Courseversity

Lesson

Comparing numbers

Primary EducationGrade 1MathematicsCV-PRI-G01-MATH-NUM-U01-L0545–60 min

You will learn

  • Say which group has more, fewer or the same.
  • Compare two numbers up to 20.
  • Use the words greater than, less than and equal to.
  • Explain how you know which number is greater.

Version 0.2 Β· expanded edition Β· built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. More is a bigger number. Fewer is a smaller number.
  2. Match one to one to compare two groups.
  3. The number that comes later in counting is greater.
  4. Equal means the same number.

Words to know

more
A larger number of things.
fewer
A smaller number of things.
greater than
Bigger in amount. 9 is greater than 5.
less than
Smaller in amount. 5 is less than 9.

1. Discover: who has more?

Ama has 5 mangoes. Kofi has 8 mangoes. Who has more?

You can line them up and see, or you can compare the numbers.

2. Understand: comparing numbers

To compare two groups, count each group. The group with the bigger number has more. The group with the smaller number has fewer. If the numbers are the same, the groups are equal.

8 is greater than 5. 5 is less than 8. 6 is equal to 6.

Numbers further along when we count are greater. 12 comes after 9 when we count, so 12 is greater than 9.

Ama: 5
Kofi: 8

Idea 1: Match to compare groups

Put one yellow counter next to each red counter. If the red group has counters left over, red has more. If there are none left over, the groups are equal.

Why? Matching works even when you do not know the numbers.

Idea 2: Use the counting order

When we count, a bigger number comes later. 9 comes after 6, so 9 is greater than 6. 6 comes before 9, so 6 is less than 9.

Idea 3: The words greater than, less than and equal to

We say: 9 is greater than 6. 6 is less than 9. 7 is equal to 7.

We can write these with signs: > < and =. The open side of the sign faces the greater number.

Remember: Count first. The bigger number is greater, the smaller number is less. If the numbers are the same, they are equal.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Which group has more?

Group A: 🍎🍎🍎🍎 Group B: 🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎

  1. Count A: 4.
  2. Count B: 7.
  3. 7 comes after 4 in counting.

Answer: Group B has more. 4 is less than 7.

Example 2 (We do it together): Compare 12 and 9

Which number is greater, 12 or 9?

  1. Count: 9, 10, 11, 12.
  2. 12 comes later.

Answer: 12 is greater than 9. 9 is less than 12.

Example 3 (You try): Equal groups

Two baskets each have 8 fruits. Compare them.

Show the steps and answer
  1. Count the first basket: 8.
  2. Count the second basket: 8.
  3. They are the same.

Answer: 8 is equal to 8.

Did you know?

The signs for greater than and less than were first printed in a book by the English mathematician Thomas Harriot in 1631.

Why this matters

We compare to choose the bigger share, to see who scored more in a game and to check prices.

4. Explore: line them up

You need 20 counters in two colours.

  1. Make a row of 6 red counters.
  2. Make a row of 9 blue counters directly under them, matching one to one.
  3. See which row is longer and which has extra counters.
  4. Say: 9 is greater than 6 and 6 is less than 9.
Think about it: what did you notice?

The blue row has 3 extra counters, so 9 is greater than 6.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • ___ is greater than ___.
  • ___ is less than ___.
  • ___ is equal to ___.
  • I know because ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. Which is greater, 7 or 4?

7.

Question 2. Which is less, 10 or 12?

10.

Question 3. Are 8 and 8 greater, less or equal?

Equal.

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. Which is greater: 9 or 6?
  2. Which is less: 15 or 13?
  3. Draw a group with more circles than this group: ●●●
  4. Write two numbers that are equal.
  5. Explain how you know 14 is greater than 11.

Level 2: Grow

  1. Which is greater, 8 or 12?
  2. Which is less, 17 or 15?
  3. Group A has 6 stars. Group B has 6 stars. What can you say?

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Write a number that is greater than 14 and less than 17.
  2. Fill the gap: 9 is ___ 13.
  3. Mia has 11 shells. Ben has 9 shells. How can you show Mia has more without counting?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: everyday mathematics

The red basket has 12 apples and the green basket has 15 apples. Which basket has fewer?

Show a sample answer

The red basket has fewer, because 12 is less than 15.

Another one. Two bags hold marbles. One has 14 and the other has 12. Which bag has more?

Show a sample answer

The bag with 14. 14 comes after 12 in counting, so 14 is greater than 12.

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: β€œThe group that takes more space has more.”
Fix: Count each group. Size or spacing does not decide; the number does.
Another mistake: Thinking a spread-out group has more.
Fix: Count both groups or match one to one. Spreading out does not change how many.
Another mistake: Mixing up greater and less.
Fix: Greater is the bigger number. Less is the smaller number. The number that comes later in counting is greater.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can say which group has more, fewer or the same.
  • I can compare two numbers up to 20.
  • I can use the words greater than, less than and equal to.
  • I can explain how I know.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. Which number is greater?

2. Group A has 3 stones and group B has 6 stones. Which group has fewer?

3. Which number is less?

4. Both baskets have 9 fruits. We say the numbers are…

5. Why is 14 greater than 11?

6. Which number is greater, 11 or 8?

7. Which number is less, 6 or 15?

8. Group A has 5 stars. Group B has 8 stars. Which group has fewer?

9. Two baskets each hold 10 apples. We say the numbers are…

10. Which is true?

11. Which number is greater than 16 but less than 18?

12. Why is 15 greater than 12?

Challenge 1. Which number is greater than 14 but less than 16?

Challenge 2. Tom has 9 stickers spread wide on a table. Ana has 9 stickers in a tight pile. Tom says his are more because they take more space. Is he right?

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • More means a bigger number; fewer means a smaller number.
  • Equal means the same number.
  • The number that comes later in counting is greater.

11. Next lesson

Lesson 6: Ordering numbers. You will put numbers in order from smallest to greatest.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. Which is greater, 7 or 12? [1 mark]
  2. Write less than, greater than or equal to: 9 is ___ 9. [1 mark]
  3. Anna has 15 beads. Ben has 13 beads. Who has fewer beads? Explain how you know. [2 marks]
  4. Write a number between 11 and 14. [1 mark]
  5. Draw two groups of circles. Make the second group have more circles. Write the numbers. [2 marks]

Total: 7 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. 12 [1]
  2. equal to [1]
  3. Ben [1]. 13 comes before 15 in counting, so 13 is less than 15 [1].
  4. 12 or 13 [1]
  5. Two groups drawn, the second with more [1]. Both numbers written correctly [1].

Score guide: 6 to 7 = secure. 5 to 5 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 5 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. Circle the greater number: 8 or 5.
  2. Circle the smaller number: 11 or 9.
  3. Write a number greater than 10.
  4. Write a number less than 10.
  5. Are 7 and 7 equal? Explain.
  6. Which is greater, 6 or 10?
  7. Which is less, 13 or 19?
  8. Fill the gap with equal to, greater than or less than: 8 is ___ 8.
  9. Group A has 5 dots and group B has 7 dots. Which has more?
  10. Write a number greater than 15.

Homework

Take two small piles of things at home. Count each pile. Tell a family member which pile has more and which has fewer, and by how many.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
Greater of 8 and 5 8 2
Smaller of 11 and 9 9 2
A number greater than 10 Any number above 10 2
A number less than 10 Any number below 10 2
Equal numbers Yes, both are 7 2
Total 10

Practice answers: Worksheet: 1 8; 2 9; 3 any number above 10; 4 any number below 10; 5 yes, they are the same.

Quiz answers: 1 A, 2 B, 3 B, 4 B, 5 A, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 C, Challenge 2 C.

Extra worksheet answers (items 6 onward): 6 10; 7 13; 8 equal to; 9 B; 10 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20.

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 9; 2 13; 3 a group of 4 or more circles; 4 any pair that is the same, such as 5 and 5; 5 14 comes after 11 when we count, so it is greater. Level 2: 1 12; 2 15; 3 They are equal. 6 is equal to 6.. Level 3: 1 15 or 16; 2 less than; 3 Match one shell of Mia with one shell of Ben. Mia has shells left over..

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Say which group has more, fewer or the same Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Compare two numbers up to 20 Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Use the words greater than, less than and equal to Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Explain how you know which number is greater Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Learners may judge by how spread out objects are. Match objects one to one and count.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects first, then pictures.
  3. Show a simpler example: Compare small groups with matching rows of counters before comparing numerals.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child compares groups and numbers up to 20 and uses the words greater than, less than and equal to. You do not need to be good at mathematics to help.

  • Compare things at home: who has more grapes? Who has fewer cars?
  • Match one to one with your child, then count to check.
  • Use the words more, fewer, same, greater and less in everyday talk.
  • Ask β€œhow do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: say which group has more, fewer or the same; compare two numbers up to 20; use the words greater than, less than and equal to; explain how you know which number is greater.

Prerequisite knowledge. Lessons 1 to 4: counting and reading numbers to 20.

Materials. Counters (stones, seeds or bottle tops), paper, pencils, board or chalkboard. Low-resource options: use stones, seeds, sticks, bottle tops or drawings in the sand or on the board instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Gather the counters and draw the example pictures on the board before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Show two groups and ask which has more.

Explanation (10 min). Line up two groups one to one. Introduce more, fewer, greater and less, and link to counting order.

Guided activity (10 min). Learners compare two rows of counters and say which is greater.

Independent activity (10 min). Learners compare numbers and draw groups.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. How do you know which group has more? What does equal mean? Does a spread-out group have more?

Teacher explanation notes. Use the concrete, pictorial, abstract order: real objects first, then pictures, then symbols and words. Return to real objects whenever a learner needs support.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use real objects and work with a partner; say each step aloud together. Extension. Ask learners to make up their own example and explain it to a partner.

Formative assessment. Listen to learner explanations, ask β€œhow do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Learners may judge by how spread out objects are. Match objects one to one and count.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz and worksheet on this page. The 7-mark exam practice scheme, the 10-mark scheme and all answers are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer and the marking scheme before publication.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Compare small groups with matching rows of counters before comparing numerals. Enrichment. Invite learners to find or create three more examples at home or in the classroom and explain them. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which concepts learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points named in the Courseversity standard: Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (official site): Grade 1 Β» Number & Operations in Base Ten. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core K.CC.C.6 and K.CC.C.7 (comparing groups and numbers); Cambridge Primary Mathematics Stage 1. These sources informed the lesson.

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