Annie Greenberg

Teaching Internship
Lesson Plan 1

Topic: Using Number Lines to Count On and Count Back

Essential Questions:

How can I use a number line to find the sum of two numbers?
How can I use a number line to find the difference between two numbers?
Why are number lines not always the same?

Primary Content Objectives:

Students will know:

Number lines show the relative distance between numbers

Plus, more, count on, and sum mean the same thingto add.
Minus, less, count back, and difference mean the same thingto subtract.

Students will understand:

Number lines are not all the same; existing numbers are used to determine the value
between each space on the number line

Students will be able to do:

Use a number line to count forward and backwards by twos, fives, and tens
Use a number line to find the sum and difference of two whole numbers

Related state or national standards:

VA SOLs
(Primary objective) Number and Number Sense
Focus: Place Value, Number Patterns, and Fraction Concepts

2.4 The student will:

a) count forward by twos, fives, and tens to 100, starting at various multiples of 2, 5,
or 10;
b) count backward by tens from 100

(Secondary objectives) Computation and Estimation

Focus: Number Relationships and Operations

2.6 The student, given two whole numbers whose sum is 99 or less, will:
b) find the sum, using various methods of calculation
2.7 The student, given two whole numbers, each of which is 99 or less, will
b) find the difference, using various methods of calculation

Assessment:
Students will be formatively assessed through the use of teacher observation and a graphic
organizer. I will observe students as they practice using number lines and as they complete the
graphic organizer. If I see students misusing the number line or struggling to complete a part of
the graphic organizer, I will work with the student individually to determine where the
misunderstanding takes place. If I see multiple students struggling with the activity, I will stop
the activity and re-model how to use number lines to solve the problem that is stumping multiple
students. At the end of the activity, I will look over students work and check to see if students
were able to accurately count up, count down, add, and subtract. This information will determine
whether or not students need more practice using number lines.
Since this lesson may be the first encounter students have with a number line, there will be no
summative assessment. Students will not receive a grade for this lesson, but they will ultimately
be graded on using number lines and counting at the end of September when they take a unit test.

Materials and Resources:

6 dry-erase number line strips (or enough for each student)

6 green, red, and black dry-erase markers (or enough for each student)
One dry-erase number line strip for the teacher
Green, red, and black dry-erase markers for the teacher
Using Number Lines graphic organizer (enough for each student)
Pencils
Green colored pencils
Red colored pencils

Key Vocabulary and Definitions:

Sum= the result of adding numbers (source: Merriam-Websters Student Dictionary)

Difference= the number that is obtained by subtracting one number from another (source:
Merriam-Websters Student Dictionary)

Lesson Procedures:
Note: This lesson is a station in a math rotation. I will only work with 4-6 students at a time. The
total amount of time for each rotation is 20 minutes.
1. Introduction and goal orientation: (approx. 2 minutes)

Hold up a blank dry-erase number line and ask students if they know what it is.
Have the student share their comments about number lines.
Using a dry erase marker, circle two places on the number line and tell students
that number lines help us figure out how much space is between two numbers.
Explain that number lines help you count on or add, and how they help you
count back or subtract. I will model counting on and counting back using my
hands and example numbers.

2. Connecting to prior knowledge and experiences: (approx. 5 minutes)

Let students know that number lines are not all the same. Point out how the value
of each tick mark on the number line changes based on the other numbers.
Demonstrate this concept by writing in numbers on the number line. Start with
each tick mark having a value of one, then make the values two, and finally make
the values five. Ask students to help you skip count each tick mark, since students
have already learned to skip count.
Circle two new points on the number line and only write down one number. Tell
students that each tick mark has a value of one, two, five, or ten (pick one). Have
students skip count forward to find the other circled number. Have students skip
count backwards. Make sure the students get the connection with addition and
subtraction by writing the equation alongside of the number line. Repeat the
activity until students are able to skip count forwards and backwards on a number
line without assistance.
Students should already know what the terms sum and difference mean, so I
will not explicitly teach the vocabulary terms unless a student is unsure.
Throughout my explanation of the lesson, I will use the terms plus, more,
count on, sum, and add interchangeably. I will do the same with the terms
minus, less, count back, difference, and subtract. I will point out how
these words represent the same idea when they are used to describe a number line.
3. Tasks and activities: (approx. 12 minutes)
Pass out the graphic organizer, dry-erase number lines, and dry-erase markers to
each student.
Give the students 30 seconds to draw and write on the dry-erase number lines
however they please. This 30-second break should help relieve the urge to play
with the dry-erase markers. After 30 seconds, get the students attention and ask
them to calmly wipe off their boards and focus on the model number line.
Read the directions on the front side of the graphic organizer. Use a green and red
dry-erase marker to model how to count forward, making sure to say each number
aloud as you count. Students will use green and red on the graphic organizer, so
make sure students clearly understand the procedure. At first use a number line
where every tick mark represents one. Repeat the same modeling procedure but
use number lines that go by twos, fives, and tens. Allow students to work out the
problems alongside the teacher. While modeling, ask students questions such as,
What type of math problem are we doing here? to help students make the
connection to addition and subtraction.

Point out how number lines continue in each direction, and ask students if number
lines have to start at zero (some students may have this misconception). Call on a
few students to share their thoughts, and create a number line that does not start at
zero.
Ask students to work on the graphic organizer. Monitor students and answer any
questions as necessary. If a student looks confused, ask the student questions such
as tell me what you are thinking or what should you do to to help the
student get back on track. If students finish quickly, present that student with an
additional problem on their wipe-off number line. Make the problem harder by
not labeling all of the tick marks or increasing the difficulty of the addition and
subtraction problem.

4. Closure: (approx. 1 minute)

Collect graphic organizers and materials. Ask students to hold their thumbs up if
they feel comfortable using number lines, thumbs sideways if they want more
practice, and thumbs down if they are still confused. Use this information to help
determine whether or not more explanation/practice is necessary.

Accommodations for individual differences:

For early finishers or advanced students, I will present students with number lines that are not
already filled in. I will simply create a number line on their dry-erase sheet and write down a
new equation to solve. Students will need to count how many tally marks there are between two
numbers and determine how to accurately fill in the number line. I can also give students harder
questions (such as 139-56), which require students to break down the number line in chunks of
10s, 5s, or 1s. While I will not explicitly teach this procedure in the lesson, it will pose a
challenge to students who excel at the lesson.
For students who struggle with the activity, I can modify the number lines by making each tick
mark stand for one. As the student gets more comfortable using the number line, I can encourage
the student to show their work by skip counting over two or five spaces. I can also allow the
student to solve the addition or subtraction problem using a method they already know, and then
they can use the number line to check their work.

Using Number Lines Graphic Organizer (front)

Using Number Lines Graphic Organizer (back)