Objective:
The students will identify odd and even numbers.

Materials

• Missing Mittens by Stuart J. Murphy

• Odd or Even? Worksheet

• Pair of Mittens Printout

• Manipulatives, such as counting bears or beans

Procedure

1. Read Missing Mittens by Stuart J. Murphy.  This book explores even and odd numbers by placing mittens on a variety of animals.  If the book is not available, explain even and odd numbers using mittens for an example.  "If there are 3 mittens, does every mitten have a match?"

2. Pass out the Odd or Even? Worksheet and have the students complete it.

3. As an extension, give each student a Pair of Mittens Printout and manipulative to use as counters, such as counting bears or beans.  

4. Call out a number and have the students determine whether the number is odd or even by placing manipulatives on the mitten printout.  Explain that each mitten hand needs to have the same number of objects for it to be even.  If an object is left over, then the number is odd.

Other Lesson Ideas

1. Using pairs of mittens, count by 2's.

2. Have the students create patterns with mitten shapes they have colored.  The class may work together as a group to create one big pattern to be hung on a clothesline across the room.

3. Count by fives for the number of fingers inside each mitten.

4. After reading The Mitten by Jan Brett, complete math problems for the number of animals inside the mitten.