Plus 1, Minus 1

$Plus 1, Minus 1 book cover$

Grade K
4 skill lessons · 1 math-through-reading

Math

Skill lessons

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

1Now Count Them
2One More Flower
3Give One Away
4Which Way Did It Go

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.

5One Word, Two Mats

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.

6Sentences that tell your hands what to do
7The line that ends with a question mark
8Words that name the picture
9Four and 4 are the same word

Both exports carry any edits you have made. Edits are saved in this browser only — nobody else sees them, and they are not sent anywhere.

Skill lessons

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

1. Now Count Them Concept · Counting a group of up to six from one to say how many

After every one of its five episodes the book gives the same instruction, count the group, and then prints the count starting again at one. Students do exactly that: they touch each thing in a group once, say the number words in order, and say that the last number they said is how many the group has. The groups are the book's own, of three, four, five and six.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Touch each one and say the number (5 min)
Set out four counters in a line. Touch each counter once and say one, two, three, four. Move on only when a counter has been touched. Your partner watches for a counter touched twice or skipped and says so. Swap, then do it again with three counters.
Word preview: count
Let's count and see.
Now count the flowers.
2. The last number is how many (5 min)
Count a group of five out loud, then a group of six. After each count, say the last number again on its own and say that this is how many the group has. Your partner touches the counters once more without speaking and says whether they agree.
Word preview: how many
Now count the puppies.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
6 tired puppies
3. Count the same group two ways (5 min)
Build five counters in a line and count them. Now push them into a heap without adding or taking any away, and count them again. Say both numbers out loud. Did the group change? Do it again with four counters, moving them from a heap into a circle.
Word preview: group
Now count the markers.
One, two, three.
4. Count a group your partner hides and shows (5 min)
One partner puts between three and six counters on the mat under a cover, lifts the cover, then lowers it. The other says how many, or asks to see it again and counts by touching. Take the cover off and count together to check. Swap every turn. Never use more than six counters.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Touch each one and say the number (5 min)
Set out four counters in a line. Touch each one once and say one, two, three, four. Your partner watches for a counter touched twice or skipped. Swap, then do it again with three counters.
Let's count and see.
Now count the flowers.
2. The last number is how many (4 min)
Count a group of six out loud. Say the last number again on its own and say that this is how many the group has. Your partner touches the counters once more without speaking and says whether they agree.
Now count the puppies.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Three levels

Support: Stay at three and four counters and keep them in a line all lesson, never in a heap or a circle. Put the counters in a row of drawn spaces so each one has a place of its own and cannot be touched twice. The touching, the saying of the number words and the naming of the last number are all unchanged; what comes off is having to keep track of an arrangement that is easy to lose your place in.
At Grade: Count groups of three, four, five and six by touching each thing once, say the whole sequence aloud, and then say the last number again on its own as how many the group has. Count one group twice in two different arrangements and say whether the group changed.
Extension: Count a group of six and say how many. Then say how many there would be if the counters were moved into a heap, before moving them, and check. Then start the count from a different counter than last time and say whether the last number can change when you start somewhere else.

English learners

The number word sequence is the one piece of English this lesson genuinely requires, and it is the piece that does not transfer at all: a child may count perfectly in another language and have no English words to say it with. Let that child count aloud in their strongest language while touching, because the touching is the mathematics and it is fully visible to a teacher. Then teach the English sequence as a chant against the same counters, three or four numbers at a time, and hold one frame for the reporting: I counted ___ things. The word for asking, how many, is worth teaching on its own, because it is the question every page of this book asks and it sounds nothing like a number.

Materials

Two-color counters, ten per pair
Group mat, a sheet with a picture frame for one group of things
A sheet of card to cover the mat
A row of six drawn spaces, one counter to a space
Word cards: count, how many, group

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

2. One More Flower Fluency · Adding one to a group of three, four or five

Three of the book's five episodes add one thing to a group: four flowers become five, five puppies become six, three bikes become four. Students build each starting group with counters, push exactly one more on when the book says to, and count the whole new group aloud from one to say how many there are now, which is the way the book itself answers every one of its questions.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Build four and pick one more (5 min)
Set four counters on the flower mat one at a time. Touch each one and say one, two, three, four. When the question comes, push exactly one more counter on. Now count the whole group again from the beginning. Say how many. Take turns so both partners count the group out loud.
Word preview: more
Pick four flowers.
4 plus 1 equals what?
Pick one more.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
2. Do it again with five puppies (5 min)
Clear the mat. Set five counters out one at a time for the puppies, counting as you go. Push one more counter on. Count the whole group from the beginning and say how many. Say the whole count out loud, all the way to the last number, and let your partner say it too.
Word preview: altogether
5 puppies rest after playing
5 plus 1 equals what?
Plus one more.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
3. Start smaller with three bikes (5 min)
Build three counters for the bikes. Push one more on. Count from the beginning and say how many. Now put your three groups side by side in the order you made them. Point at one group and tell your partner what it started with and what it has now.
Word preview: one more
3 bike stopped
3 plus 1 equals what?
Add one more.
4 bikes ready to ride.
4. Your partner sets the group (5 min)
One partner sets out three, four or five counters and says how many. The other partner pushes one more counter on, counts the whole group from the beginning, and says the new number out loud. Swap after every turn. Never start with more than five counters.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Build four and pick one more (5 min)
Set four counters on the mat one at a time, saying one, two, three, four. Push exactly one more counter on. Count the whole group again from the beginning and say how many. Both partners count it out loud.
Pick four flowers.
Pick one more.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
2. Your partner sets the group (4 min)
One partner sets out three, four or five counters and says how many. The other pushes one more counter on, counts the whole group from the beginning, and says the new number out loud. Swap after every turn. Never start with more than five.

Three levels

Support: Stay on the bikes group, the smallest in the book, and stop there. Set three counters out one at a time, push one more on and count the whole group from the beginning to say four. Run that same group three or four times rather than moving to a new one. The mat, the pushing on and the counting aloud are all unchanged; what comes down is how many different starting numbers a child holds in one lesson.
At Grade: Build all three of the book's adding groups, four, five and three, push one more counter on for each and count the whole new group aloud from one before moving to the next. Then set the three finished groups side by side and say for each one what it started with and what it has now.
Extension: Before counting the new group, say what the number is going to be, then count from the beginning and check whether the saying and the counting agree. Do this for all three groups. Then say what happens to a group's number every single time one more thing joins it, and say whether that would still be true for a group of six.

English learners

The counting itself transfers almost completely: a child who counts in another language will build all three groups correctly and get every answer right from the first minute. The small unstressed English that reports the change is the part to teach. One more carries the whole size of the change in two quiet words, and English puts the new total at the very end of the sentence, after the thing that happened. Keep one spoken frame for the whole lesson and say it the same way every time: this group had ___, one more came, now it has ___. Invite children to count the group in their strongest language and then say the finished group in English with the frame, and let a pointing finger at the mat stand in for any word that has not arrived yet.

Materials

Two-color counters, ten per pair
Group mat, a sheet with a picture frame for one group of things
Word cards: more, altogether, one more

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

3. Give One Away Fluency · Taking one away from a group of four or five

Two of the book's episodes take one thing away: four markers become three and five cookies become four. Students build the starting group with counters, take exactly one counter off when the book says to, and then count what is left from the beginning to say how many remain, which is what the book does in both episodes.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Build four markers and give one away (5 min)
Set four counters on the mat one at a time, counting as you go. When the question comes, slide exactly one counter off the mat and into the cup. Now count what is left on the mat, starting from the beginning. Say how many. Take turns so both partners count it out loud.
Word preview: away
4 colorful markers
4 minus 1 equals what?
Give one away.
One, two, three.
3 colorful markers
2. Do it again with five cookies (5 min)
Clear the mat and the cup. Set five counters out one at a time for the cookies. Take exactly one away into the cup. Count what is left on the mat, starting from the beginning, and say how many. Then say how many are in the cup.
Word preview: left
Bake 5 Cookies
5 minus 1 equals what?
Take one away.
1, 2, 3, 4.
4 cookies. Yum yum!
3. Say what is left before you count (5 min)
Build four counters on the mat. Before you move anything, say how many will be left when one is taken away. Now take one away and count the mat from the beginning to check. Run it twice with four and twice with five. Swap who says the number first.
4. Your partner sets the group (5 min)
One partner sets out four or five counters and says how many. The other takes exactly one away into the cup, counts what is left from the beginning, and says the number out loud. Swap after every turn. Never start with more than five counters.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Build four markers and give one away (5 min)
Set four counters on the mat one at a time. Slide exactly one counter off into the cup. Count what is left on the mat from the beginning and say how many. Both partners count it out loud.
4 colorful markers
Give one away.
One, two, three.
2. Say what is left before you count (4 min)
Build four counters. Before you move anything, say how many will be left when one is taken away. Take one away and count the mat from the beginning to check. Run it once with four and once with five.

Three levels

Support: Work only on the markers group of four and take one away by lifting it right off the mat where the child can still see it, rather than dropping it into a cup. Rebuild the four and run it again three or four times. The counting, the taking away and the saying aloud are all unchanged; what comes off is having to hold in mind a counter that has gone out of sight.
At Grade: Build both of the book's taking-away groups, four and five, take exactly one counter away into the cup for each, and count what is left aloud from one before moving on. Then say how many are on the mat and how many are in the cup for each group.
Extension: Say how many will be left before any counter moves, then check by counting, for both groups. Then take one away from what is left and say the number again, so five becomes four and then three. Say what happens to a group's number every single time one thing is taken away from it, and say what would happen if you kept going.

English learners

Everything physical in this lesson travels: a child counts the mat, moves one counter, counts again, and can be entirely right in any language. The hard English is the vocabulary of what remains. Left, away and how many are left are not obviously about subtraction to a new listener, and English says the thing that happened before it says the amount that stayed. Hold one frame all lesson and say it identically every time: this group had ___, one went away, now ___ are left. Let children count and predict in their strongest language and report the finished mat in English with the frame. Never ask a child to explain the word left before they have watched a counter go into the cup.

Materials

Two-color counters, ten per pair
Group mat, a sheet with a picture frame for one group of things
A small cup for the counters that have been taken away
Word cards: away, left

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

4. Which Way Did It Go Reasoning · Deciding whether a group grew by one or shrank by one

The book opens by naming both of its moves outright and then runs five episodes, each of which is one move or the other. Students act out each episode on a mat, decide which of the two moves it was, and say why, using the group's size before and after as the reason. Nothing is decided by remembering the page; everything is decided by what the counters did.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Learn the two moves (4 min)
Set four counters on the mat and push one more on. That is the first move. Clear the mat, set four counters again, and take one off. That is the second move. Say which mat ended with more than it started with and which ended with fewer.
Word preview: plus
Plus 1 adds 1.
Minus 1 takes 1 away.
2. Sort the five episodes (6 min)
Take the five picture cards. For each one, build the before group with counters, then make it match the after group. Did you push a counter on, or take one off? Put the card in the adding pile or the taking away pile. Do not sort a card until you have moved the counters.
Word preview: minus
4 plus 1 equals what?
4 minus 1 equals what?
5 plus 1 equals what?
5 minus 1 equals what?
3 plus 1 equals what?
3. Say why the card is in that pile (6 min)
Pick one card from each pile. Tell your partner why the card sits in that pile, and say both numbers: this group had ___ and now it has ___. Your partner builds the before group and tries the other move to see if it can reach the after number. They say what happened on the mat.
Word preview: fewer
4. Find the pile with more cards (4 min)
Count the cards in each pile by touching, and say how many are in each. Which pile has more? Lay the two piles in rows, one card above another, and match them card for card until one row runs out. Say whether that agrees with the numbers you counted.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Sort the five episodes (5 min)
Take the five picture cards. Build the before group, then make it match the after group. Did you push a counter on or take one off? Put the card in the adding pile or the taking away pile. Move the counters before you sort.
4 plus 1 equals what?
4 minus 1 equals what?
3 plus 1 equals what?
2. Say why the card is in that pile (4 min)
Pick one card. Tell your partner why it sits in that pile, and say both numbers: this group had ___ and now it has ___. Your partner builds the before group and tries the other move, then says what happened on the mat.

Three levels

Support: Work with two cards instead of five, one from each pile, and keep both mats standing side by side so the before group and the after group can be seen at the same moment rather than one replacing the other. The building, the deciding and the saying of both numbers are all unchanged; what comes down is how many episodes a child holds at once.
At Grade: Sort all five cards by building the before group and making it match the after group, then say for one card in each pile why it sits there, naming the number the group had and the number it has now. Count both piles and say which has more.
Extension: Take a card and say which pile it belongs in before touching any counters, then build it and check. Then say what is true of the after number on every card in the adding pile, and what is true of it on every card in the taking away pile, and say whether a card could ever belong in both piles.

English learners

Direction is the whole lesson and direction is where English is least forgiving. Plus and minus are new words with no everyday meaning to lean on, and on, off, more and fewer are small unstressed words that carry all the meaning and none of the emphasis. Teach the two moves as gestures before either word arrives: a hand pushing a counter on, a hand lifting one off, done many times against the mat. Then attach one word to each gesture and keep them attached. Hold one frame for the reason all lesson: this group had ___ and now it has ___, so something ___. Let children sort and settle the cards in their strongest language and give the reason in English with the frame while pointing at the two groups.

Materials

Two-color counters, ten per pair
Group mat, a sheet with a picture frame for one group of things
Five picture cards per pair, each showing one group before and the same group after
A second group mat, so the before group and the after group can stand side by side
Word cards: plus, minus, fewer

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

Math through the reading

The mathematics is reached through a sentence the book prints: change one word in the reading and the numbers change with it. These carry their own standards, matched against these lessons rather than inherited from the skill ones.

5. One Word, Two Mats Integrated · Students build the same group twice from one four-word instruction, once as the book says it and once with a single word swapped, and say aloud which word made which group.

Students build the same group twice from one four-word instruction, once as the book says it and once with a single word swapped, and say aloud which word made which group.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Build the group the instruction names (6 min)
Pairs set four counters on the left mat for the flowers, counting them out one at a time. They hear the book's instruction, push one more counter on, and count the whole mat from one. They say the number they reached, then hear the book's own count and find that the mat and the book say the same thing.
2. Swap one word and build it again (5 min)
Pairs set four counters on the right mat and hear the same instruction with one word changed, away in place of more. They carry that out, count the mat from one, and now two mats stand side by side, one holding five and one holding three. Each child touches the mats in turn and says both numbers aloud, then says which mat the book agrees with.
3. Say which word made which mat (5 min)
Each child says one sentence about one mat with the word inside it: this mat got one more, so it has five, or this mat gave one away, so it has three. The partner listens for the word and the number in the same sentence and says so when either one is missing, then says the same sentence about the other mat.
4. Do it again with plus and minus (4 min)
Pairs clear both mats to five counters for the cookies. On the left they hear the page's own word and take one away, reaching four; on the right they hear it with the other word and add one, reaching six. They say which word emptied a place on the mat and which filled one, and say whether the book's count agrees with the left mat or the right.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Build the group the instruction names (6 min)
Pairs set four counters on the left mat for the flowers, counting them out one at a time. They hear the book's instruction, push one more counter on, and count the whole mat from one. They say the number they reached, then hear the book's own count and find that the mat and the book say the same thing.
2. Say which word made which mat (5 min)
Each child says one sentence about one mat with the word inside it: this mat got one more, so it has five, or this mat gave one away, so it has three. The partner listens for the word and the number in the same sentence and says so when either one is missing, then says the same sentence about the other mat.

Three levels

Support: Work one mat at a time instead of two at once. Build the four flowers, hear the instruction with more, push one counter on and count to five; sweep, rebuild four, hear it with away, take one off and count to three. The counting, the saying aloud and both words are all unchanged; what comes off is holding two finished arrangements in view at the same moment.
At grade: Build both versions side by side, count both mats aloud from one, say both numbers, name which word made each and which one the book agrees with, then run the same move again with the cookies page using plus and minus.
Extension: Before either mat is built, say what each of the two words will do to the group and what number each mat will end on. Then build both and check. Then say which of the four words in this lesson change the direction the counters move and which one changes how many move, and say what would happen to the flowers mat if both words changed at once.

English learners

The words in this lesson are exactly the words that do not travel. The counting transfers completely, and a child who counts in another language will build both mats correctly the moment they know which word is in play. English hides the direction of the change inside a small unstressed word at the end of a very short clause, so one more and one away sound almost alike to a new ear and land two counters apart. Say the two instructions slowly and back to back before any building, and teach each one as a gesture first, a hand pushing a counter on and a hand lifting one off, before either word is asked for. Rehearse one reporting frame and keep it visible: this mat got ___, so it has ___. Invite children to say what the word does in their strongest language, then build the mat, then report it in English with the frame. Never ask a child to explain the word before they have built the mat it made.

Materials

Two-color counters, ten per pair
Two group mats per pair, one labeled More and one labeled Away
A small cup for the counters that have been taken away
The two instructions on one card, the book's above and the swapped one below it
The reporting frame: this mat got ___, so it has ___.

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

Reading and language lessons

4 lessons on the reading and language the book carries - what a word means in its sentence, how a character is shown, how a text is built. No mathematics: these are matched against the English language arts curricula, which are a different and smaller set than the mathematics ones.

6. Sentences that tell your hands what to do Concept · Recognising a sentence that tells the reader to do something, and doing it

Almost every short line in this book is an order given straight to the reader: pick, give, take, add. Each begins with the doing word and never says who should do it, because the reader is who. Students hear four of these lines, act each one out with the object it names, sort them from the lines that are labels instead, and then say one of their own in the same shape. Numbers sit inside the printed lines because that is what the book is about; no step asks a child to work any of them out.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Do what the two flower lines say (5 min)
Listen while the passage below is read. Two of its sentences tell your hands to do something. Say the first word of each of those two sentences aloud, then act both of them out with counters on your mat.
Word preview: Pick
Pick four flowers. 4 plus 1 equals what? Pick one more.
2. Collect the doing word from each page (6 min)
Read the three passages below with a partner. In each one, find the sentence that tells you to do something and say its very first word aloud. Put a counter down for each one you find, and say all three words together at the end.
Word preview: Give, Take, Add
4 colorful markers 4 minus 1 equals what? Give one away. Now count the markers.
Bake 5 Cookies 5 minus 1 equals what? Take one away. Now count the cookies.
3 bike stopped 3 plus 1 equals what? Add one more.
3. Sort the ones that tell you from the ones that do not (5 min)
Read the two passages below. Some sentences tell your hands to do something and some just say what is there. Hold up one finger for a sentence that tells you to do something and a flat hand for one that does not. Say aloud which passage has more sentences that tell you to do something.
Word preview: Plus, Now
5 puppies rest after playing 5 plus 1 equals what? Plus one more.
Take one away. Now count the cookies. 1, 2, 3, 4. 4 cookies. Yum yum!
4. Say a telling sentence of your own (4 min)
Read the passage below, which is how the book opens and asks the whole class to join in. Then say a sentence of your own that tells a partner to do something with the counters on the mat, and start it with a doing word the way the book does.
Word preview: Let's
Plus 1 adds 1. Minus 1 takes 1 away. Let's count and see.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Do what the two flower lines say (4 min)
Listen to the passage. Say the first word of each sentence that tells your hands to do something, then act both out with counters.
Word preview: Pick
Pick four flowers. 4 plus 1 equals what? Pick one more.
2. Collect the doing word from each page (5 min)
Read the passages with a partner. Find the sentence in each that tells you to do something and say its first word aloud, putting a counter down for each.
Word preview: Give, Take, Add
4 colorful markers 4 minus 1 equals what? Give one away. Now count the markers.
Bake 5 Cookies 5 minus 1 equals what? Take one away. Now count the cookies.
3 bike stopped 3 plus 1 equals what? Add one more.

Three levels

Support: Work only with the passage in step 1. The teacher reads it and stops after each sentence. Say whether your hands should move. Then do the two that ask you to.
At Grade: Act out the two telling sentences in step 1, then collect the first word of the telling sentence in each of the three passages in step 2 and say all three aloud.
Extension: Step 2 prints three telling sentences and step 3 prints lines that do not tell you anything. Say two sentences about how you can hear the difference before you get to the end of the line.

English learners

A sentence like Pick one more. has no subject at all, which reads as an unfinished sentence to a student whose strongest language marks the listener in the verb or requires a pronoun. Say the hidden you aloud once — you pick one more — then read the printed line, so the missing word is heard as a choice English makes rather than as damage. Invite students to give the same direction in their strongest language and notice whether the you is there. Rehearsable frame: The page says ___. That means I should ___.

Materials

Plus 1, Minus 1, read aloud by the teacher
One counter per child to mark words
Word cards: Pick, Give, Take, Add, Let's, Now

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

7. The line that ends with a question mark Concept · Telling a question from a statement by its ending mark and its asking word

Five lines in this book stop with a question mark and all five end on the same word, what, which is the signal that an answer is wanted. Students hear the rise at the end of a question, find the question mark on the page, sort asking lines from telling lines, and turn one telling line into a question of their own. The questions printed here happen to be about amounts, because that is the book's subject; students are asked to recognise the question, never to answer it.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Hear the line that asks (5 min)
Listen while the passage below is read twice. One sentence in it goes up at the end because it is asking you something. Say that sentence back with your voice going up, then say the very last word of it aloud.
Word preview: what
Pick four flowers. 4 plus 1 equals what? Pick one more.
2. Find the mark that ends a question (6 min)
Read the three passages below with a partner. Put a counter down on every question mark you can find. Say aloud how the question in each passage begins and how it ends, and say the word all three questions end on.
Word preview: question
4 colorful markers 4 minus 1 equals what? Give one away. Now count the markers.
5 puppies rest after playing 5 plus 1 equals what? Plus one more.
3 bike stopped 3 plus 1 equals what? Add one more.
3. Sort asking lines from telling lines (5 min)
Read the two passages below. Say each sentence aloud in turn. Hold up one finger when a sentence asks you something and put your hand flat when it tells you something instead. Say which of the two passages has an asking sentence in it.
Word preview: asking, telling
Bake 5 Cookies 5 minus 1 equals what? Take one away. Now count the cookies.
Take one away. Now count the cookies. 1, 2, 3, 4. 4 cookies. Yum yum!
4. Turn a telling line into an asking line (4 min)
Read the passage below, which only tells and never asks. Change one of its sentences into a question by saying it with your voice going up at the end, and say what mark would have to go on the page to show that.
Word preview: mark
Plus 1 adds 1. Minus 1 takes 1 away. Let's count and see.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Hear the line that asks (4 min)
Listen to the passage twice. Say the sentence that goes up at the end with your voice rising, then say its very last word.
Word preview: what
Pick four flowers. 4 plus 1 equals what? Pick one more.
2. Find the mark that ends a question (5 min)
Read the passages with a partner and put a counter on every question mark. Say the word all the questions end on.
Word preview: question
4 colorful markers 4 minus 1 equals what? Give one away. Now count the markers.
5 puppies rest after playing 5 plus 1 equals what? Plus one more.
3 bike stopped 3 plus 1 equals what? Add one more.

Three levels

Support: Work only with the passage in step 1. The teacher reads the asking sentence and then a telling one. Say which one sounded like a question. Say it back with your voice going up.
At Grade: Hear the asking line in step 1, then find every question mark in the three passages in step 2 and say the word all the questions end on.
Extension: Step 2 prints three questions that end the same way. Say two sentences about what those three questions have in common besides the mark at the end, pointing at the words in the passages.

English learners

The rising voice that marks an English question is not universal, and some languages ask by adding a little word rather than by changing the tune, so a student may read a printed question flat and be following their own rules correctly. Model the rise and fall in pairs — one telling, one asking — before asking anyone to sort. Invite students to ask the same thing in their strongest language and say what changed. Rehearsable frame: This one asks, because ___. This one tells.

Materials

Plus 1, Minus 1, read aloud by the teacher
One counter per child to mark words
Word cards: what, question, asking, telling, mark

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

8. Words that name the picture Concept · Telling a picture label from a sentence and saying what each one is for

This book prints two kinds of writing on the same page. Some lines are whole sentences that speak to the reader and stop with a full point. Others are short labels naming what the picture shows, with no verb and no ending mark at all: 4 colorful markers, 6 tired puppies. Students find the labels, say what makes them look different, match a label to what it names, and say a label of their own for something on their mat. The naming words carry amounts because the pictures do; the work is recognising a label as a kind of writing.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Find the words that name the picture (6 min)
Listen while the two passages below are read. In each one, some words name what the picture shows instead of telling you anything. Put a counter down on those naming words and say them aloud, then say what is missing from the end of them.
Word preview: naming, label
Give one away. Now count the markers. One, two, three. 3 colorful markers
Plus one more. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Now count the puppies. 6 tired puppies
2. Say what makes a label look different (5 min)
Read the passage below with a partner. Say the sentences that stop with a full point, then say the words that do not stop with anything. Tell your partner one thing the naming words leave out that a sentence always has.
Word preview: label
Add one more. 1, 2, 3, 4. Now count the bikes. 4 bikes ready to ride.
3. Match the label to what it names (5 min)
Read the two passages below. Each one has naming words in it. Point to the naming words in the first and say what they would sit under in a picture, then do the same for the second.
Word preview: match
Bake 5 Cookies 5 minus 1 equals what? Take one away. Now count the cookies.
5 puppies rest after playing 5 plus 1 equals what? Plus one more.
4. Make a label for your own mat (4 min)
Read the passage below and say its naming words aloud. Then put some counters on your mat and say a naming label of your own for them, built the same way the book builds its labels.
Word preview: make
Take one away. Now count the cookies. 1, 2, 3, 4. 4 cookies. Yum yum!

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Find the words that name the picture (5 min)
Listen to the two passages. Put a counter on the words that name what a picture shows, say them aloud, and say what is missing from their end.
Word preview: naming, label
Give one away. Now count the markers. One, two, three. 3 colorful markers
Plus one more. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Now count the puppies. 6 tired puppies
2. Say what makes a label look different (4 min)
Read the passage with a partner. Say the sentences that stop with a full point, then the words that do not, and say one thing the naming words leave out.
Word preview: label
Add one more. 1, 2, 3, 4. Now count the bikes. 4 bikes ready to ride.

Three levels

Support: Work only with the first passage in step 1. The teacher reads it and stops on the last three words. Echo them. Say what those three words are naming.
At Grade: Find the naming words in both passages in step 1, then say in step 2 what a label leaves out that a sentence always has.
Extension: Step 1 prints two labels and step 2 prints a third beside real sentences. Say two sentences about why a picture book would print a label instead of a whole sentence, using words from both passages.

English learners

Labels are a written form rather than a spoken one, and a student may never have met one in English print even if the same picture-naming convention exists in books they know. Read each label aloud, then say the whole sentence it stands for — there are four colourful markers — so the trimmed form is heard against the full one. Invite students to say what a label under a picture would look like in a book in their strongest language. Rehearsable frame: These words name ___. They are not a whole sentence, because ___.

Materials

Plus 1, Minus 1, read aloud by the teacher
One counter per child to mark words
Word cards: naming, label, match, make

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

9. Four and 4 are the same word Concept · Noticing that one spoken word can be written as a numeral or as letters

The book writes the same spoken words two ways within a single page: Pick four flowers. in letters, then 4 plus 1 equals what? in a numeral, and it counts once as One, two, three. and elsewhere as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Students read both spellings aloud and hear that nothing about the sound changes, match a letter spelling to its numeral, and say which spelling is easier for them to read. This is a print-awareness lesson about spelling and reading, not about amounts; no step asks a child to work anything out.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Read the same word both ways (6 min)
Listen while the passage below is read. The same word is written in letters near the start and as a numeral a moment later. Point to each one in turn, say them both aloud, and say whether they sound the same or different.
Word preview: four
Pick four flowers. 4 plus 1 equals what? Pick one more.
2. Find the count spelled out in letters (5 min)
Read the two passages below with a partner. One counts using letters and one counts using numerals. Say each count aloud, then put a counter down on the passage where the words are spelled with letters.
Word preview: letters, numerals
Give one away. Now count the markers. One, two, three. 3 colorful markers
Plus one more. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Now count the puppies. 6 tired puppies
3. Match a letter spelling to its numeral (5 min)
Read the two passages below. Say aloud the words spelled with letters that tell you to do something with one thing. Then find in the same passages a numeral standing for that same little word, and say them one after the other.
Word preview: match
Bake 5 Cookies 5 minus 1 equals what? Take one away. Now count the cookies.
3 bike stopped 3 plus 1 equals what? Add one more.
4. Say which spelling is easier to read (4 min)
Read the passage below, which spells its words two ways in three short sentences. Say each way aloud. Then tell a partner which of the two is easier for you to read and say why, in one sentence.
Word preview: easier
Plus 1 adds 1. Minus 1 takes 1 away. Let's count and see.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Read the same word both ways (5 min)
Listen to the passage. Point to the word written in letters and to the same word written as a numeral, say them both aloud, and say whether they sound the same.
Word preview: four
Pick four flowers. 4 plus 1 equals what? Pick one more.
2. Find the count spelled out in letters (4 min)
Read the two passages with a partner. Say each count aloud, then put a counter on the passage that spells its words with letters.
Word preview: letters, numerals
Give one away. Now count the markers. One, two, three. 3 colorful markers
Plus one more. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Now count the puppies. 6 tired puppies

Three levels

Support: Work only with the passage in step 1. The teacher reads the first sentence, then the second. Say the one word you heard in both. Say it twice.
At Grade: Read the two spellings in step 1 aloud and say they sound the same, then find in step 2 the passage whose count is spelled with letters.
Extension: Step 1 prints one word two ways and step 2 prints two different counts. Say two sentences about why a picture book might spell a word with letters on one page and use a numeral on the next.

English learners

Numerals are read aloud with completely different sounds in different languages while the written mark stays the same, so a student may recognise every numeral on the page and none of the letter spellings. Point at each numeral and invite the student to say it in their strongest language first, then in English, before reading the letter spelling beside it. Rehearsable frame: This says ___ and this says ___. They sound the same.

Materials

Plus 1, Minus 1, read aloud by the teacher
One counter per child to mark words
Word cards: four, letters, numerals, match, easier

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.