Word Wall: sequence, event, read, record, explain,
P.3.3
Introduction
Students will use ordinal numbers to describe a
sequence of events or objects; and read and record
ordinal numbers.
Resources
•Paper plates
•Collection of classroom items (pens, ruler, stapler)
•Book: The Very Hungry Caterpillar
•Wooden, foam or magnetic letters
•Early Years FISH
Time / Classroom Organisation
This activity may be introduced in a small group as a
20 minute focused teaching and learning event.
Teachers should use any opportunity that arises in the
classroom setting to use positional language.
Australian Curriculum –Year Prep
Compare, order and make correspondences
between collections, initially to 20, and explain
reasoning (ACMNA289)
Proficiency Strand:
Problem Solving – discussing the reasonableness of
the answer
Reasoning – explaining comparisons of quantities
reasonableness, explain, compare, quantities, first
etc, life cycle, is the same, is different, like, unlike
Activity Process-­‐ Ordinal Numbers Activity Process–
Follow the Leader
1. Put 5 paper plates in a row.
2. Count the plates with the students. 1. Play follow the leader in lines of 5.
3. Ask students to point to the plate which is first, second, 2. Give each student in the group an
third, fourth and fifth. ordinal number place card.
4. Ask students to point to last – discuss that this is the 3. Students play Follow the leader:
same plate they pointed as they fifth plate. Discuss skipping, hopping, jumping, sliding.
why? 4. Each ;me the teacher blows the
5. Ask each student to place an item on a particular whistle, the students stop where they are.
place. For example: Jenny put a red pencil on the third 5. The leaders (1st) give their ordinal number card
plate. to the person in second place. And moves to
the back of the line.
6. The rest of team re-organises the
ordinal place cards by passing them
backwards.
Source: Linthorne, C. & Serenc, M. 2005. Jigsaw
Maths Teacher Resource Book 1. Firefly Press:
Buderim p74
Activity Process – Hungry Caterpillar
Activity Process-­‐
1. Read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle to the
class. Guess My Name
2. Invite students to recall the order of the events in the 1. This is an activity which can be
story. carried out with an upper school
3. Ask questions, such as: What did the caterpillar eat buddy.
on the third day (Wednesday)? 2. Using the letters of the student’s
name, make a Guess my name game
chart by giving each letter an
ordinal position. Jumble the order.
3. Place the Guess my name game
puzzles in a heap and draw one out.
4. Provide students with wooden,
magnetic or foam letters to work
with a buddy to see whose name
they have. Source: Rosemary Irons, 2011.
Source: First steps in Mathematics – Number: Whole and
Decimal Numbers/Fractional Numbers, 2010. Rigby: Port Melbourne. P 34
Variations & Extensions
1. Who’s Left
Resources: Small group of students.
Ask students to stand in a circle facing inwards.
Select one child to be first. Then select another
ordinal number, for example fifth to be the
poison number. Each child counts their
position from the first
child. When the poison ordinal number is
counted that child sits down. The next child
starts at first again.
The counting continues until one child is left
standing.
2. Life Cycle Order
Resources: Pictures of stages in a life cycle
When growing plants or investigating animal
lifecycles have a collection of pictures which
represents each stage in the cycle. Shuffle the
pictures and ask the students to put them in the
correct sequence. Use ordinal numbers when
discussing the sequence and label each stage
with an ordinal number
Digital Resources
http://www.ideal-­‐resources.com.au/
http://www.softschools.com/math/ordinal_numbers/games
/ Have an array of objects set up and ask students to
Contexts for Learning
Play:
Board Games: Play board games with students, taking the time
to discuss the order in which people will have their turn.
Investigation:
Solving Problems: Invite students to solve problems using
ordinal numbers. For example: The second person in the line
has two people behind him. How many people are in the line?
Or There are 10 cars in the race. Four crossed the finish line
before the red car. What place did the red car come? (Please
note: that in order to solve these problems acting out and
concrete materials will be required).
Source: Department of Education, Queensland. 1990. Years 1
to 10 Mathematics Sourcebook: Activities for teaching
mathematics in Year 1. Department of Education: Qld p69
Real life experience:
•Sport Carnival: When it is the school sports carnival. Discuss
the ordinal number language in reference to winners of races,
ball games and house colours.
•Cooking: When cooking use positional language to describe
the sequence of the recipe. For example: first put in the
butter, second sift the flour.
Routines and Transitions:
•Computer Time: Set up a list of students that will use the
computer each day. Use the language of first, second, third
and so on when explaining the order to the students.
•Show and Share: One week for show and share have a topic
called “Demonstration Week” where students must show
the class how to do something. Encourage them to use
ordinal number words in their presentation.
Assessment
point to certain objects while using ordinal number
language, for example: Show me which animal is first in
the line; Which animal is third in the line?; Where is the
giraffe? Show me animal which is coming last; Can you
place this animal second in the line?
Achievement Standard: order small collections.
Background Reading
Ordinal number expresses both order in position – for
example, second place – and order in time – for
example, second turn. Before identifying an ordinal
number a starting point must be established. Students
should gain experience in using different starting
points and in following, bottom to top, clockwise and
anticlockwise.
Source: Department of Education, Queensland. 1990. Years 1 to 10
Mathematics Sourcebook: Activities for teaching mathematics in
Year
2. Department of Education: Qld p55
Links to Related MAGs
P.1.8 Daily Timetable
P.2.5 Number Track
P.4.2 Number Ladder
1.1.8 Calendars -­‐ 1
1.2.7 Grid Direction
Adapted for use in the Cairns Diocese with the permission of the
Catholic Education Office Toowoomba