Animals Lesson Plan for 1st Grade Students

Topic: animals

Objectives & Outcomes

• By the end of this lesson, students will be able to count from one to 20 and understand the concept of adding and subtracting numbers in groups or individually.

Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Worksheets with counting exercises (e.g. 1-20 counting challenge, adding and subtracting numbers up to 5)
• Class set of manipulatives (e.g. counters, unifix cubes, legos)

Warm-up

• Review the concept of counting by ones, starting at any number.
• Ask the students to count out loud with you, starting at any number. For example, if you start at 5, have the students say "5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10".
• Once the students are comfortable with counting by ones, challenge them to count by fives, then by tens.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of counting by twos, threes, fours, and sixes.
• Have the students practice counting by these numbers with you, starting at any number. For example, if you start at 5, have the students say "5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12".
• Introduce the concept of adding and subtracting numbers in groups.
• Have the students practice adding and subtracting numbers in groups with you, using manipulatives such as blocks or cubes. For example, if you have a group of 4 blocks, and you want to add 2 more blocks, what number should you add to make 6? If you have a group of 6 blocks, and you want to subtract 3 more blocks, what number should you subtract to make 3?

Guided Practice

• Have the students work with a partner or small group to continue practicing counting by twos, threes, fours, and sixes, as well as adding and subtracting numbers in groups.
• Provide guidance and support as needed, but allow the students to practice the skills on their own.

Independent Practice

• For their independent practice, have the students create a zoo-themed picture book. They can choose a theme and create a story around it, incorporating animals and their counting skills.
• To ensure the students are using their counting skills correctly, have them include a count by twos, threes, fours, and sixes in their stories. Also, have them include addition and subtraction within their stories (e.g. -Bob has two elephants and three lions. How many animals does Bob have in his zoo?---Five.).

Closure

• To wrap up the lesson, have the students share their picture books with the class. Ask them to explain the counting and addition and subtraction they included in their stories.

Assessment

• Observe the students during the independent practice activity and make sure they are understanding the material.
• Collect the students' picture books and use them to assess their understanding of counting and addition and subtraction.
• Ask the students questions about their books to gauge their understanding and ability to apply the material.