Representing Numbers and Making 10: Ten Frame Practice

One of the great parts of being back in Primary Land is teaching math. Hands-down this is one of my favorite subjects to teach. Of course, my 1st-grade friends think every subject is my favorite, but I have a special affinity for math. Everything is so hands-on and it’s so real-world. Especially in 1st grade, we love the concrete, the hands-on, the games – it’s wonderful!

This week, we have been working with numbers to 10 – subitizing, multiple representations, and later in the week making 10. 10 becomes such an important benchmark for students, especially as we head into addition and subtraction. Becoming fluent in 10 is a fantastic tool for mental math, and when students begin adding larger numbers (especially in other grades), having mastered 10 is critical! Therefore, we will spent a lot of time with 10, and we’ll spiral review with 10 through out centers each week.

Subitizing is a great skill for helping students ‘see’ numbers and recognizing them quickly. We have been playing a lot of “Flip, Write, Draw, and Make”. Students flip the dot pattern, write the number, draw the tally marks, and make the number with manipulatives (in this case unifix cubes).

We’ve been rolling dice to make numbers and then, showing them in then frames. For my below-level students, we’re working with 1 dice, my on-level students we’ve been using 2 dice, and above-level we’ve been using 3 dice.

Students then have the opportunity to ‘fill’ the 10-frame and select an answer. If a student knows the answer by sight (woohoo), he or she may just select the missing addend without filling the frame. Then, students check if their answer is correct (or are guided to a correct answer), and see a completed equation. Right now, we are NOT focusing on the equation – just the visual of the 10 Frame. Having the equation on the screen is a great side feature, though!