Understanding the concept of equality is fundamental to the success of young mathematicians. To explore this basic idea, children compare the dots arranged in pairs of rectangles in order to determine whether or not they contain an equal number. For those sets of boxes that are equal, young learners write an equation that represents the situation. Work through these problems as a whole group, drawing the pictures on the white board and allowing children to work on them independently or in pairs before discussing the solutions as a class.

Concepts

number sentence, numbers

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Additional Tags

number sentence, equality, addition equation, comparing amounts, equals sign, math

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Pros

• Activity involves small numbers that allow children to focus on understanding the concept of equality
• Images challenge learners by showing the dots in a variety of different patterns
• Offers links to additional articles on how students understand equality

Cons

• Assumes students are familiar with writing number sentences

Common Core

1.OA.D.7 MP6 MP7