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Dawn Lutz

Jennifer Bullis

Pamela Blake

Topics: patterns. adding. counting

Grade Level: first grade; level of difficulty can be adjusted!

Name of activity: Ladybugs and Leaves

Materials needed: I leaf work mat per group

10 Ladybug manipulatives per group

Purpose: The purpose of this activity is to have children investigate different ways a number can be expressed as a sum.

Description of Activity:

Divide students into pairs and distribute the work mats and the ladybugs. Plan time for the students to make up stories and act out for each other.

Bring the group together by telling the children to take out six ladybugs. Next, the teacher should tell a made up story about the six ladybugs. Ask students to model the story by placing three ladybugs on each leaf. Ask groups to find and record all possible combinations for the sum of six. Ask students "Can you put the lady bugs on the leaves another way ? How many different arrangements can you find? (Note: I +5 and 5 + 1 are different arrangements). Record the student's findings on the chalkboard in an organized manner (See diagram one). Encourage students to find the patterns that emerge by asking "How do you know if you found all possible arrangements of six?" (Example: the first number gets smaller by 1, the second number gets larger by 1, and the answer is always 6).

Have students predict the number of possible arrangements for different numbers of ladybugs. Ask students the following questions. Do you think the larger numbers have more arrangements than smaller numbers ? How could we find out ? Let 's try it with three ladybugs. How many ways can you arrange them? Now try four ladybugs. Show students how to make a chart for recording their findings (See diagram twos. Ask students to predict how many there will be for eight' For twenty - two? How did you figure that out?

Extension:

The ladybugs can also be used for subtraction problems. Give the students ten ladybugs. Ask them to place four ladybugs on one leaf. Then ask How many will be on the other leaf? If y ou her - e eight ladybugs altogether and three of them are on one leaf; how many are on the other leaf? Let the students discuss strategies for solving the problems.

The ladybugs can also be used for estimation problems. Give the students different sizes of ladybugs. Then ask, How many big ladybugs do you think will cover this leaf? How many little ladybugs will cover the other leaf? Let the students discuss strategies for solving estimation problems.

Diagram One:

1 + 5 = 6

2 + 4 = 6

3 + 3 = 6

4 + 2 = 6

5 + 1 = 6

Diagram Two:

Number of ladybugs

3

4

5

6

7

Number of arrangements

2

3

4

5

6