Instructor: Ivy Corron

Lesson Title: Adding Zero

Curriculum Area: Math
Grade Level/Cooperating Teacher: 1
st
/Mickens
Estimated Time: 30 minutes

Standards Connection: CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.OA.B.3
Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract. Examples: If 8 + 3 = 11 is known, then 3
+ 8 = 11 is also known. (Commutative property of addition.) To add 2 + 6 + 4, the second two numbers
can be added to make a ten, so 2 + 6 + 4 = 2 + 10 = 12. (Associative property of addition.)

Learning Objective: Given a set of problems involving adding zero to a one-digit addend, the student will
solve with 75% accuracy.

Learning Objective stated in kid-friendly language: You will learn to add zero to a number.

Evaluation of Learning Objective: The student will complete a worksheet similar to problems in their
math workbook. Each problem will have two boxes with a number of dots (or zero dots) inside. The
student will write the number for each box, combine them into an addition sentence, and solve. Solving
3 of 4 equations correctly, with a correct number sentence for each, will be considered objective
mastery.

Engagement: Good morning, boys and girls! Today, were going to talk about what zero is and what
happens when we add zero. You will learn to add zero to a number. Lets watch a short video called
Zero the Hero. You are watching to remind yourself what zero means. Show video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5fuikg6IO4 How the Zero help the boy? Take responses: he helped
him clean his room, he made there be zero toys on the floor, etc. Thats right - he cleaned the boys room
so there were zero toys. What does it mean when there is zero of something? Take responses: nothing,
there arent any toys, etc. Correct! Zero means none of something, or that there is nothing.

Learning Design:
I. Teaching (modeling, guided practice)
a. Take out your Go Math book and open to page 29. Students open books. We can see our
essential question at the top of the page, which says, What happens when you add 0 to
a number? Thats what we will be learning today.
b. Under Listen and Draw, we see it says use circles to model the problem. That means
we will draw circles to solve. Listen carefully as I read our first problem. Scott has 4
marbles. Jennifer has no marbles. How many marbles do they have? Its asking how
many marbles they have, so we want to know how many marbles Scott and Jennifer
have if you add them together.
c. Look at the red box. It has a blue line down the middle. On the left side of the blue line,
draw how many marbles Scott has. How many marbles does he have? Class responds,
four. Yes, he has four. Draw them now. Class draws marbles.
d. Now, on the right side of the blue line, were going to draw how many marbles Jennifer
has. How many did she have? Class responds, none. Exactly she didnt have any! So,
what will we draw? Class responds, nothing. Thats right. What do we call it when we
have none of something? Class responds, zero. Yes, so Jennifer has zero marbles. So,
how many marbles do Scott and Jennifer have together? Class answers, four. Thats
right.
e. Lets write a number sentence to show the problem we just solved. We added four to
zero and got four. So, we will write 4 + 0 = 4. Write that above the red box. Class writes
number sentence. Good job! Lets try some more problems. Turn to page 30. Students
turn page.
II. Opportunity for Practice
a. Heres another way of looking at adding zero problems. At the top of the page, it asks,
What happens when zero is added to a number? We are learning that zero plus a
number is that number, because if you add zero, you really arent adding anything at all.
Look at the first set of boxes. On one side, we see five dots. Under the box we see the
number 5. Trace over the number 5. Students trace. On the other side, we see an empty
box, or zero dots. Under the box, they wrote the number zero. Trace over the number
zero. Students trace. Then they added them together and got 5. Trace the second 5.
Students trace. For each problem on this page, you will do the same thing: write the
number of dots in each box and add them together.
b. Look at the second set of boxes with green dots in it. How many dots are in the first
box? Students respond, zero. Trace the zero. Students trace. How many dots are in the
second box? Students respond, three. Trace the three. How many are there in all?
Students respond, three. Trace the three. Students trace.
c. Look at number one. How many dots are in the first box? Students respond, one. Good!
Write 1 in the blank below that box. Students write 1. How many dots are in the second
box? Students respond, zero. Right. Write 0 in the blank below that box. Students write
0. How many dots are there in all? Students respond, one. Thats correct. Students write
1. Read the number sentence. Students read, 1 plus 0 equals 1. Good! Repeat
procedure for problem 2, 0 + 2 = 2.
d. Look at number 3. How many dots are in the first box? Students respond, zero. Good!
Write 0 in the blank below that box. Students write 0. How many dots are in the second
box? Students respond, four. Right. Write 4 in the blank below that box. Students write
4. Alright, now were going to do something a little different. Do not say your answer
out loud; keep it in your head. Think silently about the answer to your number sentence.
When you know the answer, raise your hand. Allow time for solving. Take a response.
Okay, does anyone have a different answer? Its okay if you do. Take any alternate
answers and discuss. The correct answer to 0 plus 4 is zero. Repeat procedure for
problem 4, 6 + 0 = 6.
III. Assessment
a. I have a few more problems for us to try, so we can make sure you know how to add
zero. Pass out assessment worksheet. Put your pencil on number 1. How many dots are
in the first box? Students respond, three. Good! Write 3 in the blank below that box.
Students write 3. How many dots are in the second box? Students respond, zero. Right.
Write 0 in the blank below that box. Students write 0. Just like we did before, do not say
your answer out loud; keep it in your head. Think silently about the answer to your
number sentence. When you know the answer, write it in the blank. Do not share with
your neighbor; I want to see what you can do. Allow time for solving. Repeat procedure
for problems 2, 3, and 4. Now, you will turn this paper in to me. First section, put your
paper on this table. Students turn papers in. Repeat for remaining groups.
IV. Closure
a. Lets think about a rule we can use for adding zero. I like to think about it like this: any
number plus zero is that number. What do you guys think? Does that make sense? Do
you have any other ways to think about adding zero? Take responses. Great job today!

Materials and Resources:
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5fuikg6IO4 Sesame Streets Zero the Hero
Go Math books
Assessment worksheet

Differentiation Strategies:
One student with ADHD: Frequently check to make sure this student is on task, providing
corrective feedback for his behavior as necessary. Allow him to perform active tasks, such as
passing out materials.
One student on IEP (hearing loss, low-level learner): Provide assistance with tasks such as
counting numbers of dots and writing numerals correctly. Closely monitor this students
progress throughout the lesson.

Data Analysis: Of 20 students, 15 scored 4 out of 4. 3 scored 3/4. 1 scored 2/4. Only one student of 20
did not meet the lesson objective.

Reflection: Overall, I felt this lesson went well. I had to do a different activity for the engagement
portion of the lesson due to issues with the Promethean board I taught the rhyme Five Little
Monkeys, introducing the concept of zero as the rhyme allowed. (Zero monkeys jumping on the bed)
The students enjoyed this and it was a good introduction to the topic.

The students easily understood the material and I was able to do some higher-level questioning at the
end. (What happens when we add zero to any number?) Only one student did not meet the objective,
and my classroom teacher verbally retaught the concept to that student later in the day. This lesson was
likely below the level of most students.

I feel my management was adequate but it could have been better. My tendency was to ask for students
to be absolutely quiet before giving directions, which was not completely effective but also not entirely
necessary. I have found that students respond better to task-oriented directions (turn to page 29, look
at problem 1, etc.) than to the teacher insisting on silence, so I will be less adamant about that point in
future. All in all, I feel this was a successful lesson.

Student work samples:



















Name: _______________________

Adding Zero






1. ___ + ___= ___ 2. ___ + ___= ___
3. ___ + ___= ___ 4. ___ + ___= ___