How many can you make?

How many can you make?

How do you show me how many?

How can you make a number?

How many more to make a number?

How? How? How?

Today we took some familiar materials and changed the question we asked. We noticed students eager to build cakes, roll play dough balls, and stack pieces of play dough. We wanted to embrace the desire to create small parts, while promoting number sense. 

How many can you make?

RR, you decided to show 6. How can you do that?

You found the number six and slowly, carefully rolled out six small balls. 

Your creative math brain was working over time, you showed me six ON the number six!

RR, you wanted a challenge. So we found the biggest number - 10!

How many is ten?

At first, you rolled out 4 more balls. I was confused. Then you let me know, you already had six so you only needed 4 more to make 10 all together. Whoa - that is amazing. 

I wonder, how many more to make 10 and 6?

CZ, you were very eager to show me all about numbers. 

What number did you find?

8!

I wonder, how can you show me eight?

CZ, you noticed when you pressed the number 8 down the holes were filled up play dough. When you pushed the clumps out, you were able to make 8 balls of play dough!

ET, I heard you counting. You put so many numbers in your play dough. 

I wonder, how many there are?

EH, you made three balls of dough and poked three holes, one in each ball. 

How many holes are there?

Can you find the number 3?

SG, your number was so big. It was so big we had to put two numbers together to make your number. How many pieces of play dough did you make?

Can we count that high, together?