Sharing Equally

Active learning works for sharing equally because young children build fairness concepts through touch and movement. Handling objects lets them test ideas like 'same amount' in real time, turning abstract rules into clear evidence. Movement between groups also strengthens one-to-one matching, a foundation for later division skills.

• Senior Infants
• Foundations of Mathematical Thinking
• 4 activities
• 15 min–35 min

Learning Objectives

1. Demonstrate the process of sharing a set of objects equally among a specified number of groups using concrete materials.
2. Compare the number of objects in each group after partitioning a set to determine if the sharing is equal.
3. Identify the number of objects each person receives when a small set is shared equally.
4. Explain verbally why a particular sharing arrangement is fair or unfair, referencing the number of objects in each group.

Experiential Learning

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Pair Share: Counter Circles

Give each pair 10 counters and numeral cards (2, 5, or 10 friends). Children form equal groups around the card, count each share, and draw it. Pairs compare results and explain their sharing method to the class.

Prepare & details

Can you share these 6 counters equally between 2 friends?

Facilitation Tip: During Pair Share, circulate and ask each pair to explain their count aloud so children practice verbalizing their thinking.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Small Group: Toy Shop Fairness

Provide small groups with 12 toy animals and customer cards (3 or 4 customers). Groups share animals equally among customers, use linking chains to check equality, and role-play selling fair shares. Record with simple tallies.

Prepare & details

How many does each person get if we share fairly?

Facilitation Tip: In Toy Shop Fairness, assign roles like shopkeeper and customer to give purpose to the division task.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 20 min·Whole Class

Whole Class: Storytime Shares

Read a story about friends sharing sweets. Display 9 large sweets on the board. Class votes on friend numbers (3 or 9), then shares by chanting counts and holding up fingers for each share. Discuss fairness.

Prepare & details

Is the sharing fair — does everyone have the same amount?

Facilitation Tip: During Storytime Shares, pause after each share to let children predict totals or check fairness before turning the page.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 15 min·Individual

Individual: Draw Your Share

Each child draws 8 apples and a line for 2 or 4 friends. They colour equal shares in each section, label the number each gets, and share their drawing with a partner for a fairness check.

Prepare & details

Can you share these 6 counters equally between 2 friends?

Facilitation Tip: For Draw Your Share, provide dotted paper to support neat representations of equal groups.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teachers focus on concrete materials first, then link these actions to spoken words and written symbols. They avoid rushing to symbols before children can physically demonstrate equal shares. Research shows that repeated hands-on practice with the same small totals builds confidence before introducing larger numbers or remainders. Movement between groups helps students notice patterns in how totals change when more people share.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like children using materials to create equal groups without prompting, explaining their process in simple terms, and correcting unequal shares independently. By the end, students should recognize that fairness means identical amounts per person, not just physical arrangements.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Pair Share, watch for children arranging counters in rows but not checking if each row has the same number. Redirect by asking, 'Does each friend have the same amount? Count them to check.'

What to Teach Instead

After Pair Share, if a child says sharing failed because 'there were too many people,' hand them counters and say, 'Let’s try again with 6 counters for 2 friends. Give one to each friend each time until all are shared.'

Common Misconception

During Toy Shop Fairness, watch for students giving extra items to customers who complain first. Say, 'Fairness means the same amount for everyone, so let’s check each customer’s share together.'

What to Teach Instead

During Toy Shop Fairness, if a student insists a remainder means sharing failed, ask them to show how many full shares each friend received and how many are left over before deciding fairness.

Common Misconception

During Storytime Shares, watch for children assuming a bigger group automatically gets more items. Pause and say, 'Look at the picture: if 4 friends share 8 blocks, how many does each get? Now imagine 8 friends share 8 blocks.'

What to Teach Instead

After Storytime Shares, ask students to compare two story shares side by side and describe what happened to the amount each person got when the group size changed.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

After Pair Share, present the student with 8 counters and ask them to share equally between 2 dolls. Observe if they distribute one counter at a time to each doll until all counters are gone. Ask, 'How many counters does each doll have?'

Discussion Prompt

During Toy Shop Fairness, show a picture of 6 apples shared between 3 children, where one child has 3 apples and the other two have 1 each. Ask, 'Is this sharing fair? Why or why not? How could we make it fair?' Listen for explanations related to equal amounts.

Exit Ticket

After Draw Your Share, give each student a small bag with 4 small objects. Ask them to draw a picture showing how they would share these objects equally between themselves and one friend. They should then write or state how many objects each person gets.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to find three different ways to share 12 counters equally between 3 friends, recording each arrangement in a grid.
• Scaffolding: Provide a ten-frame for students to fill with counters before drawing their share to support counting and grouping.
• Deeper exploration: Introduce the word 'remainder' after students repeatedly encounter totals that cannot divide evenly, using examples like 7 counters for 2 friends to discuss fairness and leftovers.

Key Vocabulary

Share Equally	To divide a group of items so that each person or group receives the same number of items.
Fair Share	An amount that is equal for everyone involved in a sharing situation.
Group	A collection of items that are put together, often for the purpose of sharing or counting.
Counters	Objects, such as blocks or buttons, used to represent numbers or items when solving math problems.