Lesson 1

The purpose of this warm-up is for students to practice the verbal count sequence to 10 and show quantities with their fingers.

• “Let’s count to 10.”
• Count to 10 as a class.

• “As I count to 10, put up 1 finger for each number.”
• Count to 10 as students put up their fingers.
• Demonstrate counting to 10, putting up 1 finger for each number.
• “Now let’s count to 10 with our fingers. Each time you say a number, put up 1 finger.”
• Count to 10 as a class using fingers 2–3 times. 

• “As you count and put up your fingers, I will write the numbers.”
• Write numbers 1–10 as students count and put up their fingers.

The purpose of this activity is for students to recognize and name quantities 1–10 represented on fingers. Students may count to determine how many fingers are held up in this activity. With repeated experience, students begin to recognize quantities represented with fingers without counting (MP7, MP8).

• Groups of 2
• Hold up 3 fingers. 
• “How many fingers am I holding up?”
• 30 seconds: quiet think time
• Share responses.
• Repeat with 6 fingers.
• “Take turns playing with your partner. One partner holds up some fingers. The other partner figures out how many fingers they are holding up.”

• 5 minutes: partner work time

• Hold up 2 fingers.
• “How do you know how many fingers I am holding up?” (I can just see that there are 2.)
• Hold up 5 fingers.
• “How do you know how many fingers I am holding up?” (I know that there are 5 fingers on a hand.)
• “In the next activity, we will practice showing a given number with our fingers.”

The purpose of this activity is for students to show quantities 1–10 with fingers. Students may count each finger to show the given amount or may automatically know how many fingers to hold up.

• Groups of 2

• “When I say a number, hold up that many fingers. Then check with your partner to see if you are holding up the same number of fingers.”
• Write or display “1”.
• “Hold up 1 finger.”
• 30 seconds: independent work time
• “Check with your partner to see if you are holding up the same number of fingers.”
• 1 minute: partner discussion
• Repeat the steps with the rest of the numbers. Write or display and say each number from the student workbook.

• “Show a number using only one hand.”
• “Show a number using two hands.”
• “Which numbers can you show on one hand?” (I can show 3 on one hand with 3 fingers. I can hold up 5 fingers.)
• “Which numbers do you need two hands to show?” (I need two hands to show 10 fingers. There are only 5 fingers on my hand so I need the other hand to show more than 5.)

The purpose of this activity is for students to learn stage 1 of the Math Fingers center. Students hold up the number of fingers shown on a card and their partner determines how many fingers they are holding up. While students may put up fingers in any order, demonstrate by raising fingers starting with the right pinky with palms facing out towards students. Students may count the fingers or recognize the quantity without counting. Students may also count on from 5 to determine how many fingers when 6–10 fingers are displayed. When students connect the number shown on the card to the number of fingers they hold up, they reason abstractly and quantitatively (MP2).

After they participate in the center, students choose from any stage of previously introduced centers.

• Pattern Blocks
• Picture Books

Students will choose from these centers throughout the section. Keep materials from these centers organized to use each day. 

• Gather materials from: 
  • Pattern Blocks, Stages 1-3
  • Picture Books, Stages 1 and 2

• Groups of 2
• Display a card.
• “Hold up your fingers like you see on the card.”
• 30 seconds: independent work time
• “How many fingers are you holding up?”

• Give each group of students a set of cards.
• “Flip over one card and put it in between you and your partner. Decide who will go first.”
• “One partner will hold up their fingers like the fingers on the card. The other partner will figure out and say how many fingers their partner is holding up. Take turns playing with your partner.”
• 4 minutes: partner work time
• “Now you can choose another center. You can also continue playing Math Fingers.”
• Display the center choices in the student book.
• Invite students to work at the center of their choice. 
• 10 minutes: center work time
• If time, invite students to choose another center.

• “Today we learned a new center using our fingers and cards. What can you do to take care of the cards to make sure that we can use them to play the game again?” (We can make sure we don’t bend them. We can make sure we put them all back when we are done.)