Subject Area: Math

Book Summary
This engaging board book about a rooster that sets off to see the world uses a rebus format to introduce children to easy addition and subtraction concepts.

Objective
Children will develop an understanding of simple addition and subtraction strategies.

Before Reading
Show the children the book Rooster's Off to See the World. Tell them that Rooster is going to meet different animals on his journey. Ask them to predict what types of animals Rooster will meet. Record the predictions on chart paper. Now invite the children to listen to the story and count along as you read.

Teaching Plan

Who Did Rooster Meet?
Materials

• Chart paper
• Marker

Activity

1. After reading the book invite the class to list the different animals that Rooster met. Record their comments on chart paper.
2. Compare the predictions that they made before reading the story to the new list. How many of their predictions were correct?

How Many Animals Does Rooster Meet?
Materials

• Drawing paper
• Marker
• Scissors
• Resealable bags

In advance: Make fifteen 1½-inch squares on drawing paper. Draw the same type of animals that appear in the rebus, making one rooster, two cats, three frogs, four turtles, and five fish. Make five or six photocopies, then cut the squares apart and place each set of 15 into an individual resealable bag.

Activity

1. Invite five or six children for this small-group math activity. Provide each child with a bag of animal picture squares.
2. Ask them to place their animal squares on the table. Tell them that they will arrange their animal squares the way they appear in the book.
3. Ask them to count the number of animals each time they add more squares to their arrangement. Encourage them to describe what is happening as Rooster wanders on. How many animals did Rooster meet?
4. Have the group count aloud as they as they reduce the number of animals. What is happening to the numbers as they remove, or subtract, animals from their arrangement?
5. After you have finished reading the book, invite the children to use the squares to to solve the following problems:
   • Make a grouping of four different animals.
   • Make three sets of animal pairs.
   • Two cats and three turtles = ?
   • If four turtles, three frogs, and one cat came to Rooster's house for dinner, how many chairs would Rooster need?
   • Five fish went for a swim but two swam away. How many fish were left?
   • Two cats and three turtles all want to play in the block area. Only three animals can be there at one time. How many animals will have to wait their turn?
6. Now invite the children to use the animal squares to make up their own math sentence or problem. Have them challenge each other to solve it.
7. Place the book and the animal squares in a small basket in the math area so the class can continue their math investigations.

Other Math Board Books
Fish Eyes
by Becky Bloom
Engaging rhyming text and vivid illustrations introduce children to simple counting and addition concepts.

Arthur Counts
by Marc Brown
This fun counting book teaches children about numbers and the concept of what is inside.

Learn to Count Funny Bunnies
by Cyndy Szekeres
Adorable Wilbur Bunny and family have fun counting to ten.

Other Board Books by Eric Carle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
1, 2, 3 to the Zoo
The Very Hungry Spider

Teaching plan written by Risa Young