Activity 01
Simulation Game: Make-Ten Pairs
Pair students and give each a set of number cards from 1 to 10. Players take turns drawing two cards and using counters to make ten, discarding pairs that work and drawing again if not. First to empty hand wins. Discuss strategies used after each round.
How does the make-ten strategy help us add numbers beyond 10?
Facilitation TipDuring Make-Ten Pairs, circulate and ask students to verbalize their pairs, listening for strategy language like 'I took 1 from 6 to make 9 into 10.'
What to look forProvide students with an addition problem, such as 8 + 5. Ask them to write down the steps they used to solve it, specifically showing how they used the make-ten strategy. They should also write the final sum.
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Activity 02
Hands-on: Ten-Frame Addition
Provide ten-frames and counters to small groups. Students build teen numbers first, then add single-digits by filling frames. Record sums on mini-whiteboards and check by removing counters. Rotate materials every 5 minutes.
What happens when we add a single-digit number to a teen number?
Facilitation TipFor Ten-Frame Addition, model placing counters while narrating the process, such as 'I see 8, so I add 2 more to fill the frame, leaving 4 extra.'
What to look forPresent students with a series of addition problems on a whiteboard, like 7 + 6 and 13 + 4. Ask students to hold up fingers or use mini whiteboards to show the first step of their make-ten strategy for each problem.
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Activity 03
Stations Rotation: Number Bond Hunt
Set up stations with dice, linking cubes, and bond cards. Roll dice, build bonds to 20, snap cubes into tens and ones. Write equations and verify with peers. Groups rotate stations.
How can we check if our addition is correct?
Facilitation TipAt the Number Bond Hunt station, provide sentence stems like 'I found 14 is made of ____ and ____, so 14 + 3 is ____.'
What to look forAsk students: 'How is using a number bond to add 9 + 4 similar to using the make-ten strategy? How is it different?' Encourage them to explain their thinking using examples.
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Activity 04
Whole Class: Addition Bingo
Distribute bingo cards with sums to 20. Call out problems using make-ten; students mark answers. First bingo shares strategy. Review all problems as class.
How does the make-ten strategy help us add numbers beyond 10?
Facilitation TipDuring Addition Bingo, pause after each call to ask, 'How did you know you needed a 6 there?' to uncover strategy use.
What to look forProvide students with an addition problem, such as 8 + 5. Ask them to write down the steps they used to solve it, specifically showing how they used the make-ten strategy. They should also write the final sum.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teachers should model multiple strategies side by side, emphasizing that flexibility matters more than speed. Avoid rushing students past visual tools too quickly, as teens and ones need repeated exposure to stick. Research shows that pairing verbal explanations with visuals strengthens number sense and memory.
Students will use the make-ten strategy confidently, decompose numbers flexibly, and verify answers through inverse operations or objects. They will explain their thinking clearly and apply strategies to new problems with minimal support.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Make-Ten Pairs, watch for students who struggle to decompose numbers flexibly, relying only on counting all fingers from 1.
Provide ten-frames and counters at the station. Guide students to physically move counters to form a full ten-frame first, then add the remainder, narrating each step to connect the action to the strategy.
During Ten-Frame Addition, watch for students who ignore the ten in teen numbers, treating 13 + 4 as 3 + 4 = 7.
Have students build teen numbers with a full ten-frame and loose counters, then add the single-digit to the loose counters only. Ask, 'Where is your ten? How many are left to add?' to refocus their attention.
During Addition Bingo, watch for students who do not verify their answers, assuming correctness without checking.
Introduce a 'check partner' rule: after each bingo call, students must swap boards with a partner to verify sums using inverse subtraction or counters. Circulate to listen for explanations like, 'I know 9 + 6 is 15 because 15 - 6 is 9.'
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