Odd and Even Numbers

Hi blog friends! Last Sunday I posted some printable cards to help teach children how to determine more/less and the concept of greater/fewer.

I am following on from these ideas to think about odd and even numbers.

• First, explain the terms "odd" and "even"
• get a few students to stand up in a group 
• ask this group to hold hands with one friend in the group 
• illustrate quite clearly that with an even numbered group - everyone gets a partner

Illustrate this even further with an egg carton - 

• tear off individual cups and talk about even numbers having rows of two (or "partners")
• show the students the cards used for your more/less lessons and point out that the even numbers all have rows of two, and the odd numbers have a square that is all on its own at the end (no partner)

This gradual progression from real life example to abstract concept will assist with their understanding and help them to make connections in their knowledge.

The class should enjoy using a range of concrete materials (shells, counters, plastic teddies, plastic dinosaurs) to make numbers. Ask them to put them in lines of two to determine if they are odd or even.

Use these feee posters that I have just made to talk about the number of eyes on the monsters. 

• Are they odd or even? 
• Ask a student to place pairs of colored counters, buttons or play dough on the eyes so that each pair is a different colour. 
• Help the students see that with the odd numbers, there is one left at the end that does not have a partner.

I hope you will find these posters helpful, if not this week, perhaps at another time that you teach about odd and even numbers!