Objectives

• Students will use one-to-one correspondence to count objects.
• Students will match numerals to the correct number of objects.

• The Luckiest St. Patrick’s Day Ever by Teddy Slater, That’s What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting, or another storybook about leprechauns
• Leprechaun cards reproducible
• Number cards reproducible
• Clover cards reproducible
• Scissors
• Crayons or markers (optional)

1. Print the leprechaun cards reproducible and cut out the cards. (If desired, color the leprechauns and laminate the cards so you can use them again in the future.) Before class, photocopy 12 leprechaun cards and hide them around your classroom so they are relatively easy for your students to find.
2. Print the number cards reproducible and clover cards reproducible. You will need one copy of each reproducible for each pair of students in your class. Print an additional copy of the number cards for your lesson. Cut out the cards in advance, or ask a parent volunteer to cut them out.

1. Ask students to help you find the 12 leprechauns that are hiding around the classroom. Show an example of what to look for.
2. Have students bring the leprechauns to the front of the room as they find them. (Depending on your class size, you may want to limit each student to finding only one leprechaun.)
3. When all the leprechauns have been found, invite students to help you count them aloud.
4. Tell students, “Now let’s use the leprechauns to practice counting!” Hold up a number card and have students say the number aloud with you.
5. Count out that many leprechauns. Have students count aloud with you.
6. Repeat this activity until students have had plenty of practice identifying numerals and counting out that many leprechauns.

1. Divide students into pairs. Give each pair a set of 12 number cards and 12 clover cards. Tell students that they will use the cards to play a memory game.
2. Have students mix up each set of cards and place them facedown—the number cards grouped on one side and the clover cards grouped on the other.
3. Prompt students to take turns choosing one number card and one clover card. If the numeral corresponds to the number of clovers, the player gets to keep the cards. If not, the player turns both cards back over and it’s the next player’s turn.
4. The game continues until all 12 matches have been found.