Students take turns asking and answering “how many?” questions about pictures and representing the quantity with a number.

Variation:

Pages of picture books also can be offered to help students generate stories.

One student chooses a mat and, based on its background, tells a story that involves addition or subtraction and includes a question. Their partner uses counters or connecting cubes to act out the story and answer the question. Then each student draws a picture to represent the story and writes the answer to the question on their recording sheet.

One student chooses a picture and tells a story that involves composing or decomposing the collection in the picture. Their partner uses objects or drawings to represent the story. Then students switch roles and use the same picture to tell a different story. After telling two stories about the same picture, students choose another picture and repeat.

One student poses an addition or subtraction story problem about a picture. Their partner solves the story problem and represents the story with an equation. 

Variation:

Pages of picture books also can be offered to help students generate stories.

One student secretly picks a card with a tape diagram and then poses a story problem that matches it. Their partner solves the story problem, draws the tape diagram, and writes an equation to represent the story. Then both partners make sure the tape diagrams are the same.