Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to understand and apply basic arithmetic concepts related to cubes, such as counting, adding, and subtracting.

Materials and Prep

You will need:
- A set of 10 cubes
- Pen and paper
- A clear workspace
Before starting the lesson, make sure you are familiar with counting from 1 to 10 and have a basic understanding of addition and subtraction.

Activities

1. Counting Cubes: Start by counting the cubes from 1 to 10.
2. Adding and Subtracting: Use the cubes to perform simple addition and subtraction problems. For example, "If you have 5 cubes and you add 3 more, how many do you have in total?" and "If you have 8 cubes and you take away 2, how many are left?"
3. Building Shapes: Use the cubes to build simple shapes and count the number of cubes used for each shape.

First Grade Talking Points

• "Cubes are small, square blocks that we can use for counting and making shapes."
• "When we count cubes, we start with 1 and keep adding one more for each cube."
• "We can use cubes to add numbers together. For example, if we have 3 cubes and add 2 more, we have 5 in total."
• "We can also use cubes to take away or subtract. If we have 6 cubes and take away 4, we have 2 left."
• "By using cubes, we can learn about numbers and how they work together."