Goal-directed Instructional Design Plan – Math
Number Sentences and Number Stories
Author: Marni Freedman

A problem or a need – there must be a problem of practice or an educational need that
should be addressed during the lesson.
The educational need for students to learn number stories/sentences (addition and subtraction) is
that they are the basic building blocks to help solve more complicated math concepts. It is
essential for students not only to understand how to add or subtract numbers but to also
comprehend what the different operation symbols of a number sentence mean (+, -, =). They
will need to identify and apply these symbols as they continue growing in their elementary years
and beyond. Math is a key skill which children need to develop and use in their everyday lives.
Cooking, gardening, and shopping (grocery store) are just a couple examples of places where
students will need to use math skills, such as the ones learned in this lesson plan. It is essential
for the student to learn how to select which information is important in the math problem. This
process will help stimulate critical thinking and grow language skills.

A real-world performance – how the learning objective fits into a real-world activity or
need.
Learning how number sentences and number stories work is important because it will help
students to develop their number sense. This allows them to make connections between their
knowledge and newly learned mathematical concepts and skills. Number sentences and stories
fit into the real world, as they can be applied to everyday tasks. Some examples that students can
relate to would be buying school supplies or helping make cookies for the bake sale. As children
get older, they will need to use this knowledge base and apply it to more complex math concepts.
That is why it is essential for students to understand this process early on. Number sense is
closely linked with problem solving. Students need to play with numbers to make sense of a
problem. That is what number sentence and stories are! As they use their growing number
sense, they develop strategies to help them solve problems.

An instructional objective – the objectives are based on the final outcome, activity or test.
At the end of this lesson, students will have developed their number sense, allowing them to
make connections between their knowledge and newly learned mathematical concepts and skills.
NETS Standards:
Creativity and Innovation:
Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge and develop innovative
products and processes using technology. Students:
A. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes.
B. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
Communication and Collaboration:
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively,
including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of
others. Students:
a.
Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of
digital environments and media (Computer, Tux Paint, Slideshow)
b.
Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve
problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
Students:
a.
Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions
Digital Citizenship:
Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice
legal and ethical behavior. Students:
a.
Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning
and productivity.
Michigan Curriculum Standards:
Compose and decompose numbers:
N.MR.00.08 Describe and make drawings to represent situations/stories involving putting
together and taking apart for totals up to 10; use finger and object counting.
Add and subtract numbers:
N.MR.00.09 Record mathematical thinking by writing simple addition and subtraction
sentences,
e.g., 7 + 2 = 9, 10 - 8 = 2
Add and subtract whole numbers:
N.MR.01.10 Model addition and subtraction for numbers through 30 for a given contextual
situation using objects or pictures; explain in words; record using numbers and symbols; solve.*

A set of essential content – the basic ideas and skills that will allow the learner to complete
the task or understand the content.
Students understand the concepts of addition and subtraction, as well as the meaning of the
different operational symbols within a number sentence (Ex. 4 + 5 = 9). The class has had
practice solving these types of problems as a group in order to get them ready for the given
lesson. The teacher used real life experiences and applied them to the number stories, so the
students could really connect with the concept she was teaching. Students will show their
understanding of this concept through the creation of number stories with a partner and then
individually. They will publish their work with Tux Paint.

An evaluation consisting of a test or observation: The teacher will be assessing student
participation during the unit review at the beginning of the lesson. Asking the students for
their feedback and answers to different problems will give the teacher an idea of who has a
solid understanding of the concept. Another way in which the teacher will be able to
evaluate the students’ understanding is with the partner work assignment. Both students have
the opportunity to be a student and a teacher during this lesson. The student will complete
the given worksheet (teacher provides this) that has one pre-made number sentence and one
pre-made number story on it. The student has to work through the sheet individually. Once
she is finished, the other student, who is acting like the teacher, will check the work. Then
the roles reverse. These sheets will be collected at the end of the activity. In addition, the
teacher will be walking around while this activity is in play to hear the different
conversations taking place and noticing who is understanding the concept and who might
need some further instruction. Anecdotal records will be taken during this time. The final
way for the teacher to assess whether the students understand the information will be when
they are individually working on creating a number story of their own. It will be easy to see
what parts the students are having difficulty with: operational symbols, actual addition and
subtracting of numbers, confusion with wording, etc.

Example of assessment is at the end of this lesson plan

A method to help participants learn – the method to deliver the content; a lesson.
A. In a large group setting, the teacher will have a mini review of number sentences/stories.
They have been practicing as a large group this past week and will have one last mini
lesson before branching off with a partner. The teacher will review the operational
symbols that are commonly found in addition and subtraction number sentences (=,-, +).
In addition, the will practice how the number sentence is read, how they were able to
figure it out and what the answer was. Have the teacher actually bring in hamburger buns
for the real life example below. Example: I went to the grocery store to buy some
hamburger buns for a barbeque I was having. I put 6 buns in a bag. My friend called me
and said her family would be able to come to the barbeque. I put 4 more buns in the bag
for them. How many hamburger buns do I have altogether? After the teacher says the
problem, she will go back through the number story with the students to find the numbers
in the sentence, decide if it is addition or subtraction, draw a picture, write and solve the
number sentence.
B. Once the class has a good grasp on the concept, the teacher will put the students in
partners and assign each child a role. One student will be a ‘teacher’ and one student will
be a ‘student.’ The actual teacher will hand out a sheet to each person with a number
sentence on it and a number story on it. Each student will complete the given worksheet.
The student has to work through the sheet individually. Once she is finished, the other
student, who is acting like the teacher, will check the work. Then the roles reverse.
These sheets will be collected at the end of the activity for assessment purposes.
C. After partner work is completed, the students will go back to their seats and create their
own number story. They will include: the written story, a number sentence, picture and
answer. Once they are finished, they will work with their partners to make sure the
problem is correct and that they have all the parts needed for the assignment.
D. When the class is finished, they will go to the computer lab and work with their partners
to publish their number stories on the computer through Tux Paint. All of the number
stories will later be combined into a slideshow format for presentation.
E. The students that are more computer savvy can actually type out the number story, as
well as, provide a number sentence and picture. Students that are not as familiar with
typing of the computer can use Tux Paint to create a picture that documents the number
sentence. They do not have to write the number story out. Their partner can help them if
they are able.
F. When completed teacher will come by and save document to a disk to later be turned into
a slideshow.
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Motivation:
○
Meaningfulness: Students will use their math skills of addition and subtraction
throughout their lives. For example, leaving tips, at the grocery story, everyday job
duties. In addition, students need to understand the importance of explaining how
they got their answer or how they came to a particular conclusion. Students will face
this head on in the real world.
○
Pleasant consequences: When students are able to understand the concept of a
number sentence and how it works, they have a moment where they are so excitedlike everything is coming together! Once students understand the concept, they are
able to apply it to real life experiences at home. They are very enthusiastic and happy
to share their moments with the teacher and the class. These moments then trigger
energy in other students to share their experiences and desire to learn more about
math.
○
Novelty: Bringing in actual manipulatives that the students can connect with is
definitely an attention-getting moment in the lesson. For example, when you start a
lesson by pulling out hamburger buns, you definitely get the students engage and
curious about what will happen next. Using examples they can relate to allows them
to make real world-to-self connections.
●
Socialization: The students have many opportunities to work with others during this lesson.
The large group setting opens the lesson, as the students practice number stories together.
They work with a partner when they are discussing number stories and sentences in more
detail and with the exploration of the Tux Paint software. Towards the end of the lesson, the
students work individually to explore the concept on their own, but are brought back together
with their partner to share what they have created. All the students’ work will be shared once
the slideshow is created.
●
Audience – For what audience are you designing this lesson? Consider the following:
○
Age: This lesson was created for the first grade level (6 years old); however, this
could also be introduced to a small group of Kindergarteners who have a strong
understanding of number sense or some second graders that have scored low in the
area of math.
○
Skill level: All students in the class will participate in this lesson. The students must
have a basic understanding of what addition and subtraction means and how they are
different. They already have been introduced to number sentences and what the
different symbols mean. The teacher will have paired up the students beforehand in
order to create couplings that have similar skill sets. Students will be very familiar
with how to use the Tux Paint software, as the computer teacher has often used this
software during class. It is also in the classroom for free time. The slideshow part of
the lesson is taken care of by the teacher.
○
Prerequisite knowledge: The students must have a basic understanding of what
addition and subtraction means and how they are different. Students must be
introduced to number sentences, the format and what the different operational
symbols mean before this lesson is taught.
In regards to technology, the students must be familiar with the basic features of a
computer (keyboard, screen, mouse, etc.). Students should have prior experience
using Tux Paint software in computer lab. They should know how to select different
stamps on the screen to represent the items in their story or they can actually draw a
picture that matches their number story.
The slideshow part of the lesson is taken care of by the teacher (prior knowledge is
either known for this or this is a learning opportunity for the teacher)!
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Technology Needs: Computer lab assess (20-30 minutes), Tux Paint software program
installed on the computers, disk to save the documents to and MicroSoft PowerPoint for
slideshow.
Annotation:
Tux Paint: Open Source Drawing Software for Children. 2012. Retrieved from
http://tuxpaint.org/
Name: ______________
Number Sentence
3 + 4 =____
Draw a picture to solve the problem.
There were 6 bees flying in the air.
3 more were near the flowers.
How many bees were there in all?
Write the number sentence below:
Draw a picture to solve the problem.
Name: _______________
Number Story
What is the number sentence?
Draw the picture