Substitute Teacher Lesson Plan

Resource: Illustrative Mathematics — Grade 1 Unit 2, Section C: Compare Story Problems (Lesson 11: "Are There Enough?")

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Objective

Students will compare two quantities and determine "are there enough?" by matching objects one-to-one. They will describe the difference between a bigger group and a smaller group using the language "1 more" or "1 fewer," building toward solving Compare, Difference Unknown story problems in later lessons.

Materials

• This resource (printed or displayed problems from Lesson 11)
• Connecting cubes or counters (any small objects like blocks, buttons, or paper squares can substitute)
• Two-color counters (optional; regular counters work fine)
• 10-frames (optional; can draw a simple 2-row grid on paper if not available)
• Paper and pencils for drawing

Warm-up (~5 min)

Act It Out: Art Project

1. Display or read aloud this story: "Mai passes out crayons for an art project. There are 8 students waiting for crayons. Mai has 7 packs of crayons."
2. Ask: "What is the story about?" Give students 30 seconds of quiet think time, then have a few students share.
3. Read the story again and ask: "How can you act out this story?"
4. Give students 30 seconds of quiet think time, then have them turn and talk with a partner for 1 minute.
5. Ask the class to share ideas (e.g., "8 students could pretend to wait, and someone could pretend to be Mai passing out 7 packs" or "we could use counters for students and blocks for crayon packs").
6. As a class, choose one way to act out or represent the story, then read the story together one more time.

Main Activity (~25 min)

Are There Enough? — Three Problems

Tell students they will figure out if there are "enough" of something in three short stories, using drawings, numbers, words, or objects (cubes/counters) to show their thinking.

1. Problem 1: "There are 9 markers in a bin. There are 4 caps for the markers. Are there enough caps for the markers?"
2. Give students a few minutes to solve using drawings or objects.
3. Circulate and look for matching strategies (lining up markers with caps one-to-one).
4. Confirm answer: No — there are not enough caps (9 is much more than 4).

1. Problem 2: "There are 9 students at the table. There are 8 pencils. Are there enough pencils for every student?"
2. Give students time to solve.
3. Confirm answer: No — not enough pencils.

1. Problem 3: "There are 6 students. There are 8 chairs. Are there enough chairs for every student?"
2. Give students time to solve.
3. Confirm answer: Yes — there are enough chairs (and 2 extra chairs).

For each problem, after students share their drawings/objects, ask:

• "How did you show which group is bigger and which is smaller?"
• "How many more (or fewer) are there?"

Highlight students who use matching (drawing lines between items, or lining up cubes) to compare the two quantities.

Wrap-up / Exit Ticket (~10 min)

Exit Ticket Problem:
"There are 7 dogs. There are 5 toys. Are there enough toys for each dog? Show your thinking using drawings, numbers, or words."

• Give students 5–7 minutes to solve independently on paper.
• Expected answer: No, there are not enough toys (sample: draw 7 dogs and 5 toys, match them up, and see 2 dogs without toys).
• Collect papers to leave for the classroom teacher to review.

If Time Remains

Have students find two small groups of objects in the classroom (e.g., crayons and glue sticks, or two piles of books). Ask them to compare the groups and tell a partner: "Are there enough of one for the other? How many more or how many fewer?" Students can share their comparisons with the class.