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Comparing groups: more or fewer

CONCEPTUAL
Mathematics›Counting & Cardinality|Ages 4—6|ID: mt__h7hvT4tEb

Compare two groups of objects to determine which has more, fewer, or whether they are equal, using matching and counting strategies

Mastery Evidence

  • Use one-to-one matching to compare two groups
  • State which group has more/fewer after counting both
  • Use the language 'equal to', 'more than', 'less than', 'fewer', 'most', 'least'

Assessment Prompt

“If you put 6 raisins in one hand and 4 in the other and ask [child] which hand has more, can they work it out — either by counting or just by looking?”

Curriculum Standards2 alignments

K.CC.6Common Core State Standards for Mathematics
Compare Groups of Objects

Identify whether the number of objects in one group is greater than, less than, or equal to the number of objects in another group, e.g., by using matching and counting strategies.

Counting and Cardinality
Maths/Y1/NPV/4The national curriculum in England
Identify and represent numbers

Identify and represent numbers using objects and pictorial representations including the number line, and use the language of: equal to, more than, less than (fewer), most, least.

Mathematics · Key Stage 1

Prerequisites1

Show full prerequisite tree
  • Counting objects to 20 soft

    Counting a set helps when comparing groups, but younger children (GB age 4) can compare using matching without formal counting to 20

    • How Many in Total? hard

      Answering 'how many?' requires the cardinality principle

      • One-to-one counting hard

        Cardinality principle builds on one-to-one correspondence — you must count correctly to know the last number tells 'how many'

    • One-to-one counting hard

      Counting objects to answer 'how many?' requires one-to-one correspondence

Unlocks3