Mathematics · Grade 1

Active learning ideas

Place Value: Tens and Ones

Active learning works for place value because students need to physically manipulate tens and ones to see how digit placement changes value. Concrete tools like blocks or straws help young learners move from counting by ones to grouping by tens, building a strong foundation for future math skills. Movement and collaboration during these activities keep engagement high and misunderstandings visible early.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• 1.NBT.B.2

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 25 min · Pairs

Block Build: Two-Digit Numbers

Pairs draw a card with a two-digit number from 11 to 29. They build it using base-ten blocks, count aloud the tens and ones, and write the number with its breakdown (e.g., 2 tens + 3 ones = 23). Partners verify each other's work before drawing a new card.

Explain how the position of a digit changes its value in a two-digit number.

Facilitation Tip

During Block Build, circulate to ensure pairs are counting tens rods and ones cubes separately before writing the number.

What to look for

Provide students with base-ten blocks. Ask them to build the number 34. On the back of the ticket, they should write how many tens and how many ones they used.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Small Groups

Trading Station: Ones for Tens

In small groups, students receive 15-25 unit cubes. They trade every ten cubes for a tens rod and record the total before and after trades. Groups compare final representations and discuss how trading keeps the value the same.

Construct a two-digit number using tens and ones blocks, then explain its value.

Facilitation Tip

At Trading Station, model the bundling process slowly and ask students to verbalize what they are doing as they trade.

What to look for

Show students two numbers, 25 and 52. Ask: 'What is the same about these numbers? What is different? How does the position of the '2' change its value in each number?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 20 min · Individual

Place Value Mats: Digit Swap

Individuals or pairs use mats divided into tens and ones columns. Place given digits on the mat, build with blocks, and swap digits to form a new number. Explain the value change in writing.

Differentiate between the value of the digit '2' in the number 23 and the number 32.

Facilitation Tip

For Place Value Mats, demonstrate how to place digits correctly on the mat before partners begin, emphasizing left-to-right reading.

What to look for

Hold up a card with a two-digit number, for example, 17. Ask students to show you with their fingers how many tens and how many ones are in the number. Then, ask them to build it with drawn tens rods and ones cubes on a whiteboard.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 35 min · Whole Class

Number Line Skip: Tens Count

Whole class lines up and uses blocks to mark tens on a large number line. Students add ones by stepping forward, then regroup by trading for tens. Discuss patterns observed.

Explain how the position of a digit changes its value in a two-digit number.

Facilitation Tip

On Number Line Skip, pause after each skip to have students whisper-count the value aloud with a partner.

What to look for

Provide students with base-ten blocks. Ask them to build the number 34. On the back of the ticket, they should write how many tens and how many ones they used.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach place value through repeated, scaffolded exposure with concrete materials before moving to representational or abstract work. Avoid rushing to symbols—instead, have students explain their groupings in their own words. Research shows that students who struggle benefit from verbalizing while manipulating objects, so pair discussions are essential. Use consistent language like 'tens rod' and 'ones cube' to avoid confusion with terms like 'sticks' or 'blocks'.

Students will correctly identify tens and ones in two-digit numbers and explain how digit position affects value. They will build numbers accurately using base-ten models and trade ones for tens with confidence. By the end of the activities, students will read and write two-digit numbers with precision and discuss their reasoning with peers.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Block Build, watch for students who read the digits in a two-digit number from right to left or who mix up the tens and ones when building.

  Prompt partners to count aloud together: 'Count your tens rods first, then your ones cubes. How many tens? How many ones?' Encourage them to point to each rod and cube as they count to reinforce the left-to-right structure of the number.

• During Trading Station, watch for students who believe a tens rod is worth more than ten loose ones simply because it is bigger.

  Have students bundle ten loose straws into a rod while saying, 'Ten ones make one ten.' Then, ask them to unbundle and recount to confirm the total remains the same, emphasizing the equivalence of the groupings.

• During Place Value Mats, watch for students who read two-digit numbers as individual digits rather than as a combined value, such as saying 'two three' for 23.

  Model the correct reading on the mat, pointing to the digits and saying, 'Twenty-three.' Then, have partners practice reading their numbers aloud to each other, listening for and correcting reversals.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation