Animals on the farm

Using materials

Problem: There are eight farm animals on the farm. How many different ways could the farmer split the animals between the two paddocks?

1. Show the students the eight plastic farm animals and a piece of paper with two rectangles drawn on it to represent two paddocks.
2. Let the students take the animals for a walk around the paddocks until “Stop” is called.
3. Ask: “How many animals are in the first paddock, and how many are in the second paddock?”
4. Discuss the result – for example, three animals and five animals is the same as eight animals – and record it on the board or in the modelling book.
5. Continue repeating the walk around the farm until all the pairs of numbers that add to eight have been found.
6. Make sure the students understand that there are still eight animals altogether.
7. Continue to explore numbers from two to ten. 

Using imaging

Problem: There are six cows on the farm. Two of the cows are in the first paddock, and four are in the second paddock.

1. Show the two cows and the four cows, and then cover the four cows with a piece of material.
2. Say: “One of these cows joined her friends in the first paddock. How many cows are there on the farm altogether?”
3. The students solve the problem by imaging the cow moving to the first paddock.
4. If necessary, have the students fold back to “Using materials” by moving one cow to the other paddock and counting how many cows there are altogether.
5. Discuss why two cows and four cows is the same as three cows and three cows and record on the board or in the modelling book.
6. Continue to explore numbers from two to ten.