Greater Than, Less Than, or Equal To

Faith Wilson
First Grade/Math

Common Core Standards:

1.NBT.3 - Compare two two-digit numbers based on meanings of the tens and ones digits, recording the results
of comparisons with the symbols >, =, and <.

Lesson Summary:
During this lesson students will compare two numbers, both tens and ones digits, and calculate which number
is greater in value. They will use signs such as less than <, greater than >, or equal to =. The purpose of this
lesson is to help students

Estimated Duration:

Six 30-minute class periods.

Commentary:
I plan on getting the students excited about the lesson by comparing the greater than and less than signs to an
alligator’s mouth. I will include an animated video of alligators eating the bigger numbers. I believe the
greatest challenge will be getting the students to be able to differentiate the different symbols meanings.

Instructional Procedures:

Day 1: Pre-assessment

The first 10 minutes: Students will be assessed on which number is greater on a worksheet while I have the
question on my smartboard reading it aloud.

The next 10 minutes: Students will assess the different symbols and match them to their designated meaning. I
will be explaining that students will use a red colored pencil to connect the sign < to its meaning ect.
The last 10 minutes: students will assess which sign is used when comparing two numbers. I will then be
collecting the quizzes and scoring and documenting the ending results for each student after class.

Day 2:

The first 10 minutes: I will be demonstrating to students that the greater than and less than signs are like the
mouths of alligators. I will be projecting on my smartboard an alligator with its mouth open next the signs.

The next 10 minutes: I will hand out a worksheet with the different signs. The students will draw the alligator
and its teeth on the greater than sign with a big number at its mouth and a smaller number at its tail.

The last 10 minutes: I will collect the sheets then put on a video on my smartboard of an alligator eating the
greater numbers. My students will be watching taking in the information.

Day 3:

The first 10 minutes: I will give my students a number and my students will write on whiteboards a larger
number.

The next 10 minutes: I will give my students a number and my students will write on whiteboards a smaller
number.

The last 10 minutes: I will hand out a worksheet of five questions with number combinations. My students will
then answer which number is greater by circling it.

Day 4:

The first 20 minutes: I will have my students do a kahoot where they answer if the equation shows a greater
than or less than situation.

The last 10 minutes: I will focus on the equal to symbol. I will have my students do a kahoot answering if a set
of numbers are equal or not.

Day 5:

The first 20 minutes: I will provide a worksheet of 5 questions connecting the two numbers and the sign. The
students will fill out the worksheet with the correct sign to the set of numbers.
The last 10 minutes: I will dedicate this time to student who need more help to come to me in groups so I can
better help them understand the subject. The students who don’t need help will be given an extra worksheet
with more complex equations.

Day 6: Post-assessment

The first 10 minutes: I will read aloud each question on the front of the worksheet while projecting it on the
smartboard. The students will circle the greatest number for each question, there will be 5 questions.

The next 6 minutes: The students will compete the matching portion of the quiz. I will instruct that the <
should be connected to the correct term using a blue colored pencil etc.

The next 12 minutes: The students will complete the last 5 questions of the back of the worksheet. For eac
equation the students will put the right symbol. I will be projecting the equations on the smartboard and
reading them aloud.

The last 2 minutes: I will collect the quizzes.

Pre-Assessment:
My pre-assessment will be a series of five question, each question will contain 2 set of numbers. I will be
projecting each question on my smart board and instructing my students to circle which number is bigger.
Then I will have them flip their papers to a matching question on the back of the worksheet. The matching
question will consist of the three symbols <, >, and = along with their meanings, greater than, less than, and
equal to. They will match the symbol to the meaning by connecting them with a colored line. Then on the
bottom of the worksheet will be a single question of two numbers asking them to demonstrate which number is
greater using one of the symbols.

Scoring Guidelines:
I plan on grading the pre-assignment myself. I will only use my judgement to determine how well each
student has done. I will document each students score and write notes on certain matters that the
students mostly struggled on.
I will observe how my students work throughout the lesson to understand who needs more attention
and who need more challenging work.

Post-Assessment:
My post-assessment will be a similar set up to my pre-assessment but with different sets of numbers and more
equations where they must put the symbol with the set of numbers. I will have a quiz with 5 questions on the
front where they will circle the larger number. On the back of the worksheet, they will complete a matching
equation, matching the symbols to their meanings and finally answering 5 sets of equations that are two
numbers and the student will have to put the correct symbol for that equation.

Scoring Guidelines:
I will be scoring the quiz out of 13 points, 1 point for each question, but the matching will be 3 points,
1 point for each symbol.

Differentiated Instructional Support

Describe how instruction can be differentiated (changed or altered) to meet the needs of gifted or accelerated
students: When I have students who are excelling in this lesson, I will give them more complex sets of
numbers.

Discuss additional activities you could do to meet the needs of students who might be struggling with the
material: When I have a student struggling with understanding the greater than and less than equations, I will
give them simpler numbers to assess. I will also instruct them to draw teeth to help them understand that the
mouth is eating the larger number.

Extension
https://www.education.com/game/less-than-greater-than/
This website is an education website for students to come play games and practice the subject matter they are
learning. Students could benefit from it because they are doing a fun and interactive activity that explains the
subject on their level.

Homework Options and Home Connections

I will give several websites for my students to explore encouraging at least 10 minutes each evening. I will
provide rewards on Fridays for the completion of the homework.

Interdisciplinary Connections
Writing - When using the greater than, equal to, or less than sign you can also use words to distinguish the
bigger number. They are connecting symbols to words.
Science- Students can learn than some animals like to eat bigger prey over smaller prey.
Materials and Resources:

For teachers Smartboard and computer

For students Computer, iPad, worksheets, pencil and colored pencils

Key Vocabulary
Greater than, Less than, Equal to

Additional Notes