Kacey Costal

October 18th, 2019

MATH LESSON PLAN

I. Topic
Comparing numbers 1-10 using the greater than, less than, and equal to symbols.
II. Reference to PA or Common Core Standard(s)
Standard - CC.2.1.K.A.3: Apply the concept of magnitude to compare numbers and quantities.

III. Learning Objectives

Students will be able to compare two numbers between 0 and 10 using greater than, less than, or
equal to.

IV. Materials
Urple and Burple by Education.com
Reference posters
Greater than, Less than, and equal to laminated alligators
Unifix cubes
Bags
Unifix Comparing sheet
Fruity Number Fun worksheet
Comparing Numbers worksheet
V. A. Introduction
 “I need all the boys to stand on this side of the rug and all the girls to stand on this side.
Are there more boys or girls? How do you know? Good work, you have just compared
numbers, which is what our lesson is all about today. We are going to start by watching a
fun book about two brothers, Urple and Burple who are also learning to compare
numbers.”
 Teacher should check for understanding as the book is playing by asking questions. The
questions may include, “Does it look like they have an equal or the same amount of
sheep? Who has more turnips?”

B. Lesson Development (Activities, Procedures)

 “Today we will be talking three symbols, which we use to compare numbers, they are called
greater than, less than, and equal to.”
 The teacher will pull out the reference posters to define each one.
 “Greater than means my first number is bigger than the second. I have five hearts here which
are greater than the three hearts on this side. Can you make this symbol with your hands?”
“Less than means my first number is smaller than the second. I have two stars here, which is
less than the three stars on this side. Can you make this symbol with your hands?”
 “Lastly, equal to means I have the same amount or numbers on both sides. I have six triangles
here and here, which means they are equal to. Let’s practice making this symbol with our
hands too.”
 The teacher will reinforce the symbols with the laminated alligator symbols.
 “Another way that helps me remember which symbol is which, is to imagine it as an alligator’s
mouth open. An alligator will always want to eat the bigger amount of fish. So, his mouth
 will always be open towards the bigger number. If I have three fingers here and two here,
my alligator mouth should be facing the bigger number. If it is the first number that is
bigger, it’s the greater than sign. If it is the second number that is bigger, than it is the less
than sign.”
Modeling/Guided Practice (Interactive Model):
 The teacher will then guide the students through an activity to help them practice using the
greater than and less than sign.
 The students will count out previously bagged cubes varying in four different colors and
different amounts. They will then use that information to compare their numbers on the
Unifix Comparing Sheet.
 “We are going to practice comparing numbers with our unifix cubes.”
 “Everyone is going to get a bag to share with a partner. I will choose the partners when it
comes time.”
 “When I first receive my bag, I am going to take it to my desk and gently dump them out so
they don’t fall off the table.”
 “Next, I will sort them out by color. There is red, green, yellow, and orange in every bag. I will
not build with them because we are just using them to help us count. They are not for us to
play with.
 “Can I have someone go to their desk and show me what the right thing to do is when we
receive our bags?”
 Teacher should be pointing out what the student is doing well.
 “Look how he/she dumps all the colors out gently on the desk. Look how he/she is sorting the
blocks according to their color. Are they building a tower or playing with their blocks?”
 “Repeat after me, “Step 1: Take all cubes out of my bag and sort them by color.”
 “Once I have my cubes sorted, I will count how many I have of each.”
 “As I am counting, I want to keep track of how many I have so I will have this worksheet to
help me.”
 I have one, two, three red cubes. Now I am going to find the red cube on my worksheet and
write three on top of the cube. Look there is more than just one red cube on my worksheet.
Do I have to recount my red cubes each time to fill this out? No, I already counted my red
cubes, so I can write down my number in every red box I see.”
 “Now I will do the same exact thing with my orange, yellow, and green cubes. Can I have
someone come up and count the orange cubes for me and fill it in?
 The teacher will have two other students volunteer to help count and fill in the worksheet for
the two remaining colors.
 “Repeat after me, “Step 2: Count my colored cubes and fill it in on the worksheet.”
 “Now I get to compare all my numbers I have written in. This will only be done once I have all
my numbers filled in. I get to compare them with the greater than sign, less than sign, or
equal to sign.”
 “My first number is three red and my second number is two orange. Is my first number
smaller than the second? Is it equal to or the same as the second number? Is my first
number greater than the second number? Yes, you’re right! Since it is greater than, I will
write in the greater than symbol. Can you make that with your hands to help me fill it in?
 “Can I have a volunteer to help me complete the next one?”
 The teacher should have students come up and complete the rest of the worksheet one
problem at a time.
 “Repeat after me, “Step 3: Write in the symbols to compare my two numbers.”
  “It is time for you to get to practice this on your own. When I say you and your partner’s
name you can both stand up, come get a worksheet and bag of cubes from me and go back
to your seat to begin working.”
Independent Practice:
 Students will be paired up and directed back to their seats to complete steps 1-3.
 The teacher should walk around and direct as needed.
C. Closure (Summary)
Everyone did a really good job of comparing numbers today. Can you show me the greater
than sign with your hands? Can you show me the less than sign with your hands? How about
the equal to sign?

C. Evidence of Differentiated Instruction

Process: The students who have showed evidence of struggling with the content during the
group activity will receive a differentiated assessment. The Comparing Numbers worksheet
requires the student to compare only three sets of numbers and uses pictures to help the
students count and see which group has less and which group has more. While the other
assessment requires the student to read the numbers and compare them by writing in the
symbol.
D. Closure (Summary)
“Everyone did a really good job of comparing numbers today. Can you show me the greater
than sign with your hands? Can you show me the less than sign with your hands? How about
the equal to sign?”

VI. Assessment/Evaluation
The students will be required to fill out the Fruity Fun Numbers worksheet. This requires the
student to compare two written numbers by writing the correct symbol.
VII. Self-Evaluation
I think using the unifix cubes worked well as a manipulative for the students because it helped
them better compare numbers as their groups of cubes were in front of them. They proved helpful
as they assisted the students as a visual tool. I had plenty, however if I had planned for the
students to not work in pairs there would not have been enough. What didn’t work was where the
beginning part of my lesson was held. This was my biggest challenge. I had planned for this to
occur on the carpet but did not think I would run into many issues. I sat on the carpet with my
manipulatives and the students gathered around. They were moving around a lot and often
blocked the view of my cubes and sheets from the other students. This required me to keep
reminding students to move back. I also had many volunteers come up and demonstrate, so this
also hindered the view from other students. I believe the needs of all students were met and the
pacing was appropriate. I do not think the students were bored because I kept them engaged by
having plenty of volunteers involved. A few students were confused when they got back to their
seats when it became time to compare the numbers and writing the signs. I was able to clarify as
well as my teacher because we were both walking around as the students were completing the
worksheet. Once the students were clarified with one or two, they could fill the rest of the
worksheet out with an ease. I believe I modeled enough because when the volunteers came up to
also demonstrate they were able to do it easily with little guidance because I had just modeled the
same skill. I think having partners helped the students with peer assistance as they tackled their
 worksheet together. I used formative assessment during the lesson by asking questions with the
book used in the introduction. I also asked questions when introducing symbols and had them
hold the symbol up with their hand. I would definitely teach this lesson again in my own
classroom. I would just change a few things such as teaching the introduction in a different way. I
would display the sheet and my cubes on the smartboard and have the students write on the
worksheet that way and sort the cubes that way. I made the unifix cubes worksheet myself so I
would add an opportunity for the students to trace and write the symbols on their own first. I saw
a few students struggle with it because they are still in the early stages of learning to write. I did
have the symbols displayed on the smartboard while they completed the worksheet, however this
was not enough support. I was unable to do my assessment the same day as the lesson, but I did a
mini review the following week and administered the assessment. The students all did very well,
so I believe this shows they have grasped the idea. I think they could still benefit from more
practice using and writing the symbols though. I think I would revisit it again by having the
students do a review worksheet minus the manipulatives to help them continue to write and use
the symbols.

VIII. For Cooperating Teacher

I saw this plan before the lesson was taught _____ (initial)

This lesson was taught _________________(date) _____________________________ (signature)