| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) decide whether two sides are equal or not equal; (2) use the ≠ sign correctly in number sentences. |
|---|---|
| Materials | Two trays as a balance; counters; = and ≠ sign cards; sentence strips; whiteboards. |
| Key vocabulary | equal, not equal, the same as, balance |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Balance theatre returns: 4 caps left tray, 6 caps right. "EQUAL?" Class objects loudly! Slash the day's new sign onto the board: ≠ — equals with a brave line through it: NOT equal. |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Model judging pairs of sides with trays: 5 and 5 (=), 3 and 7 (≠), 2+2 and 4 (=, the mind-opener — a SUM can balance a number!). 2. Pairs judge eight sentence strips, placing = or ≠ cards: 6 ? 6, 8 ? 5, 3+1 ? 4, 2+3 ? 6. 3. Fix-it round: make each ≠ strip TRUE by changing one number — children love the repair power. 4. Whiteboards: write one true = sentence and one true ≠ sentence of your own. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Human balance: two groups of children on two mats; class judges = or ≠ with arm signals (level arms, or crossed arms), then one child moves to force the other answer. |
| Assessment | Strip placements: 6 of 8 judged correctly including one sum-versus-number strip; own sentences on whiteboards both true. |
| Teacher notes | The strips with sums on one side (3+1 ? 4) quietly deepen the meaning of = as balance — the payoff of Week 7's careful teaching. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) compare two numbers using < and >; (2) read comparison sentences aloud correctly (e.g. 8 > 5, "eight is greater than five"). |
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| Materials | A card crocodile mouth (or two craft sticks hinged as jaws); numeral cards; counters for proof; sentence strips with empty middles. |
| Key vocabulary | greater than, less than, crocodile, open mouth |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Meet Croccy, the hungriest crocodile in the river — he ALWAYS opens his mouth toward the BIGGER meal. Test him on 7 and 3: chomp toward 7! Children roar the rule. |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Croccy demonstrates on four number pairs; each time, write the frozen mouth as a sign: 7 > 3, 2 < 9. 2. Reading practice both directions: the open side reads "greater than", the point reads "less than" — chant each written sentence. 3. Pairs feed Croccy: draw two numeral cards, place the mouth, write the sentence, PROVE with counter sets if challenged. 4. Middle-missing strips: 4 _ 8, 9 _ 6, 5 _ 5 (trap! Croccy refuses equal meals — that is = territory). |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Body crocodile: arms make the mouth toward the bigger number the teacher shows. The 5-and-5 trap appears again — arms go LEVEL for equals. Giggles and learning. |
| Assessment | Strips: 5 of 6 signs placed correctly including the equals trap; reads two sentences aloud with correct language. |
| Teacher notes | Insist on the spoken sentence, not just the symbol — "greater than / less than" language is what examiners and Grade 2 will expect. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) select the correct symbol from =, ≠, <, > to complete a sentence; (2) justify the choice with counting or building. |
|---|---|
| Materials | All four sign cards per pair; mixed sentence strips (numbers and small sums); counters; whiteboards. |
| Key vocabulary | symbol, choose, prove, compare |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Four-corner warm-up: four signs posted in the room's corners; teacher shows a sentence (6 _ 6); children WALK to the sign they would choose. Discuss, prove, repeat twice. |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Decision talk-through on the board: is it about SAME (=, ≠) or about SIZE (<, >)? Sometimes both fit the story — 3 < 5 and 3 ≠ 5 are BOTH true; the question asks which idea we want. 2. Pairs complete ten mixed strips, proving any disputed one with counters. 3. Sum strips level: 2+3 _ 6, 4+4 _ 8 — compute first, then choose. 4. Create-a-strip: each pair writes one sentence with the sign missing for the class bank. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Class-bank gameshow: three student-made strips solved together with full crocodile-and-balance drama. |
| Assessment | Strip packs: 8 of 10 correct including two sum strips; pair explains one choice aloud using same/size language. |
| Teacher notes | The both-true discussion (< and ≠) is where symbol UNDERSTANDING separates from symbol memorising — give it unhurried air time. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) judge mixed number sentences as true or false; (2) correct false sentences; (3) integrate fact recall with symbol knowledge. |
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| Materials | True/False sorting mats; a bank of 20 mixed sentences (facts, comparisons, turn-arounds, make-tens); personal fact cards; stamps or stickers for the "factory". |
| Key vocabulary | true, false, correct, prove |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Factory opening: the class is hired as Quality Inspectors at the Number Sentence Factory — faulty sentences MUST not reach the customers! Inspect the first together: 6 + 4 = 10... TRUE, stamp it! |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) 1. Inspection pairs sort 12 sentences onto TRUE/FALSE mats, initialling each judgement. 2. Repair department: every FALSE sentence gets fixed (change a number OR the sign — two repair tools). 3. Quality audit: pairs swap mats and audit each other, discussing disagreements with counters as referee. 4. Fact-card minute: personal tick cards updated with any newly-secure facts noticed today. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Factory report: which sentence fooled the most inspectors? Solve it together and award the Trickiest Sentence certificate to... the sentence. |
| Assessment | Sorting mats reviewed: 10 of 12 judged correctly; at least two false sentences repaired validly (either repair tool accepted). |
| Teacher notes | Mixed-format judging is exactly what end-of-term checks look like — this playful rehearsal removes the fear a week early. |
| Objectives | Students will be able to: (1) demonstrate confident use of =, ≠, <, > with numbers and small sums (consolidation); (2) complete the week checkpoint. |
|---|---|
| Materials | All sign materials; Croccy; checklist; class streak record. |
| Key vocabulary | All week vocabulary |
| Engage (starter) | (10 min) Signs aerobics: teacher calls a sign, children make it with arms (level, crossed, mouth left, mouth right). Then reverse: teacher shows arms, children name the sign. |
| Develop (main) | (35 min) Symbol masters circuit with checklist: Table 1: complete six mixed strips with the four signs. Table 2: true/false sort of six sentences with one repair. Table 3: teacher table — individual check: read 8 > 3 aloud; choose signs for 5 _ 5 and 2+2 _ 5. Table 4: create the week's masterpiece — one gloriously tricky (but true!) sentence for the classroom wall. |
| Plenary (close) | (10 min) Wall of Tricky Truths unveiled and read together. Preview with maximum drama: "Next week — THREE numbers join in ONE sentence, and then... the GRAND TERM REVIEW. Everything returns!" |
| Assessment | Week 11 checkpoint: all four symbols used correctly; comparison sentences read with correct language; sum-comparison completed. Secure/developing recorded. |
| Teacher notes | Wall sentences double as revision material for Week 12 — the children built their own review resources without knowing it. |