LESSON PLAN

Ways to Make 5

Apothem Team

Kindergarten · Number

LESSON AT A GLANCE

Warm-up

5 min

Explore

15 min

Consolidate

10 min

Practice

12 min

Exit reflection

3 min

Warm-up

Hold up 4 fingers. 'How many? How many more to make 5?' Do this a few times with different quantities. Then do it with both hands: 'I'm showing you 5 and 5. How many altogether?' This activates the benchmark 5 and previews 10.

Explore

Give each student a five-frame and 5 two-colour counters. They flip all counters and record the combination shown (e.g., 3 red and 2 yellow = a way to make 5). Continue until they believe they've found all the ways. Ask: 'How do you know you've found them all?'

Consolidate

Practice

Students pick a secret number 1–5 and show it two different ways on their five-frame. A partner guesses the number. Exit: 'Show me a way to make 5 using your fingers.'

Exit reflection

TIP Use 'Give me 5' as a consistent signal throughout the year — it reinforces the benchmark subconsciously every time you use it.

WORKED EXAMPLES

A student says 3+2 and 2+3 are different ways to make 5. Are they?

They are the same total — 5 — but they are different arrangements (order matters in some contexts). Honor the student's observation: 'You noticed that the order can switch! That's a big idea we'll keep exploring.'

How do you use a five-frame to show 4?

Place 4 counters filling from left to right, leaving the last space empty. The empty space makes '1 away from 5' visible without counting.

MATERIALS

•Five-frames (one per student)

•Two-colour counters or coloured cubes

•Fingers!

•Recording sheet for 'ways to make 5'

•Linking cubes in two colours

WATCH FOR

!Students may think (3,2) and (2,3) are completely different facts — they're not wrong, but help them see the relationship.

!Some students will place counters randomly rather than in a systematic left-to-right order. Modelling the convention helps consistency.