Unit 5, Lesson 14
Around the School (Optional)
Grade 2
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
This lesson is optional because it does not address any new mathematical content standards. This lesson does provide students with an opportunity to apply precursor skills of mathematical modeling (MP4).
In previous lessons, students were introduced to a hundred as a unit made up of 10 tens. They also learned that the three digits in a three-digit number represent hundreds, tens, and ones. In this lesson, students consider the magnitude of different numbers and decide what those numbers might represent in their school.
- Create (orally and in writing) examples and non-examples of collections of objects that could be represented by a given number.
- Explain (orally) estimation strategies.
- Let’s think about what numbers can represent in a school.
Required Preparation
- Find out the exact number of two different items in your classroom. Try to find two items with very different quantities such as base-ten blocks and desks. Record those numbers on a class chart like this:
number It might represent: It could not represent:
Modify the lesson by replacing the around-the-school theme with a nature theme. In the Activity Synthesis of the Warm-up, ask: “What are some things in nature that we can estimate or count?” (eggs in a nest, birds on a branch, seeds in a sunflower, apples on a tree, peas in a pod, cows in a herd, stars in the sky)
In Activity 1, ”What Could It Be?,” invite students to think about what each number in the table could represent in nature and what it could not represent. Provide a non-example: “I know the number one could not represent the number of wings on a bird, because birds have two wings.”
Environmental Principles & Concepts
Teacher Reflection Questions
Identify who has been sharing their ideas in class lately. Make a note of students whose ideas have not been shared and look for an opportunity for them to share their thinking in tomorrow’s lesson.