1st Grade · Math · 2.OA.C.3

Odd And Even Numbers Lesson Plan for 1st Grade

A ready-to-teach odd and even numbers lesson for 1st Grade. Everything below is classroom-tested structure: an objective, a 45-minute sequence, a way to check who got it, and 5 printable practice pages.

Approximately 45 minutes

Learning objective

Identify even numbers by pairing objects with none left over
Recognize even numbers in a sequence up to 20
Sort a list of numbers into even and odd categories

Materials

Even or Odd - Ladybug
Make Pairs of Objects (odd or even) - Beetle
Make Pairs of Objects (odd or even) - Happy Bee
Make Pairs of Objects (odd or even) - Leaves
Make Pairs of Objects (odd or even) - Soccer
Pencils, and whiteboard space for the modeled examples

Lesson steps

1. Warm up together (5 min)
Open with a quick count-around or number talk that touches odd and even numbers. Ask students where they have seen odd and even numbers outside of math class. You are listening for who already has the vocabulary and who does not, so keep it light and let several students answer.
2. Model it (I do) (10 min)
Work two examples of odd and even numbers on the board, thinking out loud the whole way. Say the quiet parts: what you notice first, which step you do next, and why. Deliberately make one small error on the second example and let the class catch it.
3. Practice together (we do) (10 min)
Work three more problems as a class. Ask a different student to supply each step rather than the whole answer. If a step stalls, drop back to concrete objects or a drawing before moving on.
4. Independent practice (you do) (15 min)
Hand out "Even or Odd - Ladybug". Students work independently while you circulate. Note who is fluent, who is counting on fingers, and who has not started, because that grouping drives tomorrow's small group.
5. Close the loop (5 min)
Pull the class back. Ask one student to explain a problem they got right and one to name something that is still confusing. End on the confusion, not the success, so students learn that naming a gap is normal.

Check for understanding

Collect the practice pages and sort them into three piles: fluent, developing, and not yet. Any student in the third pile needs odd and even numbers retaught in a small group before the class moves on.

Differentiation

Extra support. Students who stall: pull them into a small group and rebuild odd and even numbers with concrete materials or a simpler text before asking for the written work again. Do not send the page home as homework, it will just rehearse the misunderstanding.

Extension. Students who finish early: ask them to write their own odd and even numbers problem for a partner to solve, then check the partner's work. Creating a problem is harder than solving one and it surfaces whether they really understand odd and even numbers.

Skills covered in this lesson

Even numbers

Questions teachers ask about teaching odd and even numbers

When do first graders learn about odd and even numbers?

Odd and even numbers are typically introduced in first grade as students develop number sense (CCSS 2.OA.C.3 formally introduces this concept in second grade, but many curricula preview it in first grade). Students learn that even numbers can be arranged in pairs with none left over, while odd numbers always have one left over.

How do you teach odd and even numbers to first graders?

Use physical pairing: give a student 6 cubes and ask them to make pairs. If every cube has a partner, the number is even. Try 7 cubes - one is left without a partner, so 7 is odd. Worksheets with counting objects that students circle in pairs make the concept concrete before introducing the even/odd rule about the ones digit.

Is there an easy rule for odd and even numbers?

Any whole number ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 is even; any number ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9 is odd. Once first graders learn to identify the ones digit, they can quickly classify any number. Worksheets that list numbers and ask students to circle even or odd reinforce this rule through repetition.