Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to apply basic arithmetic skills while exploring the concept of bowling.

Materials and Prep

• Bowling pins (could be made from empty water bottles)
• A small ball (like a tennis ball or a soft ball)
• A flat surface to set up the bowling pins
• A pen and paper

Before starting the lesson, make sure you have a basic understanding of addition and subtraction.

Activities

1. Set up the bowling pins in a triangular formation on the flat surface.
2. Take turns rolling the ball to knock down the pins. Keep track of how many pins are knocked down each turn.
3. Write down the number of pins knocked down for each turn on the paper.
4. Add up the total number of pins knocked down after several turns.
5. Subtract the total number of pins knocked down from the total number of pins set up to find out how many pins are still standing.

First Grade Talking Points

• "Bowling is a fun game where we try to knock down as many pins as possible with a ball."
• "We can use addition to find out how many pins we knocked down in each turn. For example, if we knocked down 3 pins in one turn and 2 pins in another turn, we can add 3 and 2 to get the total number of pins knocked down."
• "We can use subtraction to find out how many pins are still standing. If we set up 10 pins and knocked down 7, we can subtract 7 from 10 to find out how many pins are still standing."
• "By keeping track of the number of pins knocked down, we can practice addition and subtraction while having fun playing bowling!"