. Then say what would come out every single time from a machine holding only one colour.

English learners

The number words one, two and three are the only ones the book prints, and they carry the whole of this work, so they are worth saying more than reading. Count with the touch attached from the first line, one touch and one number word together, because a child counting in another language can do this correctly while the English words are still arriving. Left is the word to watch: it is the same shape as the left hand and here means what stayed behind. Show it by sliding a counter away and pointing at what remains. Invite a child to count aloud in their strongest language first and then say only the final number in English.

Materials

Printed source passage in this step
Six loose counters per student
Two counters of one colour and three of another per pair of students
Word cards: two, three, left

Standards & curriculum

These lessons are being matched against curricula now.