Duck Stuck in the Muck

The Book

One Duck Stuck

Written by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Jane Chapman, published by CWP

This picture book invites children to count along as various animals come to help a duck who’s stuck in the muck. The repetitive, rhyming text supports early literacy development by exposing children to rhymes and predictable sentence patterns (AC9EFLE04 – Foundation Year, English).

At the same time, the book reinforces key mathematical concepts by encouraging children to recognise numerals, match quantities, and practise sequencing numbers up to ten (AC9MFN01 – Foundation Year, Mathematics). With its engaging rhythm, vibrant illustrations, and opportunities for counting and number sequence, One Duck Stuck is an excellent resource for developing both early language and numeracy skills in an enjoyable and memorable way.

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Resource creator

Lian Khanh

Subject

Mathematics (),

Level

Foundation,

Description

In this counting and sequencing lesson, students enjoy the rhythmic read-aloud of One Duck Stuck while practising counting, numeral recognition, and ordering numbers. Through engaging sequencing activities, they apply a range of numeracy skills to retell the events in the correct order.

Learning Intentions

• We are learning to count and order numbers from 1 to 10.

Successful Criteria

• I can count how many animals came to help the duck.
• I can match numbers to groups of animals.
• I can put numbers in the right order from 1 to 10.

Curriculum Alignment

AC9MFN01 9.0 (Mathematics Foundation): Name, represent and order numbers including zero to at least 20, using physical and virtual materials and numerals

• responding to a request to collect a quantity of objects or reading a numeral and selecting the associated quantity of items from a collection to match the number required; for example, collecting 9 paint brushes after hearing the word ‘nine’
• recognising the order in the sequence of numbers to (20) and identifying the number that is “one less” than a given number and the number that is “one more”; for example, playing instructive card games that involve reading and ordering number cards; using counting songs, story books and rhymes to establish the forwards and backwards counting sequence of numbers in the context of active counting activities
• understanding and using terms such as “first”, “second”, “third”, … “fifth”… to indicate ordinal position in a sequence; for example, creating a number track using cards with the numerals zero to (20) and describing positions using terms such as first, last, before, after, between
• recognising, writing and reading numerals written on familiar objects; for example, in images, text or illustrations in story books; writing a numeral on a container as a label to show how many objects it contains
• connecting quantities to number names and numerals when reading and reciting stories and playing counting games or determining and reasoning about the size of sets of objects within First Nation Australians’ instructive games; for example, Segur etug from Mer Island in the Torres Strait region

Materials

One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root
Flashcards (with numerals and corresponding groups of animals)

Instructions

Read Aloud – One Duck Stuck

Read the story aloud with expression, pausing after each new group of animals appears. Ask:
“How many animals came to help the duck?”
Encourage students to count aloud together.

Matching the Animals

After reading, display the flashcards (with numerals and groups of animals) in random order on the board or floor.
Pose the big question: “Who came and helped the duck first, second, third…?”
Students use numeracy skills, such as numeral reading, counting, or subitising, to place the flashcards in story order (e.g., 2 fish, 3 moose).
You can also emphasise the sequence of events using the number line.

Ordering Numbers and Matching Animals

Mix up the flashcards and invite students to reorder them from 1 to 10 using their numeracy skills.
Reinforce ordinal language: first, next, then, last if possible.

Extensions

Allow children to retell the story after ordering the events. Encourage them to use ordinal language. For example, first, the fish came to help the duck. Second, the moose came to help the duck….
Provide students with animal counters. Call out instructions such as: “Find 6 dinosaurs!” or “Show me 4 crocodiles!” Students count and collect the correct number of animals, then place them in a line or group.

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