Kindergarten - MATH
1: Letters
Unit 1: A - A Is for Musk Ox
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks students to practice counting to 20 and to count the dots on number cards (Activity 3), then flip the card to read the matching numeral. The review section also prompts students to practice counting aloud, reinforcing number recognition and one-to-one counting of small sets.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 3 asks students to cut out pictures and glue the correct picture under each letter, and the "Beginning Letter Sounds" page has labeled boxes (b, a, h, a, l) with images to place into corresponding boxes. These tasks require students to sort or classify pictorial items into categories defined by beginning letters. The Review section also asks the child to practice counting to 20 aloud, which provides some counting practice.
Unit 2: H - Hondo and Fabian
Lesson 1
Day 1
Activity 1 asks students to identify each described action as either a Hondo or a Fabian activity, so students practice classifying items into given categories (dog vs. cat). Activity 2 has students count die-cut animals by sliding each one as they say number names and then find the number card that matches the number of cats and dogs, so students practice counting the number of objects in each category using one-to-one correspondence. The lesson's listed skills also state that students should identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to another group.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students compare cats and dogs by discussing attributes (appearance and behavior) and record those attributes in a Venn diagram with sections labeled Cats, Dogs, and Both. Students generate characteristic examples (e.g., "purring sound," "can climb trees," "have four legs") and place them in the appropriate category. Students also practice counting to 20 as part of the review section, showing some number familiarity.
Lesson 3
Day 3
In Activity 3 students are given two piles of die-cut cats and dogs (one with 3 animals and the other with 5) and are asked to lay each pile in a separate line. Students are instructed to work left to right and to count each line, assigning one number to each cat or dog. They are then asked which line has more animals and which line has fewer, and the activity is repeated with different numbers.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 asks students to lay out a row of 3 dogs and cats and to match a number card to each animal, which has students handle and count concrete objects. The activity has students add one more animal and recount to determine how many they have, and prompts practice reading and recognizing the numerals 4, 5, and 6. The student activity page and pipe-cleaner option give repeated practice with forming and identifying the numerals used in counting.
Unit 3: I - The Little Island
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students create an island diagram and place distinct object types (one rock, seven trees, seven fireflies, seventeen small bushes) on it, counting each category as they glue them. The directions have students slide and count the trees out loud and then count and stick the fireflies and bushes. An optional extension has students use number cards to match each object type to the correct numeral.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 3 asks children to identify animals from the book and place them into the categories air, land, or water by acting out how each animal moves, providing direct practice classifying objects into given categories. Activity 2 has children count and match die-cut cats to number cards and practice writing numbers 7–9, providing explicit counting practice on other tasks.
Unit 4: T - What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
Lesson 1
Day 1
Activity 1 directs students to fold a page into four boxes labeled 0, 2, 4, and 6 and to place animal stickers in the box that matches each animal's number of legs, so students sort animals into specified categories by leg count. The materials include cut-apart animal cards and a draw-two comparison game (Activity 2) that has students identify similarities and differences in structures, supporting classification by attributes. The Skills section explicitly lists comparing measurable attributes (more/less) as a targeted skill, reinforcing attention to numeric differences between groups.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students cut out animal picture cards and tail pieces and match/glue each tail to the correct animal (Activity 1 and the Student Activity Pages), which has them identify which tail belongs with which animal. The lesson also includes explicit practice counting to 20 during the Getting Started review, so students practice number sequences and verbal counting.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 2 (Counting Tails) asks students to look at each set of tails (columns of repeated images) and count them, then write the number or select a matching number card. The student activity pages show columns of repeated shapes or sea shells, which students are prompted to count and record. The directions model counting multiple groups of similar objects and producing a numeric count for each group.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students match pictures to beginning letters on the "Beginning Letter Sounds" activity by drawing lines from images (taxi, ambulance, hand, tree, island) to letter boxes labeled t, a, h, t, i. On the "Letter Sounds: T" pages students circle the correct beginning letter for each picture and cut/paste letters under the correct letter, which requires grouping pictures by their initial sound. These tasks have students place objects into letter-based categories.
Unit 5: L - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills list explicitly names the target task: "Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count." Activity 1 asks students to gather a variety of different kinds of leaves, providing a set of items that could be classified. Activity 2 titled "Leaf Counting and Sorting" has students arrange leaves in rows, count them by touching each one, choose subsets (favorite 10), and rearrange them into different spatial patterns.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 has students lay out a collection of leaves and sort them according to a chosen attribute (e.g., size: small, medium, large, or color: brown, orange, red, green). Students are instructed to count the number of leaves in each group after sorting. The activity also prompts students to try a new sort using a different attribute and to think of other features to sort by.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 2 directs students to divide leaves into two groups, providing an explicit classification task. Students are instructed to count the objects in each group and match each group to a number card. Students then compare the two groups and decide which group has more, with an optional extension asking how many more are needed to make the groups equal.
Unit 6: F - Fireflies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked in the Questions to Explore to consider how grouping objects can help to count them and how groups can be sorted by similarities and differences. The Skills section explicitly includes that students compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute. In Activity 1 students count out 10 pennies, make nine more groups of 10, and practice counting by tens up to 100, demonstrating grouping to support counting.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to look at the provided pictures (firefly, ladybug, spider, worm, ant, millipede, butterfly, grasshopper) and determine if each creature is an insect based on learned characteristics. Students make a model firefly and then review and name insect features (three body parts, antennae, two pairs of wings, three pairs of legs) to use as criteria. Students go outside to collect bugs and are prompted to talk about whether each collected bug is an insect and how they know.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students cut creature pictures into cards and sort them into two groups (insects and non-insects). Students count the number of items in each group. Students are asked to create new ways to sort the same set (e.g., color vs. multicolored, flying vs. non-flying) and to sort the creatures according to 2 or 3 different characteristics.
Unit 7: E - But No Elephants
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are instructed to cut out a set of animal pictures, identify each animal by name, and color them according to book-based colors, giving them manipulatives to work with. Students are asked to order the animals from smallest to largest and from largest to smallest, and to sequence the visitors using ordinal numbers, practicing counting and ordering. The Skills list explicitly states that students should "Classify objects into given categories; count the number of objects in each category and sort the categories by count," indicating an intended learning target for students.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 3 students are asked to name the shapes (circles, rectangles, triangles) and sort the shapes into groups by shape. The activity explicitly directs students to "count the number of each shape." The activity also asks students to order each group from smallest to largest, providing practice with ordering within categories.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 3 directs students to lay out number cards 0, 2, 4, and 6 and to spread out animal pictures. Students are asked to sort the animals by the number of legs each one has and to count the number of animals in each category. The activity also prompts students to consider other ways to sort and includes an optional extension to count legs altogether and count by 2s.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1 students are given a collection of household objects and asked to sort the items into two piles: wants and needs. Students are asked to explain why they placed each item in a category and to count the objects they consider "wants" and those they consider "needs." Earlier in the activity students also classify story events/animals as providing a want or a need when discussing Grandma Tildy.
Unit 8: C - Millions of Cats
Lesson 1
Day 1
Activity 1 directs students to group and sort die-cut cats by a chosen feature (color, size, or pattern) and to count the number of cats in each group. The lesson's skills list explicitly states the targeted math skill: classify objects into given categories, count objects in each category, and sort categories by count. Activity 1 also asks students to re-sort the cats according to another feature and count again, providing repeated practice in classification and counting.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The Getting Started prompt asks the child to close her eyes, choose 5 cats, and divide them into two groups based on one characteristic, which has the child sort objects into categories. The activity specifies a set of 5 objects, giving a concrete set for grouping practice. The playdough and other activities ask the child to identify and make different landforms, which involves naming categories of physical features but not grouping multiple items numerically.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 2 has students spread out 10 die-cut cats, divide them into two groups (for example 9 and 1), count each group, and place a number card above each group. Students repeat this with other splits (8+2, 7+3, etc.), count each subgroup, and write the corresponding equation (e.g., 8 + 2 = 10). The activity explicitly requires students to count the number of objects in each group and label those counts.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to divide the 10 cats into two groups and count how many are in each group, which has them sort objects into categories and determine counts. The "Beginning Letter Sounds" page has students cut out pictures and paste them beneath the correct beginning letter, which has students classify objects into given categories. The "Letter Sounds: C" page also has students identify and match beginning letters to pictures, reinforcing classification by category.
Unit 9: G - The Real Mother Goose
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 2 asks the child to examine a collection of tops and lids, put the objects in order from smallest to largest, and "find some way to sort the objects" and explain how she grouped them. The activity has the child physically group round objects and describe the grouping criterion, which provides practice in classifying objects into categories.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students match pictures to their beginning letters on the 'Beginning Letter Sounds' activity and circle the correct beginning letter for each picture on the 'Letter Sounds: G' page. Students cut out picture boxes and glue or tape them under the correct letter, physically placing items into letter-based categories.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students identify and name spheres by comparing a die-cut circle and a ball, discussing similarities and differences and using the word 'sphere'. Students are challenged to name many spherical objects and to describe the sphere's location relative to other objects in the room.
Unit 10: O - Owl Babies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students cut out shape templates and sort the pieces into circles, ovals, and triangles. Students order the shapes within each category by size and are asked to count the number of shapes in each category. Students manipulate, color, and assemble the shapes, reinforcing category membership through hands-on activity.
Lesson 3
Day 3
In Activity 2, students are shown index cards or told a shape name and asked to go to the matching large shape (circle, oval, triangle), name the shape, and discuss distinguishing properties (three flat sides, equally round, flattened). The activity has students physically sort themselves to shape categories and take turns calling out shapes and choosing travel methods, which practices grouping by shape.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students match pictures to beginning letters on the "Letter Sounds: O" pages and cut out and paste letters under the correct letter, which requires sorting images into letter-based categories. Students also use a "Beginning Letter Sounds" page to place images into boxes labeled with specific letters (a, f, e, o, g), classifying items by initial sound. In Activity 1, students observe different owls and are asked to note what is different and what is similar, which involves grouping owls by shared attributes.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students cut out and place 10 owl counters and are directed to put some owls in the tree and some in the sky, then count how many owls are in each location (e.g., put all 10 in the sky and count 10; move owls into the tree and recount). Students act out word problems by moving owls between the two categories (in the tree vs. in the sky) and count the resulting amounts after each move. The optional extension has students place a specified number in the tree (e.g., 5) and determine how many are in the sky, reinforcing counting objects in each of two categories and understanding complementary counts.
Unit 11: S - Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students record daily weather observations on a provided "Weather Report" chart that lists categorical choices for sky conditions (sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy), wind icons, and temperature ranges across days of the week. The chart instructs students to mark or draw the observed category for each day, and the Activity 3 task has students create four distinct trees labeled Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, physically grouping materials to represent each season.
Lesson 3
Day 3
In Activity 2 (Ten Little Apples), students count 10 red pom-poms, place them into one tree, then move apples between the two tree outlines while counting how many apples are in each tree and recording equations (10+0=10, 9+1=10, etc.). Students are asked to choose a number between 1 and 10 for the left tree and determine how many apples would be in the right tree if the total is 10, which requires counting each category (left tree, right tree).
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students go on a "circle-and-sphere" hunt and place found items into two groups by putting them with a die-cut circle or a playdough sphere. Students physically group items and then review each item aloud, labeling it either "circle" or "sphere."
Unit 12: D - Dinosaurs Big and Small
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students measure and compare lengths by cutting yarn to represent their height and dinosaur lengths (Activity 1) and answer questions about which is longer, which is shortest, and which is longest. The Skills list explicitly asks students to "Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight)." Students also discuss and describe different characteristics of dinosaurs (Reading Questions and Activity 2).
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to identify and sort pictures by their beginning letter on the "Letter Sounds: D" page by circling the correct beginning letter for each picture and by cutting and pasting letters under the correct letter. The "Beginning Letter Sounds" activity has students match images (alligator, girls, duck, candle, pants) to labeled letter squares (a, f, d, c, g), which has students place objects into letter-based categories.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students lay out ten dinosaur die-cuts, match each to a number card, choose a number, and move that many dinosaurs into a separate group labeled as 'gone to look for food.' Students count the moved dinosaurs and then count the remaining dinosaurs to determine how many more are needed to total ten, and they write the corresponding equation.
Unit 13: P - Harold and the Purple Crayon
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to identify buildings and windows as rectangles and squares and to find examples in the room. Students are given purple squares and rectangles to sort into two groups: squares and rectangles. Students are instructed to count the number in each group.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to identify and explain the difference between a square and a rectangle and to decide which solid (cube or rectangular prism) matches each flat shape. Students trace the bottom of each solid and count the number of flat sides (faces), edges, and corners for the assembled cube and rectangular prism. The activity has students assemble 3D models (cut-out cube and prism) and name the solids, reinforcing classification of flat versus solid shapes.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 3 students are instructed to circle the correct beginning letter for each picture on the "Letter Sounds: P" page. On the second page students cut out picture boxes and paste each one under the correct letter, which has them sort pictures into letter categories. Multiple student activity pages include images with dotted lines indicating cut-outs, showing that students can physically sort pictured community places into groups.
Unit 14: B - Blueberries for Sal
Lesson 1
Day 1
In Activity 1 students draw two number cards and place the corresponding number of blue pom-pom "blueberries" into two foil pails, then write the matching equation and count the total. Students are also asked to count 10 blueberries and divide them between the two pails in as many ways as they can, recording the equations for each partition (e.g., 9+1=10, 8+2=10). These tasks require students to place objects into two given categories (the two pails) and count the objects in each category.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 2 directs students to count 10 "blueberries" and place them in one pail, then to add 1–9 more blueberries to a second pail while matching number cards 10–19. Students are asked to read a number card from 11–19 and count out that many blueberries using the pails, reinforcing counting and matching numerals to sets. The activity has students physically group counted objects into pails to represent specific quantities.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students sort bear-related statements into two labeled columns, "Fiction" and "Non-fiction," by listing elements under each heading in Activity 1. Students match pictures to beginning letters by circling the correct initial letter, cutting out letters and pasting them under the correct letter, or drawing lines from images to labeled boxes in Activity 3. These tasks require students to group items according to given categorical labels.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students place 10 blueberries in one pail and the remaining blueberries in a second pail. They count the blueberries in each pail (for example, 10 and 5) and write an equation such as 10 + 5 = 15 to represent those counts. The activity has students repeatedly partition and count items for numbers 11–19.
Unit 15: R - Rain
Lesson 1
Day 1
Activity 2 asks students to count out a specified number of die-cut raindrops and to compare two number cards to identify which is larger or smaller, including making groups of ten and counting remainders for numbers 11–19. Activity 1 provides multiple distinct die-cut types (sun, raindrops, clouds, trees, flowers, car, fence) that students place on a sky mat to recreate the story, which involves handling different object types.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to make a rainbow book in which they write sentences such as "I see a red _______" and draw an object of that color, which has them identify and place objects into color categories. In the rain/ice activity, students consider water versus ice and describe them as a 'liquid' or a 'solid,' effectively classifying the same material into two state categories.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to identify and match beginning sounds to letters on the 'Letter Sounds: R' and 'Beginning Letter Sounds' activity pages (e.g., circling the correct initial letter for each picture and pasting letters under the correct letter). The second activity page requires students to draw connections between letters (l, e, f, t, s) and five images, which has students place images into letter-based categories.
Unit 16: N - Night in the Country
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students cut out paper dolls and clothing and dress one figure for a farm (country) and one for a city, which requires placing items into two categories (country vs. city). Students role-play the two characters and answer questions about where they get food, clothing, and other items, reinforcing categorical differences between country and city resources. The Student Activity Page with clothing items provides explicit manipulatives that students sort onto the appropriate paper doll.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1 students brainstorm examples of natural resources, collect pictures and small objects, and make a collage of natural resources (with an optional collage of man-made resources), which requires grouping items by type. In Activity 3 and the Beginning Letter Sounds pages, students match objects/letters to initial-letter boxes (n, o, p, r) and cut and paste letters under the correct letter, which requires sorting items into letter categories.
Unit 17: M - Marshmallow
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 2 has students choose two stuffed animals, form a line of marshmallows next to each animal, and count the number of marshmallows that indicate each animal's length. Students record the number for each animal and are asked to determine which animal is longer. The activity therefore has students produce counts tied to each of two categories (the two chosen animals) and compare those counts.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students sort pictures by beginning letter on the "Letter Sounds: M" activity by circling the correct beginning letter for each picture and cutting/pasting letters under the correct letter. Another student page asks students to match five images (alligator, mushroom, house, leaf, drum) to labeled letter boxes, which requires placing pictures into letter-based categories. The optional Venn diagram prompt asks students to compare two animal pairs by similarities and differences, which has students group attributes into overlapping and non-overlapping categories.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are prompted to identify three-dimensional shapes (sphere, cube, rectangular prism, cylinder) and to observe and name shape attributes. Students count and touch the flat faces of given solids (e.g., sphere 0, cube 6, rectangular prism 6, cylinder 2). Students are asked to move around the house and find real-world examples that match the cylinder category, classifying objects as cylinders.
Unit 18: U - Umbrella
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students act out problems that place umbrellas into two locations (e.g., "On one side of the street, 3 people... On the other side, 4 people...") and count how many are in each location. Students count umbrellas seen from different windows (5 from one window and 5 from another), identifying items by location and recording totals. Students create their own umbrella story problems, tell the story, show it with umbrellas, and write the matching equation, providing additional practice grouping and counting objects.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to identify and sort pictures by their beginning letter: they circle the correct beginning letter for each picture, cut out letters and paste them under the correct letter, and match animal pictures to squares labeled with initial letters. The Beginning Letter Sounds and Beginning Letter Sounds (animals) activity pages require students to place pictures or letters into letter-category boxes.
Unit 19: J - Jump Frog Jump
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills section explicitly states that students will "Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute," which asks students to group objects by category. Questions 3 and 4 prompt students to identify which animals the frog escaped and which did not, asking students to assemble animals into the categories "escaped" and "did not escape." Activity 1 has students cut out and manipulate story sequence picture cards, giving students practice handling and arranging sets of object cards.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 directs students to sort pond-animal die-cuts into groups by a characteristic (example: animals with legs vs. animals with no legs) and asks them to create other sorting rules (land vs. water, fly vs. don't fly, swim vs. don't swim). Activity 1 explicitly has students place items into two or more categories. Activity 3 has students count down from five using finger motions, which practices counting skills.
Unit 20: K - Kindness
Lesson 3
Day 3
In Activity 3 students are shown an "Animals in Fiction" chart with columns labeled Animal Actions and Human Actions and are asked to name actions for each animal and record them under the two given categories, so students practice sorting examples into categories. In Activity 2 students manipulate ten red pompoms as "apples," remove a chosen number, and find and write the number of apples remaining, so students practice counting objects and recording numeric results. The lesson also asks students to predict the number of apples that will be left before counting, which reinforces number sense and counting outcomes.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to match pictures to beginning letters (e.g., draw lines from each letter to the picture that starts with that sound) and to cut and paste letters under the correct letter. The "Letter Sounds: K" pages require students to circle the correct beginning letter for each picture and practice writing the letter. These activities require students to group or sort images according to their initial letter sound, creating categories by letter.
Unit 21: V - Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills list explicitly asks students to "Sort common objects into categories" and to "Compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute," which supports classification practice. Activity 1 has students go through the book, identify how many instruments are playing, choose a matching number card (e.g., 1 for a solo, 2 for a duet), and find the corresponding ensemble name. In Activity 1 students sequentially add instruments, count how many are playing, and match those counts to numeric cards and ensemble labels up to a chamber group of 10.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to determine one or more ways to classify instrument pictures (for example, strings/no strings, color, or size) and to make piles of the different groups. Students are then asked to come up with a second way to classify the same instruments and move those into two groups accordingly. The activity explicitly has students handle and sort instrument pictures into categories.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students sort jobs into two labeled categories by placing index cards under the headings "Goods" and "Services," which requires them to classify items into given categories. Students identify which instruments are cylinder-shaped versus cone-shaped, verbally assigning instrument pictures to shape categories. These activities require children to recognize and group objects by shared attributes.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to match pictures to labeled boxes for beginning letters (f, c, g, v, p), cutting and placing images (fork, tree, guitar, van, pumpkin) into the correct letter box. Students are also asked to circle the correct beginning letter for pictures and paste letters under the correct letter on the "Letter Sounds: V" pages. These tasks require students to group objects (pictures) according to a given category (beginning letter).
Unit 22: Y - Little Blue and Little Yellow
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 2 (Making Up Numbers) asks the child to read a number card (for example, 14), make the number using two different colors of stickers, place two rows of 5 blue stickers (10) and then place four yellow stickers, and write the equation 14 = 10 + 4. The child repeats the procedure with numbers 16 and 19, placing and counting stickers of each color. These directions require the child to use color as categories and count the number of objects in each color category.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students go on a nature scavenger hunt to find items of specified colors, collect small items in a lunch bag, sketch large items, and then unpack and sort the collected items onto the correct color boxes. Multiple Student Activity Pages are labeled by color (RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, PURPLE, WHITE, GRAY, BLACK, BROWN) and provide space for students to draw, paste, or list items under each color category.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students count out 10 stickers and place them in a straight line, labeling them 1–10. Students cross off stickers and are asked how many are left (e.g., 9) and how many have been crossed off (e.g., 2), prompting them to count the items in each group. Students write equations (10-1=9, 10-2=8, etc.) that represent the numbers in each category.
Unit 23: W - George Washington's Birthday
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to count the number of stars (50) and the number of stripes (13) on the United States flag, which requires counting objects in two categories (stars vs. stripes). Students cut out pictures of three national symbols (Statue of Liberty, United States flag, bald eagle) and glue each picture with its label onto construction paper, which asks them to identify and place items into labeled groups.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to page back through the book, recapping each story about George Washington and identify whether each one is a myth or a fact, which requires sorting items into given categories. In Activity 2, students repeatedly toss and catch a 'rock' and count each catch aloud and are prompted to count by tens, which shows counting practice.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students match pictures to beginning-letter categories on the "Beginning Letter Sounds" page by placing images (key, globe, horse, hot dog, grapes) under the boxes labeled k, w, d, h, and g. On the "Letter Sounds: W" page students identify which pictures begin with W by circling the correct beginning letter and cutting and pasting letters under the correct picture. These activities require students to sort or group objects (pictures) according to their beginning-letter category.
Unit 24: Q - The Quilt Story
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to sort a collection of shapes by type (circle, triangle, square, rectangle, hexagon). They are prompted to name and count the number of sides and corners on each shape. Students are also asked to sort the shapes in another way (for example, by color, number of sides, or number of corners).
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to identify shapes (circle, triangle, square, rectangle) during the review, which has them recognize and group objects by shape. Students are directed to identify ways the family used natural resources and to identify landforms mentioned in the story (hills, prairie, river), which asks them to pick out categories of items from the text. The quilt coloring activity provides numbered sections (1–5) and a key linking each number to a color, which has students match sections to labeled categories.
Lesson 3
Day 3
In Activity 2 (What Shape Is It?), students match die-cut shapes to name cards and identify shapes that fit given clues (e.g., square, rectangle, circle, triangle, hexagon), which has students sort objects into shape categories. In Activity 3 (Then and Now), students place story attributes into two categories and a shared category using a Venn diagram, which has students classify characteristics into given groups.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students cut out and glue pictures of historical figures onto the correct square on the "Famous Americans and Their Holidays" page, which requires them to place items into named holiday categories. Students match pictures to beginning letters on the "Beginning Letter Sounds" and "Letter Sounds: Q" pages by circling or pasting letters under the correct image, which has them sort images into letter-based categories. These activities require students to decide which category each item belongs to and physically sort items into those categories.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to name each shape and to identify which shapes are two-dimensional (flat) and which are three-dimensional (solid). The activity asks students to match flat shapes to related solids (for example, circle to sphere, square to cube) and to move to the correct shape in response to spoken clues, demonstrating sorting by type and identifying category membership.
Unit 25: X - An Extraordinary Egg
Lesson 1
Day 1
Activity 2 directs students to page through the book, record examples on separate index cards, create two titled category cards ("Facts About Frogs" and "Fictional Frogs"), and place each idea card under the appropriate title. This requires students to classify items (statements about frogs) into given categories. Activity 1 has students count to 50, count by tens, and place a small object to represent an egg on a number, providing practice with counting and one-to-one correspondence.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students divide a paper plate into three labeled sections (egg, baby alligator, adult) and place corresponding craft pieces into each section, demonstrating sorting of life-cycle stages into categories. Students match pictures to beginning letters on the "Beginning Letter Sounds" page and cut/paste letters under the correct letter, which has them sort images into letter-based categories. Students circle the correct beginning letter for each picture on the "Letter Sounds: X" page, practicing grouping items by initial sound.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students lay eggs into 4 rows of 10 and count them by pointing and saying each number and by tens, showing practice in counting organized groups. Students divide the eggs into two unequal groups, count the number in each group, and decide which group has the greater number. Students also lay both groups into groups of 10 to compare totals and repeat the activity with several different pairs of numbers.
Unit 26: Z - Greedy Zebra
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count." Activity 1 has students use animal cards to form groups (e.g., create two groups of animals, one with 9 and one with 7) and count each group, then tell which group has the greater number of objects. Activity 1 also has students lay animals in rows of 10 and count totals and create/solve story problems using the animals, providing practice in grouping and counting.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to sort animal cards into groups based on the number of legs they have, which requires classifying objects by a specified criterion. Students count how many animals are in each group after sorting, and are prompted to state the criterion used for the sort. Students are also asked to create different sorting criteria (e.g., land-dwelling vs. flying) and again sort and count items for those categories.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students match pictures to beginning-letter boxes on the "Beginning Letter Sounds" page and circle or paste the correct letters on the "Letter Sounds: Z" pages, which requires grouping images by their initial sound. Students color the five animal cut-outs according to described characteristics and glue each animal onto a butcher-paper savannah, which requires placing animals into categories by color/pattern or habitat. Students cut and paste letters under the correct letter and place animals into the scene, demonstrating physical grouping of items into categories.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to identify books that had animal characters ("Ask your child to identify some books that had animal characters"). Students are asked to identify which books had an outdoor setting ("Which ones had an outdoor setting?"). Students are asked to identify which three books were non-fiction ("Ask your child to identify which three books were non-fiction"), which explicitly names and counts items in that category.
2: Holidays
Unit 27: Halloween
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to color specific body parts with assigned colors (feet blue, legs red, hands green, arms brown, spine yellow, ribs orange, skull black), which requires identifying parts and assigning them to color categories. Students are prompted to count aloud from 1 up toward 100, practicing verbal counting. Students watch a bones video and point to the correct bones as they dance, reinforcing identification of bones and matching actions to labeled parts.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students make 10 paper ghosts and divide the ghosts into two unequal groups. Students are asked which group has more and are encouraged to count and compare the groups. Students use the ghosts to solve join and take-away story problems by manipulating and counting the objects.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students line up and count 10 die-cut stars using a work mat, practicing one-to-one counting. Students are asked to divide the stars into two groups in as many ways as possible (10 and 0, 9 and 1, 8 and 2, etc.), explicitly producing counts for each subgroup. Students add specified numbers of stars to the mat and count the new totals and write the numbers 1 through 10 on the stars.
Unit 28: Thanksgiving
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 asks students to use three cut-out turkeys each labeled with a number and to count out that number of feathers and glue them onto the back of the corresponding turkey. Students read the number on each turkey's breast and create a set of feathers matching that number, practicing counting objects to match numerals. The presence of three separate turkeys creates distinct groups for students to work with.
Unit 29: Christmas
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 2 students are asked to identify whether snow, hot water, and powdered hot chocolate are solids or liquids, predict what will happen when they are mixed, and observe the result. Those prompts require students to sort materials into the categories 'solid' and 'liquid' through observation and prediction.
Unit 30: February Celebrations
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to inspect coins and note observable attributes (pictures, numbers, words, symbols), which supports classification by features. Students are instructed to sort a cup of mixed change into piles of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, directly prompting classification into given categories. Students are also asked counting/value questions (e.g., how many pennies equal a nickel/dime/quarter; how many nickels equal a dime), which requires counting and comparing quantities.