Child Education, March 2004

Winter Woollies

Nora Four needs help knitting the right number of gloves - count in twos with the characters from Numberline Lane

NNS objectives

• Count on in twos from and back to zero or any small number.
• Recognise and predict from simple patterns and relationships.
• Count on in twos from zero, then from 1. and begin to recognise odd and even numbers.

Using the story of Nora Four (see opposite page), children can be introduced to the process of 'counting in twos'. This highlights odd and even numbers, as well as providing a sound basis for learning multiplication.

Whole-class starter

Count in ones forwards and backwards from zero to 20, whispering alternate (odd) numbers. Next, split the class into two groups. Count in ones, with each group counting alternate numbers in the sequence. Ask the children which group was counting the odd numbers and which group was counting the even numbers.

Main activity

• Introduce Numberline Lane and the character of Nora Four. Can the children say who lives on either side of Nora Four on the even-numbered side of the lane? Discuss the problem of counting in twos to establish the number of gloves Nora needs to knit.
• Hang up a washing line with an even number of gloves on it. Ask the children to put them in pairs. How many gloves did you start with? How many pairs were you able to make? Add another pair of gloves to the washing line. How many gloves are there now?
• Put a different number of gloves on the washing line. How many pairs do the children think they can make now? Group the gloves into pairs again. How many gloves would there be if you added another pair?
• On a flipchart or whiteboard, write out a number line, counting in twos (starting from zero). Add on 2 repeatedly to develop the number line.
• Starting on zero, state a number of jumps to travel along the line. Ask the children to call out the numbers as you move along the number line. What number do you land on? Repeat with a different number of jumps. Apply this to the number of gloves and pairs of gloves that Nora has to knit for her friends. For three pairs of gloves, jump along the line three times to find out how many individual gloves she needs to knit.
• Start on a different number on the number line. State a number of jumps forwards or backwards from this number. What number do you land on?
• Provide the children with copies of the Resource file (see p50 overleaf) for an activity focusing on counting in twos.

Plenary

Hang up some socks on a washing line. Ask the children how many socks there are and how many pairs that makes. How could you use the number line to show this? Demonstrate by finding the number of socks on the number line and working out how many jumps it is from zero to establish the number of pairs. Repeat with different numbers of socks on the line.

Web link

For differentiated worksheets and activities based on the Numberline Lane characters, visit www.numberlinelane.co.uk.

Frosty fingers

Nora Four woke up one morning to discover that it had been snowing all night. As she made herself a cup of tea, there was a knock at the door. It was Nick Six.

'My hands are s... so... c... cold, I can't play my g... guitar,' he said, shivering.

Nick Six went on to explain that he wasn't the only one suffering from the cold. 'Everyone has c... cold hands,' he said. 'Kevin Seven can't hold his hammer. Jenny Ten c... can't hold her paintbrush. What will we do?'

Nora Four had an idea. She offered to knit a pair of gloves for all the numbers on Numberline Lane. The only problem was, she couldn't work out how many gloves to knit. It was then that Gus Plus, the adding magician, appeared in a puff of smoke.

'I can help,' he said, waving his magic wand. You need to count in twos, and I'll show you how.'