July 22, 2015
By Gabriela Lozano

Lesson plan

Pass The Snake!

(3 ratings )
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GradeSubjectView aligned standards

Students will learn to work as a team to count and write the numbers up to 120.

(10 minutes)
  • Ask students to join you in a circle and tell them that today you would like to try counting with them a little differently than usual.
  • Write the words “Pass The Marker!” on the board and keep the marker in your hand.
  • Explain to the students that you want to practise counting up to 120 as a team by playing Pass The Marker. Go over the following rules with them:
    1.  The person that starts the game has to grab the marker and say “One!” and immediately pass the marker clockwise.
    2.  The next person to hold the marker has to say “two” out loud and pass the marker clockwise.
    3.  The pattern continues until they have reached 120.
    4.  They only have 60 seconds to reach 120.
  • Do a brief demonstration by counting from 1-10 with some volunteers and then continue to the actual game.
  • If the students cannot count up to 120 within 60 seconds, ask them what the class can do to get there faster.
  • Repeat the game by counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s.
(5 minutes)
  • Tell the students that you would like to repeat the game but this time you would like to play Pass the Paper.
  • Tell students that the same rules apply as Pass the Marker, but instead of saying the number the students must now write the number and then pass the paper.
  • Remind the students that they can look for patterns in the numbers to help them write the number that comes next.
  • Give the clipboard, marker, and graph paper to the first student and set 60 seconds on the timer.
(15 minutes)
  • Divide the students into groups of 5.
  • Issue a copy of the Sally the Silly Snake worksheet to each group and tell them that their job is to work as a team to fill in the numbers 1-120 inside of the snake by playing “Pass The Snake!”
  • Review the following rules with students:
    1.  They cannot fill the paper in for anyone else except themselves.
    2.  They can help each other by encouraging their team members to look for patterns.
    3.  Every square must be filled in, if it isn’t it means that they miscounted somewhere along the way.
    4.  The first team to fill in all the squares correctly wins.
  • Allow students to start the game and let them colour, cut, and glue the snake once they have finished the game.
  • Walk around and monitor the students' progress as the game goes on, stopping every now and then to help them.
(10 minutes)
  • Issue a copy of the Count Down worksheet to each student once the activity is done.
  • Enrichment:Challenge students by asking them to create a Sally the Silly Snake worksheet that counts backwards starting from 120.
  • Support:Allow students below level to be coached and guided by a more proficient student as they participate in the activity.
(5 minutes)
  • Allow the students to exchange their Count Down worksheets and grade them as a whole group for a grade.
(5 minutes)
  • Remind students that an easy way to write a number sequence is by looking for patterns.
  • Show a picture of a 120 counting chart and allow students to look for patterns and share their findings with a classmate.

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