aidemia--modules-lessonstartideas_type	Give a creative idea how to begin a lesson
Which subject	Mathematics
What age group	Year or Grade 1
What topic	Addition
Quantity	1
Any other preferences

A Fun Introduction to Addition: The Animal Parade

Objective

To engage Year 1 students in the concept of addition through a creative and interactive storytelling approach.

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Setting the Scene

Teacher's Note: Gather your students in a circle on the classroom floor, ensuring everyone can see and hear you. You will need a few plush animal toys or pictures of animals for this activity.

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Story Time: The Animal Parade

Start with a Story:

"Good morning, everyone! Today, we are going to go on a special adventure with our animal friends. Let's imagine that all the animals in the forest want to have a parade, and they need our help to count how many there are!"

Introducing the Characters

Presentation of Plush Toys:

• "Here is Bobby the Bear. Let's all say, 'Hello, Bobby!'"
• "And here is Sally the Snake. Everyone say, 'Hi, Sally!'"

Hold up each toy, encouraging students to interact with the characters.

Grouping the Animals

"Now, Bobby the Bear has brought some of his friends. Let's count how many friends he has!"

Place 3 plush toys in front of the students.

• "We have 3 bears! How many does Bobby have?"

Encourage students to respond with the answer: "3!"

"Now, Sally the Snake is slithering along, and she has brought 2 more snakes to join the fun!"

Add 2 plush toys to the group.

• "How many animals do we have now? Let's count together!"

Counting Together

1. "1 bear, 2 bears, 3 bears, 4 snakes, 5 snakes! That's 5 animals altogether!"

Write the number of animals down on a whiteboard as you count them.

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Introduction to Addition

"Now, let's remember how we counted all of our animals. We took 3 bears and added 2 snakes. This is called addition!"

Visual Representation

On the whiteboard:

• Draw 3 circles for the bears.
• Then draw 2 circles for the snakes.

"3 bears + 2 snakes = 5 animals!"

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Engage in a Counting Activity

"Now, everyone will get a chance to create your own animal parade! In front of you, there are some animal pictures. Let's create our own groups!"

Distribute animal cutouts to each student with 3 different types of animals (e.g., lions, tigers, elephants).

"Choose your animals, and then add them up like we did with Bobby and Sally!"

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Conclusion

"Once you finish counting your animals, we will share how many we have in our parade! This is just the beginning of our journey with addition. Get ready for a day full of fun with numbers!”

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End of Lesson Introduction

Finish with upbeat music related to animals to transition into the next phase of the lesson, highlighting the joy of learning through addition.