Kindergarten Spring Math — Compose/Decompose to 10, Addition & Subtraction within 10, Teen Numbers as Ten-and-Ones, Measurement, and Classification

Lesson 16 25 min math.gK.s.lesson_16

Numbers Around the World — Maya Bar-and-Dot System

Skills targeted

Objectives

Students can identify Maya bar-and-dot representations for numbers 1-10.
Students can compare Maya representations with ten-frame and number-bond representations of the same number.
Students articulate that mathematicians around the world have used different visual systems for the same numbers.

Vocabulary

Mayabardotnumber systemrepresentation

Lesson plan

Warm-up

5 min

Show a world map and point to Mexico/Central America. 'Long, long ago (1500 years ago), people called the Maya lived here. They were great mathematicians. They wrote numbers with BARS and DOTS — different from us. Today we explore their system.'

Teacher moves

Show MG visual of Maya numerals 1-10
Affirm: 'Different cultures = different ways to write numbers. ALL are math.'

Media


        M-K-S-PS-16-B

Map

Simplified world map with North/South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia visible. A pink shaded region covering southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, parts of Honduras and El Salvador is labeled 'MAYA REGION (c. 250-900 CE).' A small Maya glyph icon (a circle with a face design) marks the region. Style: educational map, clear country outlines, child-friendly.

Direct instruction

8 min

Look at the Maya system: a DOT is worth 1. A BAR is worth 5. So 7 in Maya looks like one bar (worth 5) with two dots above it (each worth 1) — that's 5 + 2 = 7. Watch: I draw 6 in Maya — one bar with one dot. 5 + 1 = 6. I draw 10 in Maya — two bars. 5 + 5 = 10. Now compare to OUR ten-frame. 7 in a ten-frame is a top row of 5 and 2 more — same DECOMPOSITION as the Maya bar-and-dot. SAME IDEA, different drawing. Mathematicians around the world all use FIVES and ONES as building blocks.

Key examples

Three dots = 3.

model Three dots in a row — no bars.

prompt Maya 3
Eight is 5 + 3 in BOTH Maya and our ten-frame.

model One bar + three dots above. 5 + 3 = 8.

prompt Maya 8
Same number — two ways to draw.

model Maya: 1 bar + 2 dots. Ten-frame: top row of 5 + 2 more in bottom row. Both = 7.

prompt Compare Maya 7 with ten-frame 7

Checks for understanding

What does a bar mean in Maya numbers? (5.) What does a dot mean? (1.)
Show me Maya 9. (1 bar + 4 dots.)

Media


        M-K-S-PS-16-A

Chart

Large 18x12 inch chart. Ten rows, each showing: (left) standard numeral 1-10 in 36-pt, (middle) Maya equivalent in bars and dots (1=1 dot; 2=2 dots; 3=3 dots; 4=4 dots; 5=1 bar; 6=1 bar+1 dot; 7=1 bar+2 dots; 8=1 bar+3 dots; 9=1 bar+4 dots; 10=2 bars), (right) ten-frame equivalent of the same number. Each row in a different pastel background color. Style: clean grid, educational.


        M-K-S-PS-16-C

Illustration

Two-panel comparison diagram. Left panel: Maya 8 drawn as a horizontal bar (5) with three dots above it (3). Right panel: a ten-frame with the top row of 5 cells filled blue and 3 cells of the bottom row filled red. Center: large equals sign and the numeral '8'. Caption: 'Both ways show 8 = 5 + 3.' Style: clean, color-coded (bars/dots red and blue; ten-frame blue and red).

Guided practice

8 min

Tasks

Maya-Decoder station: children receive cards showing Maya numerals 1-10 in random order. Match each Maya numeral to our standard numeral.

scaffold Pre-printed reference chart available.
Maya-Encoder: children write a target number (3, 6, 8) in Maya bars and dots on a small whiteboard.

scaffold Bars and dots can be drawn freely; precision not graded — concept comprehension is the focus.

Formative assessment

2 min

Exit ticket

Draw 7 in Maya (1 bar + 2 dots).
What's the Maya bar worth? What's the Maya dot worth?

scoring Both correct = mastery; one correct = practicing; neither = reteach

Closure

Moves

Math Detective close: 'Math is for EVERYONE — in every culture. Tomorrow we COMPOSE shapes from parts!'

Homework

5 min

Tasks

With a grown-up, write your own age in Maya numbers (e.g., 5 = one bar; 6 = bar + dot). Bring drawing to school.

Exercises in this lesson

math.gK.s.ex_40 This Maya number shows one bar and two dots. What is it in our numbers?	maya to standard · diff 3
math.gK.s.ex_41 Draw 8 in Maya numerals (bars and dots).	draw maya · diff 3

Differentiation

Scaffolds

Pre-printed Maya numeral reference chart at each desk
Color-coded bars (red) and dots (blue) for easy distinction
Sentence-frame card

Extensions

Write Maya 13 — one bar + three dots above + a dot 'on the second level' (Maya uses base-20; level 2 has values of 20). Just show conceptually.
Compare Maya to Roman numerals (V = 5; matches the Maya bar).

English Learners

Picture-supported Maya numeral chart
Bilingual cultural note (cultura maya — Maya culture)
Audio narration of cultural context

Ieps 504s

Reduced range (1-5 only)
Concrete-only response (draw bars and dots; no encoding required)
Visual reference always available

Teacher notes

Today is the culturally-responsive math moment of the unit. The Maya bar-and-dot system illustrates that the 'five and some more' decomposition is universal — children see their own ten-frame thinking mirrored in an Indigenous American mathematical tradition. The Closs/Schele reference in culturally_responsive_sources is the teacher reference. Keep the lesson focused on numbers 1-10 (the Maya system extends to 19 with the same pattern, and uses base-20 for larger numbers — DO NOT introduce base-20 at K; just say 'Maya math has BIG ideas — we'll learn more in later grades'). The cultural acknowledgment is the point: math is HUMAN, practiced everywhere.