Ray's New Primary Arithmetic · Lesson VII · Unit 2: First number facts with counters

7. Putting small groups together

Goal: Your child finds the total of two small groups up to 10 using counters, and begins to say the facts aloud.

⏱ About 15 minutes · 4 steps

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You'll need

  • About 20 small counters: dried beans, buttons, pennies or pebbles (the book suggests marbles, beans or pebbles)

What's in the book

Questions to answer with counters or bits of card, such as "How many are 4 and 1? How many are 3 and 2?" The note says the counters should be set out in separate groups, one for each number.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Two groups

    Put out 3 beans and, a little apart, 2 beans.

    SayHere are 3 beans and here are 2. How many are 3 and 2?

    Let your child push them together and count.

  2. Say the fact

    Have your child say the whole sentence: "3 and 2 are 5." This is how Ray's writes every fact.

  3. Work through the book's questions

    Read the questions from the book page one at a time. Your child sets out each group, then answers.

  4. Same answer, different way

    Ask: How many are 4 and 1? How many are 1 and 4? Show that the groups are the same, just swapped.

Afterwards

Do a few counter questions every day this week, using different small objects.

@teddyrookbook GitHub