My Little Pony Math Adventure: Addition and Subtraction

Materials Needed

• Small toy ponies, pony pictures, or homemade pony drawings
• 10–20 small counters, such as buttons, blocks, or toy “pony treats”
• Number cards from 0 to 20
• Paper and crayons or colored pencils
• Pencil
• Optional: a small box or basket for a “pony barn”

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, the learner will be able to:

• Add two groups of objects with totals up to 20.
• Subtract objects from a group with numbers up to 20.
• Write or say a matching number sentence, such as 5 + 3 = 8 or 9 − 2 = 7.
• Explain how they found an answer using objects, drawings, counting, or mental math.

Success Criteria

I can:

• Count carefully.
• Put groups together to add.
• Take some away to subtract.
• Show my answer with toys, a drawing, or numbers.
• Tell how I solved the problem.

Lesson Length

Approximately 35–45 minutes. The activities may be shortened or spread across several shorter sessions.

Introduction: Pony Picnic Hook

Say: “The ponies are having a picnic, but they need help counting their treats. Can you help them share the treats and solve math mysteries?”

Place 3 pony toys or drawings on the table. Give them 2 counters.

Ask:

• “How many ponies are at the picnic?”
• “How many treats do they have?”
• “What might happen if we give them 3 more treats?”

Tell the learner: “Today we will practice addition, which means putting groups together, and subtraction, which means taking some away.”

Part 1: I Do — The Teacher Models

Modeling Addition

1. Place 4 counters beside one pony.
2. Place 3 more counters beside another pony.
3. Say: “This pony has 4 treats. This pony has 3 treats. We can put the groups together.”
4. Push the counters into one group and count: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.”
5. Write: 4 + 3 = 7.
6. Explain: “The plus sign means put together. The equal sign means the answer is.”

Quick Check: Ask the learner to show 2 counters and then add 2 more. Ask, “How many are there altogether?”

Modeling Subtraction

1. Place 8 counters in front of a pony.
2. Say: “The pony has 8 treats. The pony eats 3 treats.”
3. Move 3 counters away.
4. Count the counters left: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5.”
5. Write: 8 − 3 = 5.
6. Explain: “The minus sign means take away. The answer tells how many are left.”

Quick Check: Place 6 counters down and take away 2. Ask, “How many are left?”

Part 2: We Do — Solve Pony Problems Together

Use pony toys, drawings, or counters to act out each story. Encourage the learner to touch and count each object.

Pony Addition Stories

1. “Twilight has 2 books. Rainbow Dash brings 4 more books. How many books are there altogether?”
2. “Pinkie Pie makes 5 cupcakes. She makes 3 more. How many cupcakes does she have now?”
3. “Applejack picks 6 apples. Fluttershy picks 2 apples. How many apples did they pick altogether?”

For each problem, ask the learner to:

1. Build the first group.
2. Build the second group.
3. Put the groups together.
4. Count the total.
5. Say the number sentence aloud.

Pony Subtraction Stories

1. “Rainbow Dash has 7 balloons. 2 balloons float away. How many balloons are left?”
2. “Rarity has 9 buttons. She uses 4 buttons. How many buttons are left?”
3. “Fluttershy has 10 flowers. She gives 3 flowers to a friend. How many flowers does she have left?”

For each problem, ask the learner to:

1. Build the starting group.
2. Move away the number being taken away.
3. Count what is left.
4. Say the number sentence aloud.

Think-Pair-Share Option: If another person is available, have the learner explain one problem to that person. If working alone, the learner can explain the solution to a pony toy.

Part 3: You Do — Pony Math Missions

Let the learner choose one of these activities or complete both.

Choice A: Pony Treat Shop

Set up a pretend treat shop using counters as treats. Write prices from 1 to 10 on small cards.

1. The learner chooses two treats.
2. The learner adds the prices together.
3. The learner uses counters or drawings to find the total.
4. The learner writes a number sentence.

Example: A cupcake costs 3 treats and an apple costs 2 treats. 3 + 2 = 5.

Choice B: Pony Barn Take-Away Game

1. Place 5–10 ponies, drawings, or counters in the “barn.”
2. Say, “Some ponies went outside.”
3. Remove 1–5 objects.
4. Ask the learner to find how many are still in the barn.
5. Have the learner write or say the subtraction sentence.

Example: There are 8 ponies in the barn. 3 go outside. 8 − 3 = 5.

Choice C: Make a Pony Math Story

Invite the learner to create a story using a pony, a number, and an action.

Use these sentence starters:

• “_____ pony had _____.”
• “Then _____ more came.”
• “Now there are _____.”
• Or: “_____ pony had _____.”
• “Then _____ went away.”
• “Now _____ are left.”

Ask the learner to act out the story and write the matching addition or subtraction sentence.

Formative Assessment: Check as You Go

During the activities, observe whether the learner can:

• Count objects one at a time without skipping objects.
• Recognize when a story involves putting together or taking away.
• Use the correct operation sign, + or −.
• Find the total or the amount left.
• Explain the answer in words, drawings, or actions.

Ask:

• “How do you know?”
• “What did you do first?”
• “Did we put together or take away?”
• “Can you show the answer another way?”

Summative Assessment: Pony Math Challenge

Give the learner these four problems. The learner may use counters, drawings, or a number line.

1. 3 + 4 = _____
2. 6 + 2 = _____
3. 9 − 3 = _____
4. 10 − 5 = _____

Then ask the learner to create one addition story or one subtraction story and solve it.

Assessment Guide

• Excellent progress: Solves most problems correctly and explains the strategy.
• Developing: Solves problems with counters or support but needs reminders.
• Needs more practice: Needs help counting, identifying the operation, or finding what is left.

Differentiation and Support

For a Learner Who Needs More Support

• Work with numbers from 0 to 5 first.
• Use real objects and move each object while counting.
• Use a number line and point to each number.
• Begin with addition and subtraction stories that involve only 1 or 2 objects.
• Give sentence frames such as “I started with ___. I added ___. Now I have ___.”
• Allow the learner to answer orally or by pointing instead of writing.

For a Learner Ready for a Challenge

• Use numbers up to 20.
• Ask the learner to solve a problem in two ways, such as with counters and a number line.
• Ask the learner to find a missing number: 5 + ___ = 9 or 10 − ___ = 6.
• Have the learner write a two-step pony story, such as adding treats and then taking some away.
• Ask, “Can you make a different story with the same number sentence?”

Conclusion: Pony Parade Recap

Have the learner place a pony beside each completed task and celebrate the finished “math parade.”

Ask the learner to complete these sentences:

• “Addition means __________.”
• “Subtraction means __________.”
• “When I add, I can __________.”
• “When I subtract, I can __________.”

Final recap: “Today we helped the ponies by putting groups together to add and taking objects away to subtract. We can use counters, drawings, number lines, or numbers to solve math problems.”

Optional Extension

During the day, look for real-life math moments: count snacks, add toys, share objects, or find how many items are left after some are used. Let the learner choose the objects and make a new pony math problem.