1st Grade Math Lesson Plan

Hook/Introduction

Begin with a quick, active review of what students already know about addition and subtraction within 10. 

Ask five students to come to the front of the room. Say: 

“Five students are on the bus today. Three get off at the first stop. How many students are left on the bus?” 

Have three students sit down to model the action, then have the class call out how many students remain. 

Next, try an addition example: 

“Four students are jumping rope outside.”

Have four students pretend to jump rope. 

“Then, six more students started jumping rope too. How many students are now jumping rope?”

Add six more students to the group and have the whole class call out the answer.  

Complete four rounds in all, two addition and two subtraction. Have a quick discussion about the strategies students used to solve the problems. 

Learning Activities 

Direct Instruction

To introduce the activity, tell the students that they are going to build on what they know about addition and subtraction by using larger numbers. Tell them that they are going to use strategies that they are familiar with in order to solve the story problems. 

Model an addition story problem on the board: 

George makes 6 snowballs. His sister makes 5 more. How many snowballs do they have all together?

Think aloud with questions like:

• What is happening in this story?
• Are we getting more snowballs or fewer? 

Then, draw 6 circles on the board. Then draw 5 more. Count together, marking off circles as you go. Write the equation: 6+5=11. Then, show students how to solve the same problem using the counters. 

Model a subtraction problem.

Elena makes 12 friendship bracelets. She gives three to her soccer teammates. How many friendship bracelets does Elena have left? 

Think aloud, draw 12 circles on the board, then cross out 3. Count the remaining circles out loud. Write the equation: 12-3=9. 

Repeat the same problem, this time showing students how to use the counters to solve the problems. 

Before moving to guided and independent practice, address any confusion. Ask questions like: 

• “What do these circles stand for?” 
• “When we add, do we put groups together or take them apart?”
• “What about when we subtract?”
• “What words in the examples helped you know whether we should add or subtract? “

Guided Practice

Pass out manipulatives to each student. Solve 2 or 3 problems together using both manipulatives and drawings. Invite students to model:

• Solving the problem with counters
• Solving the problem with drawings
• Writing the equations

Ask students clarifying questions like: 

• “What is happening in the story?” 
• “Did the amount grow or shrink?”
• “What numbers do we know?”
• “Do you like using the counters or drawings better? Why?” 

Independent/Small Group Work

Pass out the worksheets to each student. Encourage them to use counters, drawings, or both to solve the problems. As the students work, visit each to check for understanding, and provide scaffolding or challenge where needed. Here are a few ideas: 

Optional Support: 

• Students work in pairs or small groups instead of individually
• Read the problems aloud to struggling students 
• Provide an alternate worksheet with numbers within 10
• Highlight key words “altogether” “gives away” “add”, etc.

Optional Challenge: 

• Ask students to write their own story problems when they are finished with the worksheet
• Provide a missing addend problem, such as: “Piper had ____ cookies. Lucy gave her 6 more. She now has 12. How many cookies did Piper start with?” 

Wrap Up/Formative Assessment

Review the lesson as a whole class, encouraging students to think about what they learned about story problems and addition/subtraction. Call on 2 or 3 students to respond to the following questions: 

• “One way I know when to add or subtract is…”
• “What helped you the most: drawing, using counters, or writing equations? Why?”
• “If we are adding, will our answer be bigger or smaller?” 
• “Could a subtraction answer ever be bigger than the number we started with? Why or why not?” 

Teacher Reflection for Story Problem Lesson

Asking yourself the following questions after the lesson will help you reflect and make adjustments as needed

• What went well? How do I know? 
• Did the students meet the learning goals? What evidence do I have? 
• Did anything surprise me during the lesson? 
• How did the students respond to the extra support/challenges? 
• Would I adjust the pacing next time?
• Do my students need more practice with this specific skill?

For more story problem practice, head over to Dreambox Math. There, your students will find a fun, interactive online math program tailored specifically to their needs.