Numbers to 5
In this unit students • learn the count sequence to 5, counting by ones; • connect counting to cardinality by pairing objects with a number name; • answer “how many?” questions; • count objects in sets; • compare numbers of objects; • write numbers.
Although K.CC.A.1 calls for students to count to 100, the full intent of that standard is not met in this unit. In this unit, students practice counting by ones up to five. The teacher might lead students in choral counting. Students also start learning how to write numbers up to five.
Students begin to develop an understanding of the relationship between numbers and quantities. They point to objects in sequence and match them to number names, and come to understand that the total number of objects in a set corresponds to the last number said in the sequence. They learn that that each successive number name refers to a quantity that is one larger than the last. They learn to make a one-to-one correspondence between numbers names and objects by working with “how many?” questions. They also compare the number of objects in sets of 5 or less.
Although formal work with addition and subtraction has not yet begun, the counting work students do with numbers to 5 is foundational for building fluency in expressing 5 as a sum of two numbers in different ways.
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