Multiplication and division - Count in 2s - Planning

In the Year 1 Spring term, students embark on a journey to master multiplication through the foundational skill of counting in twos. This lesson serves as a crucial stepping stone, revisiting concepts from place value up to 50 and providing differentiated worksheets tailored to individual learning needs. The key vocabulary for this lesson includes "pair" and "multiple," with resources available to support understanding of these terms. The lesson begins with a warm-up activity where children answer questions to refresh their memory of previous lessons, followed by partner work which encourages collaborative learning and verbal communication.

The lesson's activities are designed to demonstrate the efficiency of counting in pairs, using everyday items such as socks and gloves as tangible examples. Students explore patterns in counting by twos, understanding why certain numbers like 5 are omitted in this sequence. They are challenged to identify and continue patterns, fill in missing numbers on a number line, and determine what comes before and after a given number when counting in twos. The lesson also includes reasoning and problem-solving tasks where children count backwards in twos and compare different counting strategies. To consolidate learning, the lesson ends with a reflective "Give me five" activity, where students articulate what they've learned, the skills they've used, and future learning commitments. Differentiated activities are provided to cater to varying levels of understanding, from working towards the expected level to achieving greater depth, ensuring that each child can progress confidently in their understanding of multiplication through counting in twos.