Paper Flower Decorations

10 min

Narrative

The purpose of this How Many Do You See? is for students to subitize or use grouping strategies to describe the images they see. The paper flowers also set the stage for the subsequent activities in the lesson.

Launch

  • Groups of 2
  • “How many do you see? How do you see them?”
  • Flash image.
  • 1 minute: quiet think time
Teacher Instructions
  • Display image.
  • “Discuss your thinking with your partner.”
  • 1 minute: partner discussion
  • Record responses.

Student Task

How many do you see? How do you see them?

photographs of paper flowers.
photographs of paper flowers. 4 rows of different colored paper flowers. First row, yellow, white white yellow. Second row, white, yellow, yellow, white. Third row, yellow, white, white, yellow. Fourth row, white, yellow, yellow, white.

Sample Response

Sample responses:

  • 16 flowers. There are 4 rows of 4.
  • 16 flowers. There are 4 columns of 4.
  • 8 flowers of one color and 8 of the other color. There are 2 of each color in each of the 4 rows.
Activity Synthesis (Teacher Notes)
  • “These flowers are sometimes used as decorations at a quinceañera.”
  • “A quinceañera is a celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday. It is celebrated most widely in Mexico, but is also celebrated in Spain and other countries throughout the Caribbean, and Central and South America. It is celebrated in the US and around the world by people who have cultural ties to these regions.”
  • “What are some celebrations in your family or culture? What are some decorations used in the celebrations?”
  • Consider asking:
    • “Who can restate the way ___ saw the paper flowers in different words?”
    • “Did anyone see the flowers the same way but would explain it differently?”
    • “Does anyone want to add an observation to the way ____ saw the flowers?”
Standards
Building On
  • 4.OA.C·Generate and analyze patterns.
  • 4.OA.C·Generate and analyze patterns.

15 min

25 min