Addition Strategies: Counting On
Moving from counting all to using the 'counting on' strategy for addition within 20.
Key Questions
- Explain how counting on is more efficient than counting all objects for addition.
- Compare counting on from the first number versus counting on from the larger number.
- Predict how knowing 3 + 7 helps you solve 7 + 3.
Ontario Curriculum Expectations
About This Topic
Properties of Materials focuses on the characteristics of the 'stuff' around us. Students learn to observe, describe, and classify materials based on properties like texture, color, transparency, and flexibility. This is a foundational skill in the Ontario Science and Technology curriculum, linking directly to how we choose materials for specific purposes in engineering and daily life. It also provides an opportunity to discuss traditional materials used by Indigenous peoples, such as birch bark or cedar, and why they were chosen for their unique properties.
By testing materials, students begin to understand that an object's function is often determined by what it is made of. This topic is highly interactive, as students must touch, bend, and look through objects to truly understand their properties. Students grasp this concept faster through structured discovery where they can compare materials side-by-side.
Active Learning Ideas
Stations Rotation: The Mystery Bag
Students reach into bags containing different materials (felt, plastic, wood, metal) without looking. They must describe the texture and flexibility to their group, who then guesses the material based on the description.
Inquiry Circle: The Waterproof Test
Groups predict which materials (paper, foil, fabric, plastic) will keep a 'dry' cotton ball safe from a water dropper. They perform the test and record which materials are waterproof and which are absorbent.
Think-Pair-Share: Why This Material?
Show students an unusual object, like a metal pillow or a glass hammer. Pairs discuss why these materials are a 'bad fit' for the object's job and suggest a better material based on its properties.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionHard materials are always stronger than soft ones.
What to Teach Instead
Students often think 'hard' equals 'best.' Through hands-on testing, show how a 'soft' rubber band is stronger for holding things together than a 'hard' but brittle toothpick, which snaps easily.
Common MisconceptionObjects and materials are the same thing.
What to Teach Instead
Students might call a chair 'wood' or a spoon 'metal.' Peer teaching activities where students identify the object (spoon) and then the material (plastic vs. metal) help clarify this distinction.
Suggested Methodologies
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Planning templates for Mathematics
5E Model
The 5E Model structures lessons through five phases (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate), guiding students from curiosity to deep understanding through inquiry-based learning.
unit plannerMath Unit
Plan a multi-week math unit with conceptual coherence: from building number sense and procedural fluency to applying skills in context and developing mathematical reasoning across a connected sequence of lessons.
rubricMath Rubric
Build a math rubric that assesses problem-solving, mathematical reasoning, and communication alongside procedural accuracy, giving students feedback on how they think, not just whether they got the right answer.
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