Module 2 Counting and understanding numbers
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Can I count on and back in equal steps and explain the patterns?

Example review questions

  • What number comes next in this sequence? 2, 4, 6, 8... What about this sequence? 1, 3, 5, 7... What is the same about and what is different about these sequences?
  • What number comes next? 20, 18, 16, 14...? How do you know?
  • How would you describe this sequence to someone else?
    7, 17, 27, 37, 47...
  • What numbers are missing? 60, 50, empty box, 30, 20, empty box. How can you check?
  • The yellow numbers show the beginning of a number sequence. What are the next three numbers? Explain your thinking.
    3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, ?

Teaching guidance

This teaching guidance document suggests some of the key vocabulary, models, images and practical equipment that children should experience and be able to use. It also includes some teaching tips to provide a few starting points for ways of supporting children with this area of mathematics.

PDF file Can I count on and back in equal steps and explain the patterns? - teaching guidance | 127KB new window

Consolidation and practice

These resources are to support children in guided or independent work.

PDF file ITP Guide | 4317KB new window

SWF file Number grid ITP | 63KB new window

SWF file Twenty cards ITP | 52KB new window

PDF file Year 2 Block A lesson notes | 1181KB new window

PDF file Counting on and back in ones and tens models and images chart | 202KB new window

Supporting children with gaps in their mathematical understanding

PDF file Has difficulty with counting reliably in tens from a multiple of ten | 69KB new window

PDF file Resource booklet | 501KB new window

Opportunities to use and apply

Possible contexts include:

  • Identifying patterns in number sequences, e.g. choose your own starting number and make up your own sequence that counts on or back in fives. What do you notice abut the numbers in your sequence? Start the sequence from the number that is one more than you started with last time. What do you notice now?
  • Counting in equal steps to solve mathematical problems, e.g. Emma had some fireworks. Some made 3 stars and some made 4 stars. Altogether the fireworks made 19 stars. How many of them made 3 stars?
  • Investigating a general statement to decide whether it is always, sometimes or never true, e.g. when I count from zero in twos all of the numbers I say are even. When I count from zero in fives all of the numbers I say are odd.

Confirming learning

Ask probing questions such as:

  • Count on in tens from 5. Will you ever say number 72? Why not?
  • Count back in tens from 92. Will you say 32? How do you know?
  • empty box, empty box, empty box, 14, 12, 10, 8, empty box. What numbers are missing? How can you work it out? How can you check your answers?
  • 5, 10, 15, 20, empty box, 30, empty box, 40, empty box, 50. What do you notice about all the missing numbers in this sequence? Why is this?
  • Describe this sequence to your maths partner and see if they can write it down: 45, 35, 25, 15, 5. You can only say the first number in the sequence and then describe the pattern.
  • Here are some numbers in my sequence 13, 15, 17, 19. What numbers come next in my sequence? What numbers come before? Give me a number greater than 30 that is in my sequence. How do you know this number is in my sequence? How could you check?