The Runaway Puppy

$The Runaway Puppy book cover$

Grade 3
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.

1Most Likely, Least Likely, Equally Likely
2Three Out of Thirteen
3Where Should the Two Cars Go?
4A Column of X's
5Counting the Calendar

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. Most Likely, Least Likely, Equally Likely Concept · Ordering categories by how often they occur and naming the most, least and equally likely

The book counts a month of equipment four ways — twelve, six, six and two — and then says three things about the counts: which is most likely, which two are equally likely, and which is least likely. Children order four counted categories and attach the right phrase to each. The idea under it: a child learns that likely is a statement about a count, and that two different categories with the same count get the same phrase.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Order the four counts (5 min)
Read the four counts the children in the book found and write them in order from largest to smallest on your strip. Say which two are the same.
Word preview: order, count
TWELVE DAYS HAVE FOCUS MITTS.
There are 6 days when we used jump ropes.
We used helmets on 6 days too!
We only used striking pads twice, so we're least likely to use striking pads.
2. Put the phrase cards on (5 min)
Lay each phrase card beside the count or counts it belongs to. One card has to cover two rows. Say why it does.
Word preview: most likely, least likely, equally likely
SO WE'RE MOST LIKELY TO USE THOSE.
That means we're equally likely to use jump ropes or helmets.
3. Do it again with your own week (6 min)
Tally four kinds of playground game across a week of breaks. Order your four counts and put the same three phrase cards on. Say whether any card had to cover two rows this time.
4. Where the gear goes (4 min)
Read what the teacher decides to do with the shelves. Say which of your four playground games would go on the easiest shelf and which on the hardest, and why.
PUT THE GEAR WE'RE MOST LIKELY TO NEED WHERE IT'S EASIEST TO REACH.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Order the four counts (5 min)
Write the book's four counts in order from largest to smallest and say which two are the same.
TWELVE DAYS HAVE FOCUS MITTS.
There are 6 days when we used jump ropes.
We used helmets on 6 days too!
We only used striking pads twice, so we're least likely to use striking pads.
2. Put the phrase cards on (4 min)
Lay each of the three phrase cards beside the count or counts it belongs to, and say why one card covers two rows.
SO WE'RE MOST LIKELY TO USE THOSE.
That means we're equally likely to use jump ropes or helmets.

Three levels

Support: Use three counts with no tie, so each phrase card lands on exactly one row, then add the fourth count and let the tie appear. The phrases stay.
At Grade: Four counts ordered, all three phrase cards placed with the tie explained, a week of the class's own data tallied and ordered the same way, and the shelf decision made for it.
Extension: Find a set of four counts for which two different phrase cards would both be fair, and say what makes the case ambiguous.

English learners

Counting and ordering transfer. The English that does not is the comparative built from likely — most likely, least likely, equally likely — three phrases that differ by one word and mean the top, the bottom and a tie. Keep them as three physical cards for the whole lesson and place them rather than say them first. Rehearsable frame: We used ____ on ____ days, so it is the ____. Children may order in their strongest language and then say the frame in English with the cards on the strip.

Materials

A four-row ordering strip per pair
Three phrase cards per pair: most likely, equally likely, least likely
A pencil
A four-row tally sheet per pair
Word cards: most likely, least likely, equally likely, count

Standards & curriculum

These lessons are being matched against curricula now.

2. Three Out of Thirteen Application · Expressing a count as so many out of a stated total and ordering the results

Once the chart is built the book starts talking in a new way: three of the thirteen trips, one of the thirteen trips. The total is stated once and every count is then read against it. Children write each place as so many out of thirteen, order them, and find how many trips are left over for the places the book does not count. The work gets applied as the count and the total held together in one phrase, which is as close to a probability as this book comes.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Find the total (5 min)
Read the sentence that gives the number of trips altogether and write it at the head of your sheet. Say how the children in the book got it.
Word preview: altogether, out of
IF YOU COUNT UP ALL THE X'S, AMY'S MOM AND BRADA TOOK 13 TRIPS IN ALL...
2. Write each place out of thirteen (6 min)
Write the three counts the book states as so many out of thirteen. For the two places it does not count, leave the row blank and say why you cannot fill it.
...AND THEY WENT TO THE WALKING TRAIL 5 TIMES.
Brada went there on 3 of the 13 trips.
SHE ONLY WENT TO THE SCHOOL YARD ON 1 OF THE 13 TRIPS, SO THE CHANCE OF HER GOING BACK THERE SEEMED THE LOWEST.
3. Order them (5 min)
Put the three places you could fill in order from the highest chance to the lowest. Check your order against the two sentences in which the book says which is almost as high and which is lowest.
Word preview: highest, lowest
So the chance she'd go back there is almost as high.
4. How many trips are unaccounted for (4 min)
Add the three counts you have and subtract the total from them the right way round. Say how many trips are left for the two places the book never counts.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Write each place out of thirteen (5 min)
Write the three stated counts as so many out of thirteen, leaving the uncounted places blank.
...AND THEY WENT TO THE WALKING TRAIL 5 TIMES.
Brada went there on 3 of the 13 trips.
SHE ONLY WENT TO THE SCHOOL YARD ON 1 OF THE 13 TRIPS, SO THE CHANCE OF HER GOING BACK THERE SEEMED THE LOWEST.
2. Order them (4 min)
Order the three places from the highest chance to the lowest and check the order against the book's own two sentences.
So the chance she'd go back there is almost as high.

Three levels

Support: Work with two places rather than three, and write the total at the head of the sheet for the child. Ordering and the leftover count stay.
At Grade: The total found, three places written as so many out of thirteen with the blank rows explained, all three ordered and checked against the book, and the unaccounted trips computed.
Extension: Say what the largest possible count for one of the two uncounted places could be, and what the smallest, and why neither can be settled exactly.

English learners

Counting and ordering transfer. What will not carry over is out of, which joins a count to a total in a phrase that contains no operation word at all — three out of thirteen looks like two separate numbers. Put the count card on top of a thirteen-square strip every time the phrase is said. Rehearsable frame: ____ out of ____ trips went to ____. Children may compare in their strongest language and then say the frame in English with the strip in view.

Materials

A five-row out-of sheet per pair
A pencil
Word cards: out of, altogether, highest, lowest

Standards & curriculum

These lessons are being matched against curricula now.

3. Where Should the Two Cars Go? Reasoning · Choosing where to look from a set of counts and defending the choice against a rival strategy

The book turns its chart into a decision: two cars, two places, and a puppy somewhere. One character argues from the tallest column, another points out that five different places are possible, and a third says the second highest count is almost as good. Children choose two places and have to defend the choice against the rival strategy of covering more ground. The demand is a decision made from counts where the counts do not settle it.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Read the three arguments (5 min)
Read the three sentences in which characters argue about where to look. Write beside each one which count it rests on.
Word preview: argument, count
So she's most likely to be at the walking trail.
THEY WENT TO FIVE DIFFERENT PLACES! BRADA COULD BE AT ANY OF THOSE!
So the chance she'd go back there is almost as high.
2. Choose two places (5 min)
You have two cars. Write the two places you would send them to and the counts that made you choose. You may not choose a place whose count you cannot name.
I can drive too. Let's take two cars and search in two different places.
3. Argue against the other strategy (6 min)
Another pair will argue for spreading the search across more places instead. Say out loud why your two places are worth more than their spread, with your counts in the sentence, and then listen to theirs.
SHE ONLY WENT TO THE SCHOOL YARD ON 1 OF THE 13 TRIPS, SO THE CHANCE OF HER GOING BACK THERE SEEMED THE LOWEST.
4. What would change your mind (4 min)
Say one thing that could be written in the notebook that would make you send a car somewhere else, and say what count it would have to have.
If Brada's scared, she'll go someplace she knows.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Choose two places (5 min)
Write the two places you would send the cars to and the counts that made you choose.
I can drive too. Let's take two cars and search in two different places.
2. What would change your mind (4 min)
Say one thing that could be in the notebook that would make you choose differently, and what count it would need.
If Brada's scared, she'll go someplace she knows.

Three levels

Support: Choose one place rather than two, from three places whose counts are written on cards. Saying what would change your mind stays.
At Grade: Three arguments read and their counts named, two places chosen with their counts, the choice argued aloud against the spreading strategy, and one mind-changing figure named.
Extension: Work out how many cars would be needed for the spreading strategy to beat yours, and say what you are assuming about where the puppy went.

English learners

Choosing and counting transfer. The English that does not is the language of a rival claim — almost as high, worth more than, instead — where two positions are compared rather than stated. Give two position cards, ours and theirs, and make each child put a count on both before speaking. Rehearsable frame: We should go to ____, because ____ out of ____ trips went there. Children may decide in their strongest language and then say the frame in English with both cards in view.

Materials

The three argument sentences, enlarged
A decision sheet per pair
A pencil
Word cards: argument, almost as high, instead, count

Standards & curriculum

These lessons are being matched against curricula now.

4. A Column of X's Representation · Building a bar chart of counts by the book's own method and reading the tallest column

A child in the book teaches another how to make a bar chart in two sentences: the places go along the bottom, and an X goes above a place for every time it was visited. Children build a chart from a list, read the tallest column, and then meet a problem the book leaves them — two of its pages give the walking trail a different count. What gets built is the chart as a thing that can be checked against the list it came from.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Put the places along the bottom (5 min)
Read the two sentences that say how to build the chart. Write your five places along the bottom of the squared paper, one to a column.
Word preview: column, bottom
First, you put the places where she's been at the bottom of the page instead of the top.
Then you put an X above the name of the place for every time she's been there.
2. One X for every visit (6 min)
Work down your list and put an X above the right place for every visit, crossing each one off the list as you use it. Do not stop to count until the list is empty.
3. Read the tallest column (5 min)
Find the tallest column and say which place it is. Then read the book's own sentence about its chart and say whether yours agrees.
Word preview: tallest
THAT COLUMN OF X'S IS THE TALLEST.
4. Two pages, two counts (4 min)
The book gives the walking trail a count of three on one page and five on the next. Hold both against your own chart and say which count your list could support, and how you would settle it if it were your notebook.
...AND THEY WENT TO THE WALKING TRAIL 5 TIMES.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Put the places along the bottom (5 min)
Read the two building sentences and write the five places along the bottom of the squared paper, one to a column.
First, you put the places where she's been at the bottom of the page instead of the top.
Then you put an X above the name of the place for every time she's been there.
2. Read the tallest column (4 min)
Build the columns from the list, then find the tallest and say which place it is.
THAT COLUMN OF X'S IS THE TALLEST.

Three levels

Support: Use a list of eight visits and three places, with the columns already ruled and labelled. Building the X's and reading the tallest column stay.
At Grade: Five places labelled, thirteen visits charted one at a time from a crossed off list, the tallest column read and compared with the book's, and the two conflicting counts held against the chart.
Extension: Make a second chart of the same list with the places in a different order along the bottom, and say what did and did not change.

English learners

Building the chart transfers, and the method is two sentences long. The piece that needs teaching is tallest standing for most — the word is about height on paper and the meaning is about a count, and a learner may look for the tallest place rather than the tallest column. Run a finger up a column while saying tallest, then point at the number of X's. Rehearsable frame: The tallest column is ____, so Brada went there ____ times. Children may read the chart in their strongest language and then say the frame in English with the chart in front of them.

Materials

Squared paper per pair
A list of thirteen visits per pair, in the order they happened
A pencil
The two conflicting sentences, enlarged
Word cards: column, bottom, tallest, chart

Standards & curriculum

These lessons are being matched against curricula now.

5. Counting the Calendar Fluency · Counting occurrences on a calendar and totalling the counts

Four children each count one kind of picture across a month's calendar and report a number. The book prints all four counts and never adds them, so the number of days the calendar actually records is the reader's to find. Children count four kinds of mark on a calendar grid, total them, and check the total against the number of squares filled. Practised as counting the same grid four times without losing place, using a different mark each time.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Count one kind at a time (6 min)
On your calendar grid, count the first kind of picture, touching each square once and marking it as you go. Write the count, then start again with the second kind.
Word preview: calendar, count
This is last month's class calendar.
ON ANY GIVEN DAY, WE USED FOCUS MITTS, JUMP ROPES, HELMETS, OR STRIKING PADS.
2. Write all four counts (5 min)
Finish all four counts and write them on the sheet. Compare your four numbers with the four the children in the book found.
TWELVE DAYS HAVE FOCUS MITTS.
There are 6 days when we used jump ropes.
3. Add them up (5 min)
Add your four counts. Say what your total is a count of, and then count the filled squares on the grid to check it.
Word preview: total
4. The squares with nothing on them (4 min)
Count the squares on your grid with no picture at all. Add that count to your total and say what the new number is a count of.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Count one kind at a time (5 min)
Count two of the four kinds of picture on the grid, touching and marking each square once, and write both counts.
This is last month's class calendar.
ON ANY GIVEN DAY, WE USED FOCUS MITTS, JUMP ROPES, HELMETS, OR STRIKING PADS.
2. Add them up (4 min)
Add the counts, say what the total counts, and check it against the filled squares.

Three levels

Support: Use a two-week grid and three kinds of picture. Counting one kind at a time, totalling and checking against the filled squares all stay.
At Grade: All four kinds counted on a month grid, four counts written and compared with the book's, the total found and checked against the filled squares, and the empty squares counted and added.
Extension: Work out how many days the book's own calendar records from its four printed counts, and say how many days of the month that leaves unaccounted for.

English learners

Counting transfers. What has to be built from scratch is that total needs a noun after it to mean anything — a total of what — and this lesson has three different answers to that question in four minutes: days with one kind of gear, days with any gear, days in the month. Write the noun under every number before moving on. Rehearsable frame: My total is ____, and it counts ____. Children may total in their strongest language and then say the frame in English with the grid in front of them.

Materials

A month calendar grid per pair with four kinds of picture
Four coloured pencils per pair
A four-row count sheet per pair
Word cards: calendar, count, total, altogether

Standards & curriculum

These lessons are being matched against curricula now.