Goal: represent one fictional choice with one image/object token and compare groups by matching/counting. Proposed code: AC9MFST01. Prepare: Card 122, Set A already mixed again and data mat.
- Retrieve · 3 min. Repeat the question; child picks one card and says what it represents.
- Model · 4 min. Align book and garden tokens in rows; match pairs to see whether one group has an extra card.
- Guide · 5 min. Children rebuild all three groups, placing each image exactly once; compare garden with puzzle by matched pairs.
- Independent compare · 7 min. Child names a group with more, fewer or same and points to matched/unmatched tokens or counts, not just a tall stack's height.
- Check · 4 min. Spread book cards farther apart without changing their number; ask whether that makes more choices. Expect no; one card remains one choice.
- Exit · 2 min. Child explains one comparison. If spacing drives answer, pair tokens in a new arrangement tomorrow.