# Day 3 — See small amounts without counting

**25 minutes · AC9MFN02 (subitising 1–3) and AC9MFN01 (representing 1–3, partial) · educator review pending**

**Success today:** A child recognises a grouped collection of 1, 2 or 3 without counting one by one, names it and can remake it.

**Prepare:** Hand-drawn dot cards for 1, 2 and 3 in varied layouts; three large counters per child; numeral cards 1–3. Keep cards uncluttered and dots equal-sized.

1. **Notice, 3 min.** Show a familiar dice-like two-dot arrangement. Ask, “What did you see?” Say, “Sometimes we can see a small amount all at once. We call that subitising.”
2. **Model, 5 min.** Reveal one, two, then three dots for about three seconds each. Think aloud: “I saw two dots together, so I know there are two. I did not need to count each dot.” Hold each card longer afterward to check the amount together.
3. **Play: night-sky window, 10 min.** One partner briefly uncovers a 1–3 “stars” card; the other says or selects the number and makes the same constellation with counters. Swap. Variation: three drum taps can prompt a make-three response, but record that as auditory quantity work, not proof of visual subitising; an accessible raised-dot card can be explored by touch without a time limit.
4. **Independent try, 4 min.** Show new arrangements of 2 and 3. Ask, “How many did you see? What did the group look like?” Let the learner recreate it before checking by counting.
5. **Check and close, 3 min.** Show one unfamiliar three-dot layout, then one two-dot layout. Record immediate recognition, counting, or uncertainty separately; do not mark counting as failure in general number sense.

**If a child always counts:** Let them count to verify, then put the same three dots close together and ask them to look for the whole group on a second viewing. Do not race or penalise the child for needing more viewing time.

**Access routes:** Enlarge dots, reduce visual clutter, use a tactile three-position card, or let a partner describe a grouping before the learner selects a numeral. Note when the route changes the construct: tactile or described grouping shows number recognition but may not independently establish visual subitising.

**Record:** 1, 2, 3 recognised without one-by-one count; layout sensitivity; response route used.