How I Introduce the Number Rods to a Group of Twelve

Keep the group lesson short

Eight minutes, on the floor, with the rods already laid out. Group lessons are for interest, not mastery. Mastery comes later, one child at a time, at the shelf.

Step one: build the stair

Ask two children to carry the rods, one at a time, heaviest to lightest. The carrying is part of the lesson. Everyone watches the length change as the rods arrive.

Step two: name one and ten

Point to the shortest and the longest. "One. Ten." Then count the segments on each, touching as you go. Do not name the middle rods yet.

Step three: one job for everyone

Ask each child to find a rod longer than a chosen one, or to hand you the rod that comes next. Every child does something with their hands.

What to do with the children who already know

Give them a job: carry, count, or check. Then send them to the shelf with an extension, such as combining two rods to match a third. Boredom in a group lesson is usually a missing role.

Watch, then note

Note which children lean in and which look away. Those notes are your next individual presentations.