Adrienne Dell’Aquila

School of Education
The College of New Jersey

Title of Lesson: Counting and Hiding Bears

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Lesson Essential Questions: How can we figure out the missing number in an addition equation
when given one number in the equation and a sum of 10? How can we figure out how many
bears are hiding?

Standards:
GMP1.5
Make sense of your problem.
GMP7.1
Look for mathematical structures such as categories, patterns, and properties.
Pennsylvania:
CC.2.2.K.A.1
Extend the concepts of putting together and taking apart to add and subtract within 10.
New Jersey:
K.OA.4
For any number from 1 to 9, find the number that makes 10 when added to the given number,
e.g, by using objects or drawings, and record the answer with a drawing or equation.

Learning Objectives Assessments

Students will be able to solve for the
unknown number when given one addend
and a sum of 10.
Ex: unknown number +given number=10
Students will be able to understand the
difference between the given number and
the hidden number.
Students will count the bears outside the
cave and count on (up) to 10 to figure out
how many bears are hiding. Students can
also use their fingers to see how many
more fingers they need to count to get to
10. Students can also use the ten frame and
count the number of empty spaces.
Students will fill out their own Hiding
Bears Recording sheet in order to show the
bears they see vs. the bears that are hidden.

Materials:
 Bears
 Plastic cups
 Poster
 Hiding Bears Recording Sheet (My First Math book pg 8)
 6-11 Hiding Bears worksheet

Pre-lesson assignments and/or prior knowledge:

The students have prior knowledge with numbers 1-10. Additionally, they have used counting
methods such as counting with their fingers to solve mathematical problems. The students will
be able to use the addition methods they have used in the past to help them in solving the
mathematical equations in this lesson.

Lesson Beginning:
Ms. Dell’Aquila will start the lesson by asking students to remember some methods they use
when adding and will use the example of finger counting. After hearing some responses, Ms.
Dell’Aquila will explain the fun and interactive game called Hiding Bears. Ms. Dell’Aquila will
show a poster with some examples to demonstrate how to play the game. With the class, Ms.
Dell’Aquila will count ten bears and place them under a plastic cup and will explain that the cup
is the bear’s cave. After placing all ten bears in the cave, Ms. Dell’Aquila will ask: How many
bears are hiding in the cave? After hearing responses and the class understanding that the answer
is 10, Ms. Dell’Aquila will take all ten bears out of the cave and ask how many bears are hiding
in the cave now? Ms. Dell’Aquila will move on once the students understand that the answer is
0.

Instructional Plan:
Ms. Dell’Aquila will start by reviewing methods of counting when solving addition problems.
After, Ms. Dell’Aquila will explain the game called Hiding Bears and will do an example for the
entire class. After this, Ms. Dell’Aquila will put a worksheet on the projector and Ms.
Dell’Aquila and the students will solve the problems together. Ms. Dell’Aquila will do as many
problems with the students until she feels they are ready to move onto the activity portion of the
lesson. Ms. Dell’Aquila will explain to the students that they will be working with a partner to
play this game. Ms. Dell’Aquila will model how to fill out the “Bears I See” and “Bears Hiding”
worksheet. The students will be instructed to hide the bears for their partner. Once the bears are
hidden, Ms. Dell’Aquila will explain that the partner who did not hide the bears should use
counting methods (finger counting, ten frame, etc) to figure out how many bears are hiding in the
cave. The teacher will instruct the students to fill out the worksheet as they continue working
with their partners.

Differentiation:
To differentiate, Ms. Dell’Aquila will offer extra guidance to students who have trouble
understanding how to figure out how many bears are in the cave. After providing more
examples, if some students still need extra assistance, Ms. Dell’Aquila will start with the sum of
five instead of ten. By doing this, Ms. Dell’Aquila can hide three bears in the cave and show two
visible bears outside of the cave. Therefore, the students will be evaluating a smaller number and
may be able to understand the concept by using a simpler equation. For students who complete
the work earlier than others, students will be given extra problems to work on while other
students finish.

Questions:
 How can we figure out how many bears are hiding?
 How many bears do you see?
 What methods of counting did you use to solve this?
Classroom Management:
Ms. Dell’Aquila will manage the classroom by starting the lesson reminding students to look
forward to the fun game planned. Ms. Dell’Aquila will also remind students to not bend or cut
any of the plastic cups handed out. Before transitioning from one part of the activity to the next,
Ms. Dell’Aquila will ensure that all students are ready to move on by waiting for voices to quiet
down. While working with their partners, Ms. Dell’Aquila will remind students to use their
inside voices in order for the classroom to not get too loud. If the classroom does get too loud,
Ms. Dell’Aquila will clap in rhythm and wait for students to respond with a clap to get their
attention. Ms. Dell’Aquila will then remind students to quiet down. The star behavior chart will
be used if need be.

Transitions:
Ms. Dell’Aquila will not transition from one activity to the next until all students show that they
are comfortable and ready to move on. Once demonstrating a few problems to the class, Ms.
Dell’Aquila will explain that she is going to try some more examples with the class. After
completing those examples, Ms. Dell’Aquila will explain that she would love for the class to
work in partners to play the Hiding Bears game. After circling around to groups and seeing how
the students are doing, Ms. Dell’Aquila will transition to close the lesson and explain the
importance of addition equations.

Closure:
To close the lesson, Ms. Dell’Aquila will have some students share their answers from the game
they played with their partner. After hearing some responses, Ms. Dell’Aquila will reiterate how
to use different methods to solve mathematical equations. She will remind students that she is
proud that they used problem-solving skills to figure out how many bears were hidden.