Place Value within 50 - Counting to 50 by making 10s - Planning

The first week of Year 1 Spring term introduces young learners to the concept of place value within 50, with a particular focus on counting to 50 by making tens. The National Curriculum objectives for this unit include counting forwards and backwards from various starting points, reading and writing numbers up to 50, and understanding one more or one less than a given number. Pictorial representations and objects are used to help children grasp these concepts, alongside the key vocabulary such as 'group', 'tens', 'ones', and 'represent'. During the lesson, children will use resources like ten frames and a 100 square to visualize and understand the patterns in multiples of ten, and they will practice counting in tens through a series of activities and discussions.

The lesson begins with a starter activity that encourages children to recall their previous knowledge and then progresses to partner work and practical activities using a variety of resources to represent tens and ones. They will learn to bundle straws into groups of ten, thereby making counting more efficient. A plenary session at the end of the lesson helps reinforce the learning objectives and allows children to reflect on what they have learned, such as making tens to count to 50 and spotting patterns in multiples of ten on a 100 square. Differentiated worksheets provide independent fluency and reasoning exercises, while common misconceptions are addressed to ensure a solid understanding of counting in tens and place value within 50.