AC9MFN06_E1
Use materials and role-play to represent equal sharing, such as sharing fruit between people or dealing the same number of cards to each player.
About This Foundation Maths Topic
Equal sharing and grouping introduce children to the early foundations of division. Students learn that a collection can be shared between people or organised into groups so that each person or group receives the same number of items.
In this chapter, students use fruit, cards, counters, beads, coins and other practical materials to represent equal-sharing situations. They use counting and subitising to check that each group contains the same quantity.
Students also explore sharing through role-play, classroom games and culturally appropriate First Nations Australian examples. The chapter includes revision tests covering key Foundation number concepts and a complete answer sheet.
These activities support the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 content descriptor AC9MFN06 and its associated elaborations.
Australian Curriculum Alignment
AC9MFN06
Represent practical situations that involve equal sharing and grouping with physical and virtual materials, and use counting or subitising strategies.
AC9MFN06_E2
Represent situations involving collections such as beads or one-dollar coins and share them equally between people using counting or subitising.
AC9MFN06_E3
Explore First Nations Australian games involving equal sharing, including age-appropriate examples such as Yangamini of the Tiwi Peoples of Bathurst Island.
Learning Intentions
Students will learn to:
- share a collection equally between two or more people;
- organise objects into equal groups;
- use one-to-one dealing to distribute objects fairly;
- count the number of objects in each group;
- subitise familiar small quantities;
- check whether groups contain the same number;
- recognise when a collection cannot be shared equally;
- represent sharing situations using objects, pictures and role-play;
- explain how they know a collection has been shared equally.
Student Success Criteria
I can share objects one at a time.
I can make equal groups.
I can count how many objects are in each group.
I can check that every group has the same number.
I can tell when a share is fair or unfair.
I can use objects to represent a sharing story.
I can explain how I know the groups are equal.
Key Vocabulary
share
sharing
equal
equal groups
group
same
fair
each
altogether
collection
deal
count
subitise
left over
Teacher Guide
Recommended Materials
- counters, buttons, blocks or bottle caps;
- toy fruit, grapes or play food;
- playing cards or picture cards;
- beads, pegs or connecting cubes;
- play one-dollar coins;
- small plates, bowls, hoops or sorting trays;
- toy people or animal figures;
- ten frames and five frames;
- dice and dominoes;
- safe natural materials for grouping activities.
Suggested Teaching Sequence
- Begin with small collections and two people or groups.
- Model sharing one object at a time to each person.
- Count the objects in each group and compare the totals.
- Introduce the words equal, same and fair share.
- Increase the number of objects and the number of groups.
- Explore situations where objects are left over.
- Use cards, coins, beads and classroom objects in practical role-play situations.
- Ask students to draw or record the groups they created.
- Encourage students to explain how they checked that the groups were equal.
Teacher Questions
- How many objects are there altogether?
- How many people or groups are sharing?
- How can we share the objects fairly?
- How many objects does each person receive?
- Does every group have the same number?
- How can you check that the sharing is equal?
- Are there any objects left over?
- Can you make the groups another way?
- Can you draw the equal groups?
- How do you know the share is fair?
Common Misconceptions
Giving several objects to one group before moving to the next
Encourage students to deal one object at a time to each person or group.
Assuming groups are equal because they look similar
Ask students to count each group or match the objects one-to-one.
Ignoring leftover objects
Keep leftover objects visible and discuss whether the collection can be shared equally.
Confusing the number of groups with the number in each group
Use clear language such as: “There are 3 groups, and each group has 2 objects.”
Foundation Equal Sharing and Grouping Activities
Activity 1: Share the Fruit
Give students a collection of toy fruit or counters and several toy people. Ask students to share the items one at a time so that everyone receives the same number.
Curriculum connection: AC9MFN06_E1
Activity 2: Deal the Cards
Deal cards one at a time between two, three or four players. Students count each hand to check that every player has the same number of cards.
Curriculum connection: AC9MFN06_E1
Activity 3: Fair or Unfair?
Prepare several examples of shared collections. Some should be equal and some unequal.
Students identify whether each share is fair and explain how they checked.
Curriculum connection: AC9MFN06_E1
Activity 4: Share the Beads
Give students nine beads and three bowls. Students share the beads equally and determine how many beads belong in each bowl.
Curriculum connection: AC9MFN06_E2
Activity 5: Share the Coins
Provide six play one-dollar coins and three toy people. Students share the coins equally and count how many dollars each person receives.
Curriculum connection: AC9MFN06_E2
Activity 6: Make Equal Groups
Give students a collection of counters and ask them to organise the counters into equal groups.
Ask students to describe the number of groups and the number of counters in each group.
Curriculum connection: AC9MFN06_E2
Activity 7: What Is Left Over?
Give students a collection that cannot be shared equally, such as seven counters shared between three people.
Discuss the equal share and the number of objects left over.
Curriculum connection: AC9MFN06_E2
Activity 8: First Nations Sharing Games
Explore an age-appropriate and culturally respectful First Nations Australian sharing game using a suitable published or community-approved resource.
Students discuss how equal sharing, counting and grouping are used within the game.
Curriculum connection: AC9MFN06_E3
Activity 9: Yangamini Sharing Investigation
Use an authoritative classroom resource describing Yangamini of the Tiwi Peoples of Bathurst Island. Students investigate how sharing and grouping are involved.
First Nations Australian games and knowledge should be taught respectfully and with appropriate cultural context.
Curriculum connection: AC9MFN06_E3
Differentiation
Support
- begin with two groups and collections up to six;
- use large objects that are easy to move;
- provide plates, hoops or bowls to define each group;
- model one-to-one dealing slowly;
- allow students to count each group several times;
- use sentence starters and adult scribing.
Extension
- share larger collections;
- increase the number of groups;
- compare different ways of grouping the same collection;
- include situations with leftover objects;
- ask students to create their own sharing problem;
- record the number of groups and the amount in each group;
- ask students to explain two different checking strategies.
Mathematical Sentence Starters
There are _____ objects altogether.
We shared the objects between _____ people.
Each person received _____ objects.
There are _____ equal groups.
Each group has _____ objects.
The groups are equal because _____.
The share is unfair because _____.
There are _____ objects left over.
I checked my answer by _____.
Assessment Ideas
Observe whether the student can:
- share objects one at a time;
- create equal groups;
- count the number of objects in each group;
- check whether every group contains the same number;
- identify an unfair share;
- recognise leftover objects;
- represent a sharing situation using materials or pictures;
- explain how they know the sharing is equal.
Quick Exit Ticket
- Share six counters between two people.
- Count how many counters each person receives.
- Draw the two equal groups.
- Explain how you know the sharing is fair.
Printable Teacher and Student Resources
Use the buttons below to open the AC9MFN06 worksheets and classroom activities in a new browser tab.
Resources open in a new tab. Browser PDF settings may affect how the file is displayed.
Foundation Maths Revision Tests and Answer Sheet
This chapter also includes six revision tests covering Foundation number skills from Chapters 1 to 6. The tests can be used as exit tickets, end-of-unit reviews, homework, assessment practice or quick checks for understanding.
An answer sheet is included for the complete set of 30 revision questions.
Revision-Test 1
Revision-Test 2
Revision-Test 3
Revision-Test 4
Revision-Test 5
Revision-Test 6
Answer Sheet
Revision Test Coverage
- Revision-Test 1: number recognition, representation and counting;
- Revision-Test 2: one more, one less and number order;
- Revision-Test 3: part-part-whole, addition and taking away;
- Revision-Test 4: position, counting and comparing collections;
- Revision-Test 5: equal sharing, grouping and simple money;
- Revision-Test 6: subitising and counting collections to 20.
Home Learning Ideas
Families can practise equal sharing using familiar household objects such as grapes, crackers, socks, pegs, toys, spoons, buttons or blocks.
Ask the child to share a collection between two or more people and check that everyone receives the same amount.
Useful questions include:
- How many objects are there altogether?
- How many people are sharing?
- How many will each person receive?
- Does everyone have the same number?
- Is the sharing fair?
- Are there any left over?
- How did you check your answer?