Child Education, January 2004

Photo Finish

The characters from Numberline Lane return for a sports day challenge - but who will be on the winners' rostrum?

NNS objectives

• Learn to recognise odd and even numbers.
• Use and begin to read the vocabulary of comparing and ordering numbers, including ordinal numbers.

Ordinal numbers can be a very abstract concept for a child to learn. Using a simple story to teach this objective enables the children to place the vocabulary into real-life situations. It can then be developed further through role-play based on the story. allowing for kinaesthetic learning as well as catering for visual and auditory learners.

Whole-class starter

• Using small whiteboards or number fans, ask the children to show a number that comes before or after a given number.
• State two different numbers and ask the children to record a number that comes between them.

Main activity

• Introduce the children to Numberline Lane. A different 'number' lives at each of the ten houses, from Walter One to Jenny Ten (see last month's article for Walter One's story). This time the children will be meeting Suzie Two. Read the story (see box right).
• Can the children tell you what other numbers will live on the 'even side' of the lane? Which number will live nextdoor to Suzie Two? Which house number would come second?
• Ask the class to imagine that they are organising a sports day. What would be the order of events for the day? Use ordinal number vocabulary to decide on a class sports day programme.
• Using role-play, decide where the finishing line would be in the classroom. Pose a freeze-frame 'photo' as five (or more) children come towards the finishing line in their event. Ask the rest of the class ordinal number questions: Who will come third? Who will be the second girl to cross the line?
• Repeat using different children to freeze-frame the final moment of each of the other races. Ask increasingly complex questions. For example: Who is the third from the right as you look at the race? Who is the second child after the child who came third?
• Hand out copies of the Resource file (see opposite) for the children to complete. Talk through the answers as a class. Early finishers can make their own characters and devise questions to ask a partner.
• As an extension activity, use a grid to represent the crowd watching in a 10×10 spectator stand. Introduce the vocabulary 'column' and 'row'. Give the children directions, for example: Draw a spectator with a red hat in the square that is in the second row from the top and the third column from the left. Give a scarf to each spectator in the fourth column from the right and so on.

Plenary

Ask the children to follow a sequence of five simple instructions. For example: Rrst pat your head, second touch your nose, third stand on one leg. Then put the instructions out of ordinal order: Third touch your knees, first rub your tummy, second wave your hand. See how many instructions in and out of order the children can remember.

Web link

Go to the Numberllne Lane website (www.numberlinelane.co.uk) for further activities and differentiated worksheets on ordinal numbers.

Meet sporty Suzie!

Suzie Two lives in the first house on the 'even side' of Numberline Lane. Suzie Two is the sporty number of the lane. She enjoys swimming in Hebe Three's swimming pool and playing football with Clive Five.

Suzie Two thinks that the other numbers along Numberline Lane need some exercise, so she decides to organise a sports day for them. The first event is a three-legged race, the second event is the long jump and the third event is an egg and spoon race. As each race finishes, Gus Plus (the adding magician) has the job of working out the winning order of the competitors.