Sharing and grouping: a week of ready-to-teach maths

Five days of lessons for Year 1 Number. Print this pack and the week is prepared: each day has a one-page plan and a student worksheet, plus cut-out counters, plate and bag templates and sharing mats, a mini-check and every answer.

Start here: five minutes to Monday

1. Skim the week at a glance on the next page.
2. Print the five days. Each day is two A4 sheets: a plan and a worksheet.
3. Cut out the two card sheets once; the counters, templates and mats are reused all week.
4. Open the free interactive unit on your board. Every plan tells you which picture to show and when.
5. Teach straight from the plan. Timings, talk prompts, misconceptions and answers are all on the one page.

No maths background needed

This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each plan explains the idea in plain words, lists the misconceptions children bring, and gives model answers, so you can walk in and teach it.

One day, one lesson

The five lessons fill a week of maths, one lesson of about 40 minutes a day. Run them in order: each day stands on the one before. Every lesson can also split into a short warm-up and a main session if your timetable runs small blocks.

The week at a glance

One lesson a day for a week. Each day stands on the day before, so run them in order.

How the week builds

Day 1 shares a collection out fairly; Day 2 packs one into equal groups; Day 3 tells the two questions apart, how many each against how many groups; Day 4 meets the leftover, the honest answer when a pile will not come out even; and Day 5 models a real Saturday fundraiser. It builds on counting in groups and on adding and taking away, and it opens the way to division, long before that word or its symbol appears.

Materials for the week (one trip)

• From the classroom: scissors, pencils, this pack printed.
• From home or the craft box: a small tub of counters, buttons, blocks or dry pasta to share and group, and a few paper plates, cups or bowls.
• Cut out once, use all week: the counter tokens, the plate and bag templates and the sharing mats in this pack. No maths equipment to buy.

Dear families

This week in maths, Year 1 explores sharing and grouping. We deal a collection out so each share is equal, pack collections into equal groups, and work out what to do with the few that are left over.

Try this at home

• Deal the cards: when you play a card game, let your child deal one to each player, going round and round, and ask how many each got.
• Bag the fruit: put grapes or crackers into small bags of the same size and count the bags together.
• Share the snack equally: hand out a snack one at a time until it is gone, and check that everyone has the same.
• Talk about the leftover: when a snack will not share evenly, name how many are left over instead of squashing them into one plate.

My sharing and grouping this week

Fill one row a day. Tick when the share or group came out equal.

Printed from the free seegongsik Sharing and grouping teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/y1/number/AC9M1N06/pack

Share it out

Children share a collection by dealing it out one at a time — one for you, one for you, around and around — until each share is equal. Hands come first all week: dealing it out convinces faster than telling, and it makes the answer appear on every plate at once.

We are learning to

• deal a collection out one at a time, going round the plates,
• keep dealing until each plate holds the same,
• count how many are in each equal share.

Success criteria

• I can deal a collection out so each share is equal.
• I can say how many are on each plate.

You need

A tub of counters, buttons or blocks to share. The counter tokens and plate templates and sharing mats (cut-out sheets 1 and 2), one set per pair. The worksheet, one per child.

Lesson flow (about 40 minutes)

Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after 12 among 3. Start Session B by dealing 8 among 4, then go on to 15 among 5.

Watch for these ideas

• Piling most on one plate, then handing over a few: sharing must go one at a time to stay equal.
• Making unequal shares, so one plate has more: an equal share means every plate holds the same.
• Guessing the answer instead of dealing and counting: deal it out first, then count.

Answers

• 12 shared among 3 plates is 4 on each plate. 8 shared among 4 plates is 2 on each plate.
• 15 shared among 5 plates is 3 on each plate.
• Own share varies: check each plate holds the same, and none are left in the hand.

One for you, one for you

Deal the counters onto the plates, one at a time, until they are all shared. Draw what lands on each plate, then write how many each plate gets.

Share 12 among 3 plates

Each plate gets ____.

Share 15 among 5 plates

Each plate gets ____.

Just write how many each

Your own equal share

Choose a small collection. Share it onto 2 plates. Draw it, and write how many on each: ____

Fill the bags

Yesterday we shared a collection between plates. Today we do the other kind of splitting: we fix how big each bag is, fill equal bags of that size, and let the pile decide when to stop. The answer is how many bags we filled.

We are learning to

• fill bags that all hold the same number,
• keep filling until the pile runs out,
• count how many equal bags I made.

Success criteria

• I can make groups that are all the same size.
• I can count how many groups I made.

You need

A tub of counters, buttons or blocks. The counter tokens and bag templates (cut-out sheets 1 and 2), one set per pair. The worksheet, one per child.

Lesson flow (about 40 minutes)

Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after 12 in bags of 3. Start Session B with 10 in bags of 2.

Watch for these ideas

• Filling bags of different sizes: equal bags must all hold the same number.
• Counting the counters instead of the bags: the answer is how many bags.
• Tipping a few leftovers into one bag to make it fuller: that turns it into an unequal group.

Answers

• 12 in bags of 3 makes 4 bags. 10 in bags of 2 makes 5 bags.
• 20 in bags of 5 makes 4 bags.
• Own grouping varies: check every bag is the same size, and count the bags.

Bags of the same size

Ring the counters into equal bags. Then write how many bags you made.

Ring 12 counters into bags of 3

I made ____ bags.

Ring 10 counters into bags of 2

I made ____ bags.

Just write how many bags

Your own bags

Choose a small collection. Ring it into equal bags. Draw it, and write how many bags: ____

Same collection, two questions

Twelve lollies can be split two ways, and the collection never changes — only the question does. Share among 4 friends and the question is how many each. Pack into bags of 4 and the question is how many bags. Today children learn to hear which question a story is really asking.

We are learning to

• tell a sharing question (how many each) from a grouping question (how many bags),
• solve both for the same collection,
• listen for the words that give the question away.

Success criteria

• I can say whether a question is about sharing or grouping.
• I can answer both questions for the same collection.

You need

The counter tokens, plate templates and bag templates (cut-out sheets 1 and 2), one set per pair. The worksheet, one per child.

Lesson flow (about 40 minutes)

Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after two questions, one pile; start Session B with name the question.

Watch for these ideas

• Confusing the two: sharing asks how many each, grouping asks how many bags.
• Giving the counter total as the answer: the answer is either how many each or how many groups.
• Thinking a different number is needed for each question: it is often the same collection, asked two ways.

Answers

• Share 12 among 4 is 3 each (sharing). Put 12 into bags of 4 is 3 bags (grouping).
• Share 8 among 2 is 4 each (sharing). Put 8 into bags of 2 is 4 bags (grouping).
• Each pair of stories uses the same collection; only the question, and so the answer word, changes.

Which question is it?

Read each story. Circle whether it is sharing or grouping. Then work it out and write the answer.

Show the same twelve, two ways

Draw 12 lollies shared among 4 friends. Then draw 12 lollies in bags of 4.

The leftovers

Not every pile comes out even. Share 13 among 4 and each plate gets 3, with 1 left over. Today children learn that the leftover is not a mistake — it is part of the answer. The honest reply names both: how many each, and how many left over.

We are learning to

• share or group when it does not come out even,
• keep every share or bag equal, and set the leftover aside,
• say the full answer: how many each, and how many left over.

Success criteria

• I can share or group and keep each part equal.
• I can say how many are left over.

You need

The counter tokens, plate templates and bag templates (cut-out sheets 1 and 2), one set per pair. The worksheet, one per child.

Lesson flow (about 40 minutes)

Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after one left over; start Session B with share, group, name the leftover.

Watch for these ideas

• Forcing an uneven share by tipping the leftover onto one plate: that breaks the equal share.
• Thinking a leftover means the problem is wrong: it is simply what will not make another equal part.
• Naming only the each and forgetting the leftover: the full answer says both.

Answers

• 13 shared among 4 is 3 each, with 1 left over. 11 shared among 3 is 3 each, with 2 left over.
• 14 in bags of 5 is 2 bags, with 4 left over. 9 in bags of 4 is 2 bags, with 1 left over.
• The leftover is always fewer than a full share or a full bag; otherwise another one could be made.

What is left over?

Share or group these, keeping each part equal. Write how many each part gets, then how many are left over.

Share 13 among 4 plates

Each plate gets ____, and ____ is left over.

Do the rest

Sausage sizzle Saturday

It is fundraiser day. A community sausage sizzle is exactly this week’s maths: share the food so each plate is equal, or pack it into equal groups. Today the week comes together in a real story — draw it, plan it, solve it, and check the answer against the story.

We are learning to

• read a real problem and decide if it is sharing or grouping,
• draw a diagram, then solve it with counters,
• write the answer as a full sentence and check it fits the story.

Success criteria

• I can model a real problem with a diagram and materials.
• I can write and check my answer.

You need

The counter tokens, plate templates and bag templates (cut-out sheets 1 and 2) and a few paper plates. The worksheet, one per child.

Lesson flow (about 40 minutes)

Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after modelling the stall; start Session B with the mini-check.

Watch for these ideas

• Jumping to an answer without a diagram: draw the plates or rolls first, then solve.
• Putting extra on one plate to finish faster: a fair stall keeps every plate equal.
• Skipping the check: read the answer back into the story to see that it fits.

Answers

• 24 sausages onto 6 plates is 4 on each plate (sharing).
• 18 sausages into rolls of 2 is 9 rolls (grouping).
• Check: 6 plates of 4 is 24, and 9 rolls of 2 is 18 — both match the story.

At the sausage sizzle

It is fundraiser day at the stall. Draw the problem, solve it with counters, then write the answer sentence.

Problem 1: the plates

24 sausages are shared onto 6 plates. How many sausages on each plate?

Answer: each plate gets ____ sausages.

Problem 2: the rolls

18 sausages are put into rolls of 2. How many rolls?

Answer: that makes ____ rolls.

Write it as a sentence

Pick one problem. Write the whole answer in a sentence, like: I shared 24 sausages onto 6 plates and each plate got 4.

Plates, bags and sharing mats

Cut out the plates, bags and mats. To share, deal counters onto the plates or mats one at a time until each holds the same. To group, fill the bags to the same size and count the bags. One set per pair is plenty.

Plate templates (to share onto)

Bag templates (to group into)

Sharing mats

Teacher note: the plates and bags match the on-screen pictures, so the floor work and the screen agree. Share onto as many plates as the story needs, or fill as many bags.

Counter tokens

Cut out the counter tokens. Deal them onto the plates and mats to share (Days 1, 3, 4 and 5), and fill them into the bags to group (Days 2, 3, 4 and 5). There are enough for the biggest collection in the week.

Counters to deal

Teacher note: all the counters are the same, so an equal share means each plate holds the same number of them, and an equal group means each bag holds the same number.

What we know: sharing and grouping

Work on your own. Draw the counters if it helps.

1. Share 12 stickers among 3 children. How many each? ____
2. Put 20 counters into bags of 5. How many bags? ____
3. The question how many bags is a ____ question. Circle: sharing / grouping
4. Share 13 marbles among 4 cups. Each cup gets ____, and ____ is left over.
5. A stall shares 15 apples onto 5 plates. Draw it, then write how many on each plate: ____

Answers and marking guide

Answers

1. 4 each (12 shared among 3 is 4 on each).
2. 4 bags (20 in bags of 5: 5, 10, 15, 20).
3. Grouping (how many bags asks for groups; how many each would be sharing).
4. 3 each, and 1 left over (12 of the 13 make 3 each, and 1 remains).
5. 3 on each plate (15 shared onto 5 plates is 3 each).

A quick three-level guide

Five questions, four ideas. A child at standard answers most questions and can say whether a problem is sharing or grouping.

Weekly class record

Jot a tick as you move around the room; the mini-check fills any gaps. A tick a day is plenty.

The five columns are the five days: share it out, fill the bags, tell the two questions apart, name the leftover, and model the stall.