25 minutes · AC9MFN01 and AC9MFN03 (representation and quantifying to 20); partial practice · educator review pending
Success: The child recognises that moving the same objects into a new layout does not change their number and verifies by counting when needed.
Prepare per pair: 18 large counters, two ten-frames, two mats, numeral cards and count strip. Keep a clear boundary so no pieces are silently added or lost.
- Retrieve, 3 min. Count ten in a frame. Slide the filled frame across the table. Ask, “Did we add or take away any?”
- Model, 6 min. Count 14 objects in a compact group. Spread the same 14 into a long row. Say, “It looks longer, but I moved the same objects. I predict the count stays fourteen. Let us check.” Recount once. State that the layout changed and the quantity stayed the same.
- Guided game, 9 min. Partners build 18 paper ticket markers in one row, then rearrange them into two pretend theatre sections. Count before and after. Alternatives: 13 playground markers in a circle and line, or 16 art labels on one board and then two boards. Swap who rearranges.
- Fresh try, 4 min. Present 12 objects tightly grouped. Child counts. Spread those same objects while they watch. “More, fewer or the same number? Show how you know.”
- Check, 3 min. Return the 12 to a frame; count to verify. Key: 14 remains 14; 18 remains 18; the independent 12 remains 12. Shape and spacing alone do not alter a count.
If the child says the longer row has more: Pair each object with its earlier place or count both layouts, keeping all pieces visible. Ask what would actually make the amount increase: adding an object. If an object is lost while rearranging, acknowledge that the count did change and restore it before testing the layout idea.
Access and record: Use tactile mat edges, large pieces, verbal description of “close” and “spread,” or child-directed partner movement. Record the before/after response, verification strategy and any cue. Do not score visual appearance as a learner deficit.