Illuminations: Food Pyramid Power

Food Pyramid Power

Pyramid Power

In this lesson, students make sets of a given number, explore relationships between numbers, and write numbers that name how many elements are in a group. They make and record sets of one more and one less than a given number.

Learning Objectives
 
Students will:
  • create sets that correspond to a given number up to 12
  • count the elements in a set up to 12 members
  • record the number of elements in sets up to 12
  • decompose sets of numbers up to 12
  • construct sets of one more and one less than a given number

Materials
 
Crayons
Index cards
Number cubes
Paper
Pictures of food

Instructional Plan

Have the students each pick one picture of food. Now call out the name of a food group and ask all the students holding a picture of a food that is in that group to stand together. Repeat with each of the other food groups. Ask the students to tell how many students are in their group. Then ask for a volunteer to write that number on the board.

 

 

In the example above, there are 3 fruits shown.

Now call out the names of two food groups, and ask the students holding pictures of foods from those groups to form a single group. Ask the rest of the students to tell how many are in the new combined group. Have a volunteer write the number on the board.

Ask for volunteers to write the numbers up to 10 on index cards. Then pull out one of the cards at random, and call on that many students to place their food picture in a group. Display a number that is either larger or smaller than the one you just displayed, and invite the students to tell how the group of pictures should be changed so that the new number describes the group (by adding or subtracting from the total number of pictures in the group). Call on a volunteer to choose the card with the appropriate number on it from the stack of numbered index cards. Repeat several times.

Next, put the students into groups and give each group a large assortment of food pictures. Display a numbered card (or number-word cards, if appropriate for your students), and ask the students to make a set with that many food pictures. When they are ready, ask the students to classify the food pictures in the set by arranging them according to the food groups to which they belong. Then have the students count each small set and label the set with a number describing the number of food pictures in each small set and in all the sets together. Then call on several volunteers to report what food groups were represented in their sets, how many were in each group, and how many there were in all.

Next, put the students into pairs and give each pair two number cubes. Ask the students to write "One More" and "One Less" on index cards. Then give one student in each pair the two file cards. Give the other student the number cubes and the food pictures. Ask the student who received the number cubes to roll them and make a set of food pictures with the number rolled. Then have the other student make sets of one more or one less and label each set with the correct index card. When they have done so, call on various groups to describe what they did. Have the partners switch roles and repeat this activity several times. Then ask them to record and label a set of six, a set of one more, and a set of one less. Collect these drawings for their portfolios.

Questions for Students
 

How many of your food pictures belonged to the dairy group? The meat group? How many pictures were in both groups together?

What number words did we use that tell "how many"?

Make a set of nine food pictures. How many food pictures would be in a set with one more? With one less? (Repeat with other numbers.)

Here is a set of food pictures. How many are in this set? Make sets of one more and one less. How many are in a set with one more? How do you write that number? With one less? Write that number.

What number comes after 6? After 11? Write those numbers.

What number comes before 3? Before 10? Write those numbers.

What number comes before 1? After 1? Write those numbers.

>How many food pictures will there be in a set of one less than six? In a set of one less?

Assessment Options
 
  1. You may wish to add notes to the Class Notes recording sheet used in previous lessons or make a new record just for this lesson.
  2. Keeping a portfolio of student work provides evidence to support the students' understanding and allows you to interpret their level of performance.

Teacher Reflection
 
  • Which cardinal (counting) number words were the students familiar with when the lesson began?
  • Were all the students able to recognize the numerals up to 12? If not, which numerals caused them trouble?
  • Were they able to make sets that corresponded to each numeral?
  • Could they write all the numerals up to 12? If not, which numerals were they not able to write?
  • Were all the students able to make sets of one more and one less for each number up to 12?
  • What adjustments would I make the next time that I teach this lesson?

NCTM Standards and Expectations
 
Algebra Pre-K-2
  1. Illustrate general principles and properties of operations, such as commutativity, using specific numbers.
Number & Operations Pre-K-2
  1. Connect number words and numerals to the quantities they represent, using various physical models and representations.
  2. Count with understanding and recognize "how many" in sets of objects.
  3. Develop a sense of whole numbers and represent and use them in flexible ways, including relating, composing, and decomposing numbers.
  4. Develop understanding of the relative position and magnitude of whole numbers and of ordinal and cardinal numbers and their connections.
This lesson prepared by Grace M. Burton.
  
1 period   

NCTM Resources

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Thinkfinity Verizon Foundation
More and Better Mathematics for All Students
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