The purpose of this activity is for students to learn Stage 1 of the Fewer, Same, More center. Students make groups that have fewer, the same, and more objects than a given group. Students choose a collection of objects and place all the objects at the top of the mat. They then use connecting cubes to make new groups that have fewer, the same, or more objects. To minimize the number of collections needed, have groups trade collections.

• Display the mat with 7 cubes in the top box.
• Invite two previously identified students to demonstrate how they made groups with fewer objects.
• “¿Ambos estudiantes hicieron grupos que tienen menos de 7 objetos?” // “Did both students make groups that have fewer than 7 objects?”
• “Usemos la palabra ‘menos’ para describir los grupos que hicieron” // “Let’s use the word ‘fewer’ to describe the groups they made.”
  • “5 cubos es menos que 7 cubos” // “5 cubes is fewer than 7 cubes.”
  • “3 cubos rojos es menos que 7 cubos azules” // “3 red cubes is fewer than 7 blue cubes.”
• “Si tengo que hacer un grupo con el mismo número de objetos que este grupo de 7 objetos, ¿qué debo hacer?” // “If I needed to make a group with the same number of objects as this group of 7 objects, what should I do?” (You should take out 7 cubes.)

The purpose of this activity is for students to learn Stage 2 of the Math Fingers center. Students choose a card. One partner shows more fingers than the card, while the other partner shows fewer fingers than the card. Both students tell each other how many fingers they are holding up and whether that quantity is more or fewer than the quantity on the card. Students may count the fingers or recognize the quantity without counting. Students may also count on from 5 to determine how many fingers there are when 6–10 fingers are displayed.

• Hold up 5 fingers.
• “Muestren menos dedos que los que yo levanto. Compartan sus ideas con su compañero. ¿Ambos levantaron el mismo número de dedos?” // “Show fewer fingers than I am holding up. Share with your partner. Did you both hold up the same number of fingers?” (No, my partner held up 3 fingers and I held up 1 finger. We both held up fewer fingers.)
• “Muestren el mismo número de dedos que yo levanto. Compartan sus ideas con su compañero. ¿Ambos levantaron el mismo número de dedos?” // “Show the same number of fingers that I am holding up. Share with your partner. Did you both hold up the same number of fingers?” (Yes, we both held up 5 fingers.)

The purpose of this activity is for students to choose from activities that offer practice with number and counting concepts. Students choose any previously introduced stage from these centers:

• Fewer, Same, More
• Shake and Spill
• Math Fingers
• Pattern Blocks
• Picture Books

• “Hoy jugamos 'Dedos matemáticos'. ¿Como supieron cuántos dedos había en cada tarjeta?” // “Today we played Math Fingers. How did you figure out how many fingers were on each card?” (I counted them. I could just see that there were 5 because all the fingers on one hand were up and no fingers on the other hand were up.)