Cookie Share

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Materials PDF

• 3 Character Props (PDF)
• 6 Paper Cookies (PDF)
• Cardstock or plain paper
• 3 craft sticks
• Scissors
• Tape
• Optional: Let’s Share (PDF)

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Preparation

1. If using the character props, print them (on cardstock if possible) and cut them out. Attach each character to a craft stick with tape.
2. Print the Paper Cookies template (on cardstock if possible) but only cut out 6 paper cookies. Laminate if desired.
3. Optional: For the extension activity, print out the two-page “Let’s Share” handout and 8 cookies for each pair of children.

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1. Tell the children, Today you will solve a problem about sharing equally. Give several examples of equal sharing, using your students’ names. For instance: Sharif has 2 balloons, and he gives 1 to Tracy and keeps 1 for himself. They shared the balloons equally, 1 for each of them. Jillian has 4 pieces of candy; she gives 2 to Grace and keeps 2 for herself. They shared the candy equally, 2 for each of them.
2. Ask the children for examples of equal sharing. Rephrase their ideas, reinforcing vocabulary like same amount or equal.
3. Hold up the Gracie and Leo character props and say, It’s snack time. Gracie and Leo bought some cookies at the store. We’re going to share the cookies equally between Gracie and Leo. First, let’s count how many cookies Gracie and Leo have to share. Hold up the 6 cookies and encourage the children to count along with you.
4. Ask, If we want to share the cookies equally, how many cookies does each of them get? Call on individual children for responses and use the paper cookies to show the distribution of cookies. Be sure to ask the children how they knew the answer and then rephrase the response, using explanatory math language such as, So, Leo has 3 cookies and Gracie has 3 cookies. They have the same number of cookies. They shared the cookies equally.
5. Just then Junebug walks by. They need to share 6 cookies between 3 friends now. If they want to share the cookies equally, how many cookies does each of them get? Ask the children how they knew the answer and then rephrase the response, using explanatory math language such as, So, Leo has 2 cookies, Gracie has 2 cookies, and Junebug has 2 cookies. They have the same number of cookies. They shared the cookies equally.
6. You may also want the children to work in pairs on a new challenge.
   • Provide each pair with the Let’s Share handout and 8 cookies. Have the children count the number of cookies. Then ask them to work together to figure out how to share the 8 cookies equally between the 2 characters, Gracie and Leo. The children may use the cookies to solve the problem. Have the children draw the correct number of cookies, or place the paper cookies near each character.
   • Repeat with the second sheet, sharing between 4 characters: Leo, Gracie, Felix, and Junebug.
   • Alternative strategy: Have the children draw 8 cookies on the sheet and draw lines to the characters to whom each cookie will be given.

Note: If some children do not seem to understand equal sharing, provide additional support by using different vocabulary to discuss what it means to share something equally (share it fairly, make sure everyone has the same amount), or repeat the activity with them in a small group.