Explain that numbers can represent how many objects there are in a set

I can recognise how many objects there are in a small set without counting them.

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Year 1

Explain that numbers can represent how many objects there are in a set

I can recognise how many objects there are in a small set without counting them.

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Share activities with pupils

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Lesson details

Key learning points

Counting rhymes help to link the name with the numeral, the cardinal value and the position in the linear number system.
Numbers can represent how many objects there are in a set.
For small sets, we can subitise to identify quantity instead of counting.

Keywords

Count - To say the number words in order, the last number tells how many there are in the whole set.
Subitise - Instantly recognising the number of objects in a small group, without counting.
Zero to ten

Common misconception

Children may rely on counting all and may not count accurately when given unfamiliar arrangements.

Children need to build familiarity with different arrangements of number. Comment on what you notice eg. 'I can see 3 and 1, I can see 4'.

This lesson helps children to move away from counting to 5 to perceptual, and then conceptual, subitising. Explore further arrangements that encourage conceptual subitising throughout the day e.g. show 4 as 2 fingers on one hand and 2 on the other.

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).