My Own Number Story!

Directions: Choose one of the pictures below or draw your own. Create an addition or subtraction number story about the picture. Write your story and the math problem that goes with it. Then, solve your story!

Story 1: Park Adventure

Imagine you are at a park. There are 5 children playing on the swings and 3 children playing on the slide.

Your Story:

Math Problem:

Answer:

Story 2: Fruit Basket Fun

You have a basket with 8 apples. You eat 2 of them.

Your Story:

Math Problem:

Answer:

Story 3: Draw Your Own!

Draw your own picture and create a number story about it!

(Space for drawing - maybe a box here in the actual rendering)

Your Story:

Math Problem:

Answer:

Number Story Quest: Teacher Script

Introduction (5 minutes)

• "Good morning, mathematicians! Today, we're going on an exciting quest to explore something called 'Number Stories'. Has anyone ever heard of a number story before? What do you think it might be?" (Allow a few student responses)
  
• "That's right! A number story is like a mini-story, but it has numbers in it, and it usually asks us to solve a math problem. It helps us see how math is all around us, even in our everyday lives!"
• "Let's look at our first slide to get started!" (Display Number Story Slides - Slide 1: Welcome to Number Story Land!)

What's a Number Story? (5 minutes)

• "Take a look at this slide." (Display Number Story Slides - Slide 2: What's a Number Story?)
• "A number story tells us about things happening and asks us to solve a problem. For example, if I tell you: 'I had 3 yummy cookies, and my friend gave me 2 more. How many cookies do I have now?' That's a number story!"
• "What kind of math problem do you think we would do to solve that cookie story?" (Guide students to addition: 3 + 2 = 5)

Adding Up! (+) (7 minutes)

• "Now, let's talk about addition stories." (Display Number Story Slides - Slide 3: Adding Up! (+))
• "Addition stories are when we put things together to find a total. We often hear words like 'and', 'altogether', 'in all', 'total', or 'more'. These words are clues that we need to add!"
• "Let's try this example together: 'There were 4 happy birds on a branch. 2 more little birds flew to join them. How many birds are on the branch now?'"
• "How can we solve this? We start with 4, and we add 2 more. What's 4 + 2?" (Wait for response: 6)
• "Excellent! There are 6 birds on the branch altogether."

Taking Away! (-) (7 minutes)

• "Sometimes, things go away!" (Display Number Story Slides - Slide 4: Taking Away! (-))
• "Subtraction stories are when we take things apart or some go away. Look for keywords like 'take away', 'left', 'remain', 'difference', or 'fewer'. These tell us we need to subtract!"
• "Let's look at this one: 'Mia had 7 bright balloons. Oh no! 3 balloons flew away into the sky. How many balloons does Mia have left?'"
• "How would we solve this? We start with 7, and 3 flew away, so we take away 3. What's 7 - 3?" (Wait for response: 4)
• "Great job! Mia has 4 balloons left."

Your Turn! Create a Number Story (6 minutes)

• "Now it's YOUR turn to be a number story creator!" (Display Number Story Slides - Slide 5: Your Turn! Create a Number Story)
• "I'm going to hand out a Number Story Worksheet. On this worksheet, you'll see some pictures, or you can even draw your own! Your job is to create your very own addition or subtraction number story about the picture."
• "Write your story in the space provided, then write the math problem that goes with it, and finally, solve your own number story!"
• "Work quietly on your stories. When you're done, be ready to share your amazing number story with a partner or with the class!"
• (Distribute Number Story Worksheet and circulate to provide support and answer questions.)

Number Story Brain Tickler!

Directions: Listen to the number stories your teacher reads aloud. For each story, decide if it's an adding story (addition) or a taking away story (subtraction). Then, try to solve it in your head or on your scratch paper!

Story 1

There were 6 red apples in a bowl. Mom put 3 more green apples in the bowl. How many apples are in the bowl now?

Is this adding or taking away?

What's the answer?

Story 2

7 birds were sitting on a wire. 2 of the birds flew away. How many birds are left on the wire?

Is this adding or taking away?

What's the answer?

My Number Story Reflection

Directions: Please answer the questions below to show what you learned about number stories today!

1. What is one thing you learned today about number stories?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Tell me one time you could use a number story in your everyday life.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Draw a simple picture related to an addition or subtraction story you learned or created today. (This could be a quick drawing!)

Number Story Answer Key

Number Story Brain Tickler! (Warm-Up Answers)

Story 1: Red and Green Apples

• Type: Adding story (addition)
• Thought Process: The words "put 3 more" indicate joining or combining, which is addition. We start with 6 and add 3.
• Answer: 6 + 3 = 9 apples

Story 2: Birds on a Wire

• Type: Taking away story (subtraction)
• Thought Process: The words "flew away" and "how many are left" indicate separating or removing, which is subtraction. We start with 7 and take away 2.
• Answer: 7 - 2 = 5 birds

My Own Number Story! (Worksheet Answers - Example Solutions)

(Note to Teacher: Student answers will vary for their created stories. Focus on whether the story matches the picture/theme, uses numbers, and the math problem/answer align with their story and chosen operation.)

Story 1: Park Adventure (Example Solution)

• Example Story: There were 5 children on the swings and 3 children on the slide. How many children were playing in the park altogether?
• Math Problem: 5 + 3 = ?
• Answer: 8 children

Story 2: Fruit Basket Fun (Example Solution)

• Example Story: I had 8 apples in my basket. I ate 2 apples for a snack. How many apples are left in my basket?
• Math Problem: 8 - 2 = ?
• Answer: 6 apples

Story 3: Draw Your Own! (Example Solution - based on a drawing of 3 flowers and 2 more blooming)

• Example Story: I drew 3 pretty flowers in my garden. Then, 2 more flowers bloomed! How many flowers are in my garden now?
• Math Problem: 3 + 2 = ?
• Answer: 5 flowers