When selecting student responses, consider your learning goal. This may vary depending on grade level. This question will elicit counting on, but it can also be used in discussion with the beginning stages of Up and Over ten. 

When sequencing student responses, consider the order that will best lead to the learning goal. If a student response does not come up when monitoring student work, consider demonstrating that response and which skills/activities students need to lead them the targeted strategy. 

The purpose of the consolidation is to generalize addition as the combination of two parts. 

If a student has modeled the situation using a part-whole mat, consider showing that strategy first to show how the student used the context to fill in the part-whole mat. Consider asking students how we know which number goes with which portion of the mat? If a student did not use a part-whole mat, it could be done during this consolidation phase. Demonstrate that the two amounts would come together to make a whole.

Direct modeling (the student uses concrete materials or a drawing to help solve the problem) and counting all (the student uses concrete materials or drawings to model all of the numbers in the problem and then counts all of the items represented) is a starting point for any student. It is an important stage and shows that students do understand the context of the question. The goal of this lesson/unit is to encourage students to move away from counting all and into storing one number and only having to track one amount. Direct modeling is still an important phase and is often a phase that students will use when the numbers become bigger or situation type is harder. Therefore, still value this strategy by showing a student who has used it.

This video may be use to support demonstrating “Direct Modelling and counting all”:

The counting principle of cardinality (the last number stated when counting a group of objects represents how many objects there are) may need to be explored to support a transition from direct modelling and counting all to counting on. When a student has developed the understanding of cardinality, a consolidation of the direct modelling and counting all strategy could be questioned with “Do we need to count these objects again if we already know that there are ____ of them?”. 

Click here for more information on the counting principles.

As a way to move students towards counting on, consider using an action. The goal of counting on is to start counting from one amount and give each item in the second amount an additional count.

Demonstrate how students can use an action to support remembering one of the counts by “placing one number in their head”. Show the movement of touching your hand to your head as you say the number out loud.

“We have 8 cars, I am going to put that number in my head so I don’t forget” (demonstrate that action and have the students try it too). 

This video may be used to demonstrate counting on using fingers as trackers:

Highlight options for students to be about to count on the other amount. By using student strategies, show how students can use their fingers to track the second amount or a numberline (draw one or use classroom number line).

This unit continues with additional opportunities for students to practice counting on.

Consult the assessment tracker used during the Sense Making portion. Did students have a strategy? Were students able to at least direct model? It is possible that not all of the students were observed/talked to during the Sense Making portion, ensure that those students are observed/talked to first on day 2. As the unit progresses, this data will be used to inform instruction and create small group/ whole class support.