Adding, Subtracting, & More
Activity Summary
Use this storybook guide with the book “Quack and Count.”
Many public libraries have this book.
Reading guide
About the Story
“Quack and Count” is about seven ducklings quacking, sliding, and flying in marshland. Throughout this beautifully illustrated story, the seven ducklings form different groups that can be added up to always make seven.
Words to Learn
MATH WORDS
seven, plus
OTHER WORDS
slipping, leap, shore, peek-a-boo, paddling, flapping
About the Math
Children can practice counting and addition in the story. While reading, children can learn:
- To practice counting a group of ducks that are not always neatly in a row and in fact may be hard to see—a challenging but enjoyable task.
- That a group of objects can be broken into two groups that add up to the number of the original combined group.
- To explore the different ways two groups of ducklings can add up to seven ducklings.
Math Talk During Reading
- PRACTICE CAREFUL COUNTING
Be careful when you count the hidden ducks in the water. Point to each duck as you go along. - PRACTICE SIMPLE ADDITION
How many ducks do you see on the first page? How many ducks are there altogether? How do you know? - EXPLORE THE STRATEGY OF COUNTING-ON
There are three ducks on the first page. Next we can count four, five, six, seven ducks altogether. - EXPLORE DIVIDING A NUMBER INTO SMALLER GROUPS
How else can we separate a group of seven ducklings?
Try to come up with some of your own questions and comments, too!
Activity After Reading
- PRACTICE BREAKING UP A GROUP OF OBJECTS INTO SMALLER GROUPS
Here are eight crayons. Can we divide them into two groups? How many crayons would go in each group? Is there another way to separate them into two groups?
Download this activity
English version
Download the Storybook Guide