Counting and Adding to 10
Counting and Adding to 10
Lesson duration is: 60 minItems in this lesson
Counting and Adding to 10
This lesson is built as an introduction for 6 and 7 year olds with no subtopics supplied, so the content spine is: counting objects carefully, matching numerals to amounts, making groups, and adding within 10.
Our Learning Goal
I can count objects and add groups together to make totals up to 10.
This item has no instructions
What words make you think of counting?
Use this to hear pupils' starting ideas, such as numbers, toys, fingers, more, or how many.
What Does Counting Mean?
Counting tells us how many there are.
We say one number for one object.
The last number we say is the total.
Emphasise one-to-one matching: one touch, one number word. A common mistake is saying numbers too fast or counting one object twice.
Count in Order
We count in this order:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Each number comes after the one before it.
Keep this focused on stable number order, not counting beyond 10.
Count Carefully
Move each object as you count.
Start at one side.
Stop when every object is counted once.
Model practical strategies such as pointing, sliding objects, or lining them up to avoid missing or repeating items.
The Number Tells the Amount
If there are 6 cubes, the numeral 6 matches that group.
A numeral is the written number. It shows the amount in the set.
Keep the distinction simple: spoken number word versus written numeral.
Making Small Groups
A group can have 2, 3 or 4 objects.
Different groups can be counted.
Each group has its own total.
This prepares children to see sets as countable groups before combining them.
When we count, what do we say for each object?
One number
Two numbers
No number
Any word
Checks one-to-one counting from slides 2 to 4. Distractors match common errors: double-counting, skipping number words, or treating counting as random.
Fill in the counting words
When we count, we say numbers in order. We say one number for one object. The last number tells the total.
Echoes the key ideas from the first counting block: count, object, total.
What Does Add Mean?
To add means to put groups together.
When we add, the new group gets bigger.
Use the language 'put together' and 'altogether' to anchor meaning before symbols.
Add by Counting All
Example:
3 counters + 2 counters = 5 counters
Count the first group, count the second group, then count all the counters together.
This is the key worked example. Make sure pupils see that the total is found after the groups are joined.
Two Groups Become One Total
First group: 4
Second group: 1
Altogether: 5
Use the slide to reinforce the structure first group + second group = altogether.
Adding to 10
We can add small numbers to make totals up to 10.
Examples:
5 + 3 = 8
6 + 4 = 10
Stay within totals to 10 only. The goal is confidence with small combinations, not speed.
Maths Words We Know
count - say numbers in order to find how many
total - the whole amount
group - a set of objects together
add - put groups together
numeral - a written number
altogether - the amount in all
equal - the same amount as
This item has no instructions
What does add mean?
Take away
Put together
Move apart
Count backwards
Checks the meaning of add from slide 7 before pupils apply it to examples.
Fill in the adding words
To add means to put groups together. If we join 3 counters and 2 counters, the total is 5. We count them all to find how many there are altogether.
Reinforces the taught language add, total, and all from slides 7 to 10.
What is one thing you learned today?
Accept simple reflections such as a number fact, how to count carefully, that add means put together, or that the last number is the total.
What helped you learn best today?
Invite short pupil reflections. Likely answers: moving objects, starting at one side, counting all, or using groups.
