Title: Compare groups of objects using greater, less and equal to symbols

Topic: Inequalities

Grade: Kindergarten

Rationale: Students should be able to identify whether a group of objects is greater than, less
than or equal to another. By doing this through the use of greater than, less than and equal to
symbols they will have a visual representation of the relationship between the value of each
group. Comparing numbers is an important part of the understanding the mathematical concepts
of greater than and less than, also for developing skills for making logical guesses.

Standards:
Reason abstractly and quantitavely:

Explain the relationship between quantities in problem situations

Represent situations using symbols (e.g., writing expressions or equations)
Create representations that fit the problem
Objectives:

Students will be able to identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater
than, less than or equal to the number of objects in another group by using counting and
matching strategies.
Motivation: Read aloud of Just Enough Carrots by Stuart J. Murphy

Materials/Manipulatives:

Just Enough Carrots by Stuart J. Murphy

Counters (double sided)
Plastic cup
Handout
Crayons (red and yellow)
Pencils
Stickers (any red and yellow stickers to give students a visual on their handout)
Grouping: Students will work with one partner; they will however be given their own handout
to document their data on.

Procedure:
Step 1: The lesson will begin with an interactive read aloud of Just Enough Carrots by Stuart
J. Murphy
Students will engage in an interactive read aloud where they will listen to the book answer
questions and be encouraged to ask questions related to the content of the book.
Students will be engaged by answering questions such as "Would you eat more carrots than the
rabbit would eat?" "Would you eat the same amount of worms that the birds would eat?" "Would
you eat fewer worms?"
Step 2: Demonstrate activity to students then have them do it on their own
Students will work in heterogeneous groups of two; they will be given 10 two-color
counting chips, one plastic cup, two handouts (one for each student), one yellow
crayon and one red crayon. The handout they will be given will have two fishbowls,
the number they will write in each fishbowl will represent the number of fish the
shark will be earing. They will be told to keep in mind that the shark eats the larger
number therefore he will eat the group with more fish.
One student shakes the chips in the cup and pours them out on the table.
The other student writes how many of each color chip they have and writes the
number inside of the fishbowl on the hand out they were given.
Then the partners trade places and repeat the steps, this will be done a total of four
times between both partners.

Step 3: The tables in the classroom are set up in such way that 6 students can sit at each table,
that will be 3 pairs of partners. Each table will take part in their own small group discussion
where students will talk about any difficulties they had, the numbers that they compared and any
strategies they used to help them during the lesson.

Students will also complete an exit slip to show that they have grasped an understanding of the
content.

Strategies:

Use of manipulatives
Using counting and matching strategies
Activate prior knowledge with read aloud
Modeling
Pairing heterogeneously.

Multiple entry points:

Give students an additional visual representation of the amount of fish in each fishbowl
by having them put the corresponding amount of stickers to represent each the amount of
fish in the bowl.
Students will work in heterogeneous groups allowing for peer scaffolding
Students who need additional support will work with teacher or teacher aide
Students will work with smaller numbers 1-5 if this proves to be too difficult for them
Students will work with larger numbers 1-20 if this proves to be easy for them.
Long/short term assessments:

Teacher will monitor student progress by walking around the class during the lesson
checking their work and listening to students discussions.
 Students will be asked to go home and take an adventure walk through their school and
then their house. On this walk they will answer the following questions:

At home: Are there more toothbrushes or bars of soap in the bathroom? In the kitchen,
are there more cups, bowls, or plates on the table at breakfast?

In the classroom: Are there more boys or girls? Fewer boys than girls? The same
number? They will then discuss their findings in school the next day.
Student Reflection: Students will reflect on the lesson through a math discussion, they will
discuss what they have learned and any difficulties they may have had.
Questions such as the following may be asked:

What did you learn about the relationship between groups?

What are the symbols for greater than, less than and equal to? Have students draw them
on the board
Made two groups of object on the board and have students decide the relationship
between both numbers.
Did you have any trouble understanding the topic of the lesson?
What could I have done differently to help you better understand?
Next Steps: Students enjoyed the lesson very much. They were able to relate to the concept of a
shark eating a group of fish. Although stickers were intended to be a form of differentiation, all
students were eager to represent the number of fish in their bowl with stickers. I realized that
they should have been given this option, or the option to draw the fish on their own in order to
ensure that they have a visual representation as opposed to simply a number corresponding to the
amount of fish in each group. Working with a group of four students allowed me to scaffold the
lesson when needed. One group of students had a bit of trouble with the counting chips; instead I
gave each group two different color dice to roll to get two groups of fishes. The use of dice
was much more effective.