Number Toss Champions ✨ cross-curricular

Lesson Structure

Opening (5 minutes)

Display "428" on the whiteboard. Ask students to show this number using counting manipulatives at their desks. Have 2-3 students share different ways to write 428 (standard: 428, word form: four hundred twenty-eight, expanded: 400 + 20 + 8).

Main Activity (50 minutes)

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Number Form Practice (10 minutes): Give each student a game card. Students work in pairs to write their three-digit number in all three forms on white paper. Circulate to check accuracy and provide support.
2. Beanbag Toss Setup (5 minutes): Demonstrate proper beanbag catching technique: toss underhand about 2 feet high, keep eyes on beanbag, catch with both hands. Students practice 3 tosses each while seated.
3. Number Toss Round 1 (10 minutes): Students stand with their game cards. Call out a three-digit number (like 347). Students with that number attempt 3 consecutive catches. Successful catchers earn a point and decode the vowel team word on their card aloud.
4. Comparison Challenge Setup (5 minutes): Write comparison symbols on whiteboard. Students pair up with different number cards. Each pair writes a comparison statement using their two numbers (example: 347 > 289).
5. Number Toss Round 2 (15 minutes): Call out comparison statements like "numbers greater than 500" or "numbers less than 250." Students with qualifying numbers attempt beanbag catches. Successful catchers read their vowel team word and use it in a sentence.
6. Two-Syllable Word Challenge (5 minutes): Students flip their cards to find two-syllable words. They practice reading these words with their partner, clapping syllables, then attempt final beanbag catches while saying their word.

Closing (5 minutes)

Students return to seats and share one number fact they learned and one new word they decoded. Collect game cards and have students demonstrate their best beanbag catch one final time.

Quick Check: "Show me thumbs up if 456 > 465. Write the word form of 307 on your paper. What vowel team do you hear in the word 'coast'?"