Odd or Even

Objectives & Outcomes

Students will be able to categorize odd and even numbers. Students will be able to answer these essential questions: What makes a number odd? What makes a number even?

Materials Needed

• 2 brown paper bags. One back should have "even" written on it and the other should have "odd" written on it.
• Index cards with a number written on it. Each number card should also have dots drawn on to represent the number. For example, the 7 card should have 7 dots on it.

Procedure

Opening to Lesson

• In order to gain student interest, teacher can ask for 10 student volunteers to come to the front of the class.
• As a class, count how many students are standing.
• Next, have each student find a partner (since there are 10 students, everyone will have a partner). Write 10 on the board under the word "even".
• Explain to students that everyone has a partner because 10 is an "even" number.
• Ask 2 students to sit down, leaving 8 students standing. . Everyone should have a partner.  Write 8 on the board under "even".
• Repeat this process with 6, 4, and 2 students.
• Ask students what they think would happen if there were 9 students standing. Would everyone have a partner? Repeat for 7, 5, 3, 1
• Students should be able to tell you that a student will be left without a partner for 7, 5, 3, and 1.

Body of Lesson

Guided Practice

• Explain to students that "even" numbers end with a 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 and all other numbers are "odd".
• Make a chart color coding even and odd numbers.
• Connect back to the opening activity (each student in the even group had a partner; one student in the odd group was left without a partner).

Independent Practice

• Give each student an index card with a "mystery number" written on it.  In addition to the numerical number, dots should be used to represent that number. For example, the 6 card should have six dots on it.
• Students will work independently to pair up the dots in order to determine if their number is odd or even.
• Student should write the words odd or even on the card.

Closing

• Students will take their "mystery number" and place it in the appropriate "odd" or "even" bag.
• Have children tell the class their mystery number and ask them to tell the class whether the number is off or even and why.

Assessment & Evaluation

As a form of informal assessment, teacher can keep track of student accuracy when placing their card in the off or even bag. Also, teacher will keep note of the reasoning students provides (Why is/how do you know the number odd? Why is/how do you know the number even?)

Modification & Differentiation

Teacher can work with students who need additional help in a small group or one-on-one setting. Students who need to be challenged even more can create their own mystery number cards with greater numbers.

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