A Look Inside the Structure of a 1st Grade Math Class with Ilana Weisz

Ilana began the class with all her students gathered on the carpet. After a few opening questions to spark interest and get her students thinking, she dove into the day’s focus: grouping and skip-counting by two. To introduce the topic, she asked the 1st graders to brainstorm things that come in groups of two, or pairs—like eyes, socks, and shoes. Then she used a number line to demonstrate how to skip-count by twos, modeling how to “hop” over the numbers in between.

To get students moving and actively applying the content they were learning, Ilana incorporated a quick, interactive group practice checkpoint near the end of the mini lesson. This simultaneously provided her with an opportunity to assess her student’s understanding before moving on to independent work and determine whether any additional support was needed—whether in the moment for the whole group or for specific students afterward.

For today’s group practice, Ilana gave each student a dry-erase number line and asked them to try skip-counting by two up to a certain number. Then, they counted by twos by using their finger and following the hops of their skipped numbers.

For the last segment of the class period, Ilana wrapped up the lesson and introduced an independent activity: grouping and counting Unifix cubes by two. Before leaving the carpet, Ilana had students model strategies on how to group cubes by two and organize them so they would be easy to count. 

Bags of Unifix cubes in hand, students moved to their tables, and, with a partner or individually, grouped over 40 cubes. Then, using their number line, they skip-counted by two using each pair of Unifix cubes to help them track their amount. 

Using their number lines, they skip-counted by twos, using each cube pair as a visual and physical guide to track their total.