Strategy Congress
Progression 1 (Years 1â2) Number | Comparing and justifying strategies (count-on, make-10, doubles, part-part-whole) in zoo/conservation problems.
Learning Intentions & Success Criteria
Te MÄtaiaho: quantify, order, compare small collections
NZC L1â2: choose/justify strategies to 20
Key idea: strategy choice matters
Äkonga are learning to:
- Choose an efficient strategy for addition/subtraction to 20.
- Explain and compare strategies with peers.
- Record thinking clearly for others to follow.
Success looks like:
- I can solve a problem and say which strategy I used and why.
- I can follow a peerâs representation and restate it.
- I can suggest an alternative strategy that also works.
Teacher prompts
- âWhich strategy is most efficient here?â
- âWhat did you make first?â
- âCan you solve it a different way?â
Kupu / Vocabulary
- strategy / rautaki
- efficient / pai ake
- explain / whakamÄrama
- compare / whakataurite
- justify / whakamana
- representation / whakaaturanga
đ„ Media Anchor (8 mins)
Video: Early Number Sense Strategies for Young Learners
- What counting or grouping move from the clip can you use in our warm-up task?
- How could you teach this strategy to a classmate or whÄnau member?
Materials
- Problem set (6â8) across contexts: feeder counts, bird visits, seedling trays.
- Chart paper for congress posters; markers; frames; number lines.
- Strategy icons (count-on, make-10, doubles, part-part-whole).
- A5 Handout: generator âMixed,â range 0â20, 20â24 Qs for practice before congress.
Lesson Flow
Hook (5 mins)
- Two strategies for 9+6 shown side-by-side (make-10 vs. count-on); quick vote: which is clearer?
Prepare (10 mins)
- Pairs pick one problem; solve using any strategy; create a clear poster (representation + equation + explanation).
Congress (20 mins)
- Gallery walk: 3â4 posters presented; peers ask âWhat did you make first?â âWhy that strategy?â
- Teacher highlights efficiency, clarity, and accuracy; record go-to strategies on class chart.
Independent practice (10 mins)
- Solve 3 fresh problems; circle the strategy icon used; be ready to explain one.
- Support: offer two pre-drawn representations to choose from.
Exit Check (5 mins)
- âWhich strategy fits 7+8 best? Why?â quick oral response.
Place-based options
- Use photos/maps of Hamilton Zoo or Tiritiri boardwalk: craft a story problem and choose the best strategy.
Focus on discourse: sentence frames âI used ___ because ___â; âI agree becauseâŠâ; âAnother way isâŠâ
Differentiation & Support
Scaffolds
- Provide a strategy choice card with visuals for each method.
- Limit to addition only for some learners.
- Use sentence frames for explanations.
Extensions
- Compare two strategies and decide which is more efficient.
- Create a poster showing two different strategies for the same problem.
- Lead a mini-conference to teach a chosen strategy.
Common Misconceptions
- Belief that only one strategy is correct. Remedy: require two strategies for some tasks.
- Mixing representations (line vs. frame) without explanation. Remedy: label and narrate each step.
- Choosing a strategy that does not fit the numbers. Remedy: prompt for efficiency.
Assessment & Evidence
- Poster clarity and correctness; note strategy diversity.
- Independent problems: match between chosen strategy and problem structure.
WhÄnau Connection
- Send home a âstrategy cardâ and ask whanau to solve a simple sum two ways.
- Invite a short audio or note: âOur strategy at home wasâŠâ
Handout Link
Use the Progression 1 generator set to âMixed,â range 0â20, 20â24 questions. Encourage annotating each with the strategy icon.
Curriculum alignment
- Algebra â Practices: - The symbols + and - represent addition and subtraction, and the equal sign shows that two sides of an equation represent the same quantity. - An open number sentence is a stâŠ
- Number â Practices: - Arrays and groups can be used to represent and solve multiplication and division problems. - Multiplying and dividing by 1 gives the same number (the identity property of muâŠ
- Measurement â Practices: - Arrays and groups can be used to represent and solve multiplication and division problems. - Multiplying and dividing by 1 gives the same number (the identity property of muâŠ
- Statistics â Practices: - Arrays and groups can be used to represent and solve multiplication and division problems. - Multiplying and dividing by 1 gives the same number (the identity property of muâŠ
- Algebra â Practices: - Arrays and groups can be used to represent and solve multiplication and division problems. - Multiplying and dividing by 1 gives the same number (the identity property of muâŠ
Curriculum alignment
- Number and Algebra â Number Strategies: Use a range of counting, grouping, and equal-sharing strategies with whole numbers and fractions.
- Number and Algebra â Patterns and Relationships: Generalise that the next counting number gives the result of adding one object to a set and that counting the number of objects in a set tells how many.