Numbers Numbers What Are You?

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling

• Read aloud Fish EyesBy Lois Ehlert and pause to point out the number of fish on each page.
• As you read, model counting the number of fish, and record the numbers on the board for students to reference.

Guided practise

• When you finish the book. Go back to a few different pages and ask students the following questions:
  • How many fish are on this page?
  • How many more fish are on this page than the last page.
  • How do you know?
• Group students into pairs.
• Pass out maths manipulatives to student pairs.
• Choose one of the numbers (1–10) and have students practise finding the same number of manipulatives and counting to check their number.

Independent working time

• Explain that now students will get to practise drawing their own number pictures, just like in the book.
• Write a number between 1–10 on the board and tell students that they will be creating a maths picture using that number, just like in the book.
• Model creating a simple picture of something using a different number (e.g., draw two birds for the number two) on the board. Make sure to also model how to write the number on the top of your page.
• Pass out unlined paper and pencils/crayons/markers to each student and have them create their maths picture independently.