Count On It: Adding and Subtracting

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling

• Divide students into groups of three to five. Have students move to their game boards.
• Have students line up single file and stand in front of a board or drawn out squares with chalk, numbered to 12.
• Tell the students that they will take turns so that each student will get a chance.
• Assign the first student in line as the roller. The roller will roll the dice for each player still in line.
• Once each student in a group has had a turn, have the next student swap positions with the roller. The first person assigned as the roller will now become a player.
• Instruct the player to toss a bean bag on one of the squares. When the roller rolls the dice, direct the player to make an equation for the number the bean bag landed on and the number the dice landed on.
• Have the player hop to the answer of the problem, counting as she goes. For example, if the bean bag lands on the 4 square and the dice lands on the 6, the player will give the equation 4 + 6 = 10 and then count as she hops to 10.

Guided Practice

• Direct your students to play a few rounds of the game.

Independent working time

• Using the Count Place on a Lace activity, have students roll two die and write the equation using the numbers rolled and the sum, or added total, or difference, or total result after subtraction, of those numbers, depending on the skill being worked on.
• Have students check their work using the laces.
• Instruct your students to complete 6 equations, recording the numbers rolled as they work.