Five and Some More

Step 1: Let's Learn

Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.

Watch the idea first — 59 seconds. Then read on, and try it yourself in the next step.

Five is a good number to know. You have five fingers on one hand.

Big numbers hide a five

Seven is a full five and two more.

So you do not start at one. You say five, then six, seven.

Watch seven get built

The top row is full. That is five. Do not count it. Now count only the ones underneath. One, two. Five and two. Seven. You said two numbers instead of seven.

Step 2: Try It Yourself

Slide the beads and watch the five.

Tap a bead to slide it and all the beads before it. What two parts do you see?

How many6

5 and 1 make 6.

Beads

The same number in a frame. The top row holds five.

How many6

4 more would make 10.

Counters

Step 3: In Real Life

Counting on your hands

Hold up one whole hand. That is 5. Now put up 2 more fingers. 5 and 2 more is 7. You did not count from 1.

Step 4: Watch an Example

Watch how seven is made.

Watch Ana Make Seven

Ana makes seven without counting every bead.

Step 1
She slides the whole five across in one move.
5 beads moved across in total.
How many5
That is a full five.
Beads5

Step 5: Your Turn

Practice makes it stick.

On the Rug

Problem 1 of 1

Ana slides a full five, then 3 more. How many beads did she slide?

Build a Number

Make 9 on the rod. Slide the five first, then the extra ones.

How many0

Beads

Fill the Frame

Build it, then check.

Fill 6 boxes.

Tap the boxes.

How many0

Counters

Step 6: Quick Check

Show what you know.

Question 1 of 2

A full five and 3 more. How many is that?

Question 2 of 2

How many beads?

How many6

Beads6

What You Learned

Five is a group worth knowing.
Big numbers are a five and some more.
Start at five and count on.

For the grown-up

Counting and knowing how many are different skills. A child can recite to twenty and still recount a row of six every time they are asked, because the last number said has not yet become the answer to "how many".

Watch for recounting. If they count a group, are asked how many, and start again from one, the link has not formed yet. It is extremely common at this age and is not a memory problem.

When it happens, count together slowly and then close your hand over the group and ask again. Hiding the objects is what forces the number to stand in for them.

Why five and not some other number — You can see five at a glance because it is a hand. Anchoring bigger numbers to something you never have to count is what makes them quick.

Check yourself — Cover the five. Can you still say how many are left over? If you can, you are using the anchor rather than counting from one.