Lesson Plans for Elementary School Students
Full Length Lesson Plans from an Elementary School Teacher
Math Lesson Plan: Learning Even and Odd Numbers
Prerequisite:
- Students have learned about skipcounting. eg. You can start at ANY number, skip three, circle that number, skip three, circle that number, skip three, etc. Students know about digits and that the number 10 has two digits, 1 and 0. Some patterning experience would help in this lesson too.
Learning objectives:
- Even numbers: Even numbers have to end with the digits 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8. Even numbers can be split into 2 equal groups. Equal means the same amount. Both groups have the same amount.
Odd numbers: Odd numbers have to end with digits 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Odd numbers cannot be split into 2 equal groups.
***See notations at bottom of page for changing this lesson for odd numbers, counting by 5’s, counting by 10’s.
Materials:
- 30 scrap papers, (one for each student) 8 1/2″ X 11″ (stress “reusing” paper that has been used on one side eg. photocopy errors, for the 3 R’s you’ll teach them)
- markers for each student
- bingo dabbers (about 5 colours)
- large, easily visible One Hundred Chart, laminated or better yet, covered with a loose sheet of laminate that can be used to cover and write on other chartboard sheets so that everything doesn’t have to be laminated.
- small One Hundred Chart for each student, shrunk to fit in their math journal
- students math journals
- chart paper printed with the statements about odd and even numbers (from above objective) to be placed on board when students are printing in their math journals
Method:
- Teacher uses marker to print one large number on each sheet, 1 to 30 (or whatever number of students you have in your class)
- If your class is in rows, hand out enough number sheets to the first person in the row so that they can pass them back to everyone. If your class is in groups of 4, hand 4 number pages to each group to pass to each other. Every student has a number sheet, which have been handed out randomly.
- Teacher calls students that have numbers 1 to 10 up to the front of the classroom.
- Teacher has a huddle with those 10 students and tells 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 to jump up and down when their number is called. They stop jumping when the next number is called. They only jump when their number is called.
- Teacher asks students to put themselves in order from 1 to 10, across the front of the classroom, showing number 1 where to stand (on the left at the front).
- When students 1-10 are lined up, teacher goes behind student holding number 1 and asks the class “What number is this?”. They shout out “one”. Then the teacher goes behind the student holding number 2 and asks “What number is this?”. When they shout out “two”, the student holding number 2 should start jumping on the spot. If not, whisper to remind them. When you move behind student number 3, number 2 can still be jumping if they want to but as soon as the teacher asks “What number is this?” number 2 has to stop jumping. Teacher may need to remind 2 to stop. This continues, with 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 jumping when they are identified.
- When the numbers 1 to 10 have all been identified by the seated students, you can call out the numbers “2, 4, 6, 8, 10” once again, encouraging those students to jump again. Let them jump for a minute before telling them “Thank you. Please stop now.”
- Ask the class to try to figure out why those students are jumping. Lots of answers are correct. (skipcounting, counting by 2’s, even numbers)
- Encourage discussion. Do you need to use 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 when you are counting by 2’s? (YES) Can you start counting at 3 and count by 2’s? (YES) Can you start at 9 and count by 2’s? (YES) Skipcounting can start at any number.
- Even numbers can be split into 2 equal groups. Odd numbers cannot. Why did 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 not hop? Can they be split into equal groups? What are these numbers called?
- Have students 11-20 come to the front. Remind 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 to jump. Have them put themselves in order across the front of the classroom. Ask seated students to “read” these numerals. Have even numbers hop. Continue until all students have participated.*** IF YOU THINK YOUR CLASS UNDERSTANDS THE CONCEPT OFF EVEN/ODD NUMBERS WELL ENOUGH, try this: When 21-30 come up to the front, have 21, 23, 25, 27, and 29 hop. After numbers have been read, ask seated students what was diffferent that time? Why did they hop? Are they even numbers?
- All students have participated now, and are seated. Teacher goes to classroom One Hundreds Chart. Use the Bingo Dabber to mark 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Ask students why you marked those numbers? What’s special about them? (even numbers, but looking for the pattern of the second digit eg. 2, 4, 6, 8, and 0 of the 10. Don’t tell them yet.)
- Have a volunteer Bingo Dab the next row of EVEN numbers, 12-20. Ask class, Do you see any patterns yet?
- Continue having student volunteers Bingo Dab all of the even numbers on the chart. (patterning of first digits will begin with the 20’s now)
- Teacher puts up the chart paper with the statements about even and odd numbers, found in the objective above. Students print the statements about even and odd numbers into their math journals.
- Teacher hands out student copies of One Hundred Charts and water markers to all students with instructions to colour all even numbers pink and all odd numbers yellow. (Using light colored markers ensures that the numbers can still be read.) Students Hundreds Charts are glued in their math journals.
- When students are finished, they may write in their math journals about the patterns they found on their hundreds chart, using these math words: first digit, second digit, odd numbers, even numbers.
ODD NUMBERS:
- Above lesson, using same number sheets and students but students hop for 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, and 29. Reinforcement activity can be the same One Hundred Chart, but using markers to mark the odd numbers this time. Math journal page will have lines printed about odd numbers as stated in objective above. Math explanation of patterns found in odd numbers will be written in their math journals as well.
COUNTING BY 5’S:
- Above lesson, using same number sheets and students but students hop for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30. Reinforcement will be One Hundred Charts, with markers showing students counting by 5’s. Similar definitions and explanations about patterns found will be written in math journals. Eg. “Counting by 5’s: When counting by 5’s, the digits need to end in 0 or 5.” The explanation written by students will use the words: final digit. Skipcounting can be discussed/reviewed if confusion arises. When you start counting at 3, then skip 5 (to 8), then skip 5 (to 13), skip 5 (to 18), etc., the last digits will not be 0 and 5. The digits will now end with 8 and 3. There are still number patterns.
COUNTING BY 10’S:
- Above lesson, using same number sheets and students but students hop for 10, 20, 30. Reinforcement will be One Hundred Charts, with markers showing students counting by 10’s. Similar definitions and explanations about patterns found will be written in math journals. Eg. “Counting by 10’s: When counting by 10’s, the digits need to end in 0.” The explanation written by students will use the words: final digit. Skipcounting can be discussed/reviewed if confusion arises. When you start counting at 3, then skip 10 (to 13), then skip 10 (to 23), skip 10 (to 33), etc., the last digits will not be 0 and 5. The digits will now end with 3. There are still number patterns.
Tags: counting by 10's, counting by 2's, counting by 5's, identify written numerals from verbal instructions, learning even numerals, learning odd numerals, math journal, number digits, number patterns, skipcounting