Title – Greater Gator

By – Jeff Thomas

Primary Subject – Math

Secondary Subjects -

Grade Level – 4-5

Greater Than and Less Than

Educational Objective:

To learn the signs for greater than and less than.

To know when you use what sign.

Materials:

chalk

chalkboard

Greater Gator (I made a gator head out of construction paper)

Anticipatory Set or Attention-Getter:

Use Greater Gator and candy bar analogy to get students interested in the lesson.

Sequence of activity:

Talk to students about these signs < and >.

Explain that this sign is greater than >.

And this sign is less than <.

Explain to the children that you can look at these signs like mouths. The mouth is always going to want to point to the highest number. Have the children look at a problem such as this one.

24_____36. Have the children think of their favorite candy bar. Have a few of the students tell you what their favorite candy bar is. Then ask them if they would prefer 24 snicker bars or 36. Have the mouth point towards the higher number. Like this..

24 < 36.

The mouth is pointing towards the higher number. Now have them read the sentence. 24 is less than 36. If the sign is the other way and the mouth is pointing this way > then the kids know that the first number is the largest number. So they would read the problem like this.

Example:

72 > 34

Seventy-two is greater than thirty-four.

Practicing this a few times and then give them the practice problems.

E-Mail

Jeff Thomas

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