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Counting to 120: The Number Highway

Students count all the way to 120 and discover the patterns hidden in the number chart — how every row jumps by ten and every number is just one more than the last.

Grade 1Counting35 minutes1 class periodGradual ReleaseExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Count to 120.
  • ✓Start counting from any number.
  • ✓See patterns in the number chart.
  • ✓Read and write numbers to 120.
Essential Question

Numbers go on and on — but they follow a pattern. What happens to the numbers as you count all the way to 120?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Model · Interactive Tool

The 120 Chart

Project this and slide to count up. Watch the numbers light up in order and point out the patterns — each row goes up by ten!

🎯 Slide to count — all the way to 120!Try it
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Count to: 1

The Lesson · Gradual Release (I Do · We Do · You Do)

35 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Launch — How High?

5 min

How high do you think you can count?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Count together as a class.
  • Ask how high numbers go.
  • Set the goal: counting to 120.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Count out loud.
  • Wonder how high.
  • Predict the pattern.
2

I Do — Count the Chart

10 min

Teacher models.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Count up the 120 chart.
  • Point out each row +10.
  • Start from a middle number.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Count along.
  • See the +10 rows.
  • Count from the middle.
3

We Do — Count Together

10 min

Class drives the 120 Chart.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Slide to count up.
  • Find patterns (columns, rows).
  • Start from any number.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Count up.
  • Spot patterns.
  • Count on from a number.
4

You Do — On Your Own

10 min

Students count and write.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Have students fill missing numbers.
  • Count on from given numbers.
  • Write numbers to 120.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Fill the gaps.
  • Count on.
  • Write numbers.
5

Close — Close

5 min

Count on.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Start at a number; students count on.
  • Point out a pattern.
  • Hand out the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Count on.
  • Name a pattern.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, including the Standards for Mathematical Practice.

CCSS
1.NBT.1

Count to 120, starting at any number; read and write numerals.

CCSS
1.NBT.2

Understand that two-digit numbers represent tens and ones.

CCSS
1.NBT.5

Given a two-digit number, find 10 more or 10 less.

CCSS
K.CC.2

Count forward beginning from a given number.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Count aloud together, pointing.
  • Sentence frame: “After ___ comes ___.”
  • Use a number line to count.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Count to 30 first, then higher.
  • Point to each number.
  • Fill in one missing number.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Count by 10s to 120.
  • Find 10 more than a number.
  • Start counting from 87.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Math notebooks
  • 💻The 120 Chart
  • 🔢A number line
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

countto say numbers in ordernumbera symbol that tells how manycharta grid of numberspatternsomething that repeatsrownumbers going acrosscolumnnumbers going up and downcount onto keep counting from a numberten morethe number 10 bigger
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What number comes after 109?
110.
QUESTION 2
When you go down one row on the number chart, how much bigger is the number?
10 bigger.
QUESTION 3
Count on from 98: what are the next three numbers?
99, 100, 101.

Going deeper? Count by tens.

Have students color every tenth number on a 120 chart (10, 20, 30…) and count by tens all the way up. A printable 120 chart is in the Math library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Counting to 120Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Counting to 120Quiz
Score: 0
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Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Counting to 120Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: chart, column, count, count on, number, pattern, row, ten more
  1. a grid of numbers
  2. something that repeats
  3. numbers going up and down
  4. to say numbers in order
  5. a symbol that tells how many
  6. to keep counting from a number
  7. the number 10 bigger
  8. numbers going across

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What number comes after 109?
  2. When you go down one row on the number chart, how much bigger is the number?
  3. Count on from 98: what are the next three numbers?
Answer key — Part A: 1) chart · 2) pattern · 3) column · 4) count · 5) number · 6) count on · 7) ten more · 8) row
Part B: 1) 110. 2) 10 bigger. 3) 99, 100, 101.