Unit Plan 1 (PreK Math): Math Routines & Counting to 5

Focus: Build math community and routines; explore counting objects in songs and play up to 5 using one-to-one strategies and simple models.

Grade Level: PreK

Subject Area: Mathematics (Counting & Cardinality Foundations)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 25–35 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This launch week establishes joyful math routines: circle-time counting songs, hands-on counting collections, and quick how many? games with sets to 5. Children learn to touch or move one object for each number word and to say the last number to tell how many (cardinality). We practice classroom norms for tools, partner talk, and clean-up.

Essential Questions

• How do I count objects so I don’t skip or double-count?
• What does the last number I say tell me about the set?
• Which tools (fingers, cubes, five-frame) help me show how many?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Say number names in order (at least to 5; many to 10 during songs).
2. Count up to 5 objects with one-to-one correspondence and say the last number to tell how many.
3. Represent up to 5 with fingers, cubes, pictures, or a five-frame.
4. Compare small sets informally with more/fewer/same language.
5. Engage in math talk with partners (listen, point, repeat, add on).

Standards Alignment — Custom CCSS-style Pre-Kindergarten

• PK.CC.1: Count to 10 (rote & meaningful) — focus to 5 in tasks.
• PK.CC.4: One-to-one counting to 10 — focus to 5 this unit.
• Mathematical Practices: MP.1–MP.6 threaded (perseverance, reasoning, modeling, tools, precision).

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can count my objects one at a time and not skip any.
• The last number I say tells how many.
• I can show 5 with fingers, cubes, or a five-frame.
• I can tell if one group has more, fewer, or the same.

III. Materials and Resources

Tasks & Tools (teacher acquires/curates)

• Counting collections (buttons, bears, links), five-frames, dot plates (1–5), numeral cards 0–5.
• Song/chant visuals (Count to Five, call-and-response), small trays/cups for organizing sets.
• Math journals (half-page drawing + dictation), mini whiteboards, clipboards for floor work.
• Partner routines: Count & Tell, Show Me Five, Match the Numeral.

Preparation

• Anchor charts: Counting Rules (touch/move, one word per object), How Many? (last number), Tool Talk (fingers, cubes, five-frame).
• Sentence stems with visuals: “I counted 1–2–3–4–5,” “There are __,” “This has more/fewer/same.”

Common Misconceptions to Surface

• Skipping objects or counting the same object twice.
• Saying a number after counting and changing the total.
• Treating the numeral as a label, not the quantity (“5” means five things).
• Lining up objects irregularly so one-to-one is hard.

Key Terms (highlighted in lessons)

• count, one-to-one correspondence, how many (cardinality), five-frame, set, numeral, more/fewer/same, match, point & move, subitize (to 3)

IV. Lesson Procedure

(Each day: Launch → Explore → Discuss/Consolidate → Reflect. Suggested timing for a 25–35 min block.)

Session 1 — Counting Rules & Routines (PK.CC.1, PK.CC.4; MP.1, MP.6)

• Launch (5–7 min): Sing a 1–5 counting song with gestures. Introduce Counting Rules (point/move, slow & steady).
• Explore (12–15 min): Count & Tell stations (sets 1–5). Children touch/move and place counted objects in a cup. Teacher prompts: “What’s the last number?”
• Discuss (5–7 min): Share two examples; model recounting when totals change.
• Reflect (2–3 min): Show with fingers: how many is 4?

Session 2 — Five-Frames: See & Say (PK.CC.4; MP.5, MP.2)

• Launch (5–6 min): Show a five-frame with 3 counters. Ask: How many? How do you know?
• Explore (12–15 min): Partner game Show Me Five: teacher calls a number 0–5; partners build it on a five-frame and say the count together.
• Discuss (5–7 min): Compare different ways to show the same number (fingers vs. frame).
• Reflect (2–3 min): Journal sketch of a five-frame showing 5; dictate “I see 5.”

Session 3 — Match the Numeral (PK.CC.1, PK.CC.4; MP.6)

• Launch (4–5 min): Flash dot plates (1–3) for quick subitize; then slower for 4–5 to encourage counting.
• Explore (14–16 min): Match the Numeral: children count a set (1–5), then place the matching numeral card. Small-group check for one-to-one.
• Discuss (5–6 min): What helped you be sure? (point & move, recount).
• Reflect (2–3 min): Exit card: circle the numeral that matches your set.

Session 4 — More, Fewer, Same (Foundational compare; MP.3)

• Launch (5–6 min): Display two sets (e.g., 2 bears vs. 4 bears). Ask: Which has more? How do you know?
• Explore (12–15 min): Partner Compare & Check: build two sets up to 5; line them up to match and decide more/fewer/same.
• Discuss (5–6 min): Share strategies (match one-to-one, then see leftovers).
• Reflect (2–3 min): Stem: “This one has more because __.”

Session 5 — Counting Gallery & Choice Tools (Spiral; MP.1–MP.6)

• Task (15–18 min): Children choose a tool (fingers, cubes, five-frame) to show 1–5, label with numeral cards, and record in journals.
• Peer Share (5–7 min): Show, Say, Point: show your model, say the count, and point to each object while recounting.
• Reflect (3–5 min): My favorite tool for counting is __ because __.

V. Differentiation and Accommodations

Advanced Learners

• Count-on starts (teacher says “Start at 3…”); match sets to numerals 0–10.
• Quick subitize with 1–4 dot plates; explain “how I knew without counting.”

Targeted Support

• Fewer objects (1–3), high-contrast mats, and trays that support point & move.
• Hand-over-hand counting once, then independent repeat; use counting tracks (five-frame outlines).

Multilingual Learners

• Bilingual number charts; songs in home language + English.
• Picture-word cards for more/fewer/same; gestures for show, count, stop.

IEP/504 & Accessibility

• Larger manipulatives; tactile dots on frames; reduced choices of tools.
• Visual timers; movement breaks between stations; partner scribe for journals.

VI. Assessment and Evaluation

Formative Checks (daily)

• S1: Uses one-to-one (touch/move) consistently to 5.
• S2: Builds numbers 0–5 on a five-frame and states how many.
• S3: Matches counted set to the correct numeral (0–5).
• S4: Uses more/fewer/same accurately with lined-up sets.
• S5: Chooses a tool and explains “how I knew.”

Summative (end of week; 0–2 per criterion, total 10)

1. Counting Sequence (PK.CC.1)

• 2: Says number names in order to 5 (often to 10 in songs).
• 1: Says most numbers to 5 with prompts.
• 0: Limited sequence; needs full modeling.

2. One-to-One to 5 (PK.CC.4)

• 2: Touches/moves each object once; accurate total.
• 1: Minor skips/doubles; corrects with cue.
• 0: Inconsistent one-to-one.

3. Cardinality — “How Many?” (PK.CC.4/PK.CC.5 readiness)

• 2: States the last number to tell how many without recounting.
• 1: Gives total after recount or prompt.
• 0: Says a number not tied to the set.

4. Representation (MP.4, MP.5)

• 2: Shows 0–5 with an appropriate tool (fingers/cubes/five-frame) clearly.
• 1: Representation present but unclear or mismatched once.
• 0: Missing or misleading representation.

5. Math Language & Participation (MP.3, MP.6)

• 2: Uses more/fewer/same and participates in partner routines.
• 1: Partial language use; participates with reminders.
• 0: Minimal engagement with math talk.

Feedback Protocol (Show–Say–Point)

• Show: Display your model.
• Say: Tell how many and how you counted.
• Point: Point in order while you recount to check.

VII. Reflection and Extension

Reflection Prompts

• Which tool helped you count best today? Why?
• What helps you remember the last number tells how many?
• How did you fix a counting mistake?

Extensions

• Counting Museum: Post journal pages showing 1–5; students give a gallery walk “count & tell.”
• Class Count Book: Each child creates one page for a number (0–5) with objects drawn and labeled.
• Pattern Count: Clap/tap patterns while counting to 5; switch leaders.

Standards Trace — When Each Standard Is Addressed

• PK.CC.1 — Sessions 1–5 (songs/routines; counting in activities).
• PK.CC.4 — Sessions 1–5 (one-to-one with objects; five-frames; matching).
• Mathematical Practices (MP.1–MP.6) — All sessions (try again, explain, model, choose tools, speak precisely).