What happened before the lesson?

Where did the idea come from?
A book on multicultural games. The Snake Game is an adaptation of a game played with seed pods and seeds.  

What had the children learned BEFORE this lesson? 
Children had been introduced to the concept of ZERO. They also knew how to count 1 to 15 and use one-to-one correspondence to count spaces on a game board.

What did you plan to do AFTER this lesson?
They played this game many more times to reinforce the concept of zero as well as practice counting. 

What's happening during the lesson?

Objective: Children will play the Snake Game and demonstrate their ability to count spaces, guess number quantities, and follow the rules for the game.

Introduction:
I introduced the Snake Game board, counters, and the player’s movers.

Procedure:

1. I explained and modeled the rules.
2. Goal: To be the first mover to travel from the tail of the snake to the head.
3. How to Move: The first player takes three counters and puts 0, 1, 2, or 3 in one hand and the rest in the other hand.  S/he then puts one hand behind his/her back and the other player must guess how many counters are in the hand in front. If s/he guesses correctly, s/he gets to move that number of spaces. If s/he guesses incorrectly, the first player gets to move that number of spaces. 
4. Play continues with the second player taking the three counters and going through the same procedure. 
5. After several turns have been modeled, children play the game as partners. 
   

What will I do after the lesson?

What would you do differently if you taught it again?
This is a game that should be introduced in small groups. Because I had center teachers available who could work with small groups, I taught it first to the whole group and then the teachers played with small groups of children. More typically, I would introduce it to a small group of children and then play it several times while I supported them. Later, they select this game and play it independent of a teacher. 

How would you describe the teaching that occurred using the words on the Continuum of Teaching Behaviors?
Generally, the teachers SCAFFOLDED the children’s behavior during this game.