Sam has 4 apples. He says '1, 2, 3, 4, 5' while pointing at the apples and then says he has 5 apples. What did Sam do wrong?
AHe should have started counting at 0 instead of 1
BHe said more number words than there were apples — he didn't match one number word to each apple
CHe counted in the wrong order
DHe should have skipped some numbers to make it come out right
Sam said 5 number words but only had 4 apples. Counting requires one-to-one correspondence — exactly one number word per object, no more and no less. He should have stopped at '4' when he ran out of apples. Saying extra number words gives a total that is too high.
Question 2 Multiple Choice
Maya counts three dots by pointing to each one: '1, 2, 3.' Her teacher asks 'How many dots are there?' What should Maya say?
AShe needs to count them again to be sure
B4, because the next number after 3 is 4
C3, because that was the last number she said
DShe doesn't know yet because she just finished counting
The last number you say when counting a group tells you the total — this is called the cardinal principle. Maya said '3' last, so there are 3 dots. She does not need to count again; the answer to 'how many?' is always the last number reached in the count.
Question 3 True / False
The number sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 is always in the same order, no matter what you are counting.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
The counting sequence is fixed and never changes based on what you count. Whether you count apples, fingers, or toys, you always say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in that order. Learning the sequence is like learning the alphabet — the order is always the same, and you use it every time you count.
Question 4 True / False
If you count 5 blocks and get 5, you should count them again starting from the other end to double-check your answer.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
Once you have counted a group correctly — touching each object once and saying one number word per object — the last number IS the answer. Five blocks counted correctly from left to right will still be 5 counted from right to left. The total does not change based on which direction you start. Re-counting is only needed if you think you made a mistake in matching.
Question 5 Short Answer
Why do you have to touch or point to each object as you say each number word when you count?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Each object needs to match exactly one number word. Touching each object helps you track which ones you have already counted so you don't skip any (which gives too low a count) or count the same one twice (which gives too high a count).
This is called one-to-one correspondence — the foundational rule of counting. Without it, you might say '3' while pointing to your 4th object, or touch the same block twice. Matching one number word to one object — and moving to the next number only when you move to the next object — is what makes the final count accurate.