Making 10Activities & Teaching Strategies
Active learning turns the abstract concept of making 10 into something concrete and memorable for young learners. By moving, talking, and manipulating materials, students build a mental model of how numbers combine to reach 10, which they can later transfer to written equations and mental math.
Learning Objectives
- 1Identify pairs of numbers that sum to 10 using a ten-frame.
- 2Calculate the missing addend needed to reach 10 for any number from 1 to 9.
- 3Explain how composing and decomposing numbers to make 10 aids in addition strategies.
- 4Demonstrate understanding of the base-ten number system by relating number composition to the quantity ten.
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Think-Pair-Share: Ten-Frame Stories
Show a ten-frame with some dots filled in and ask 'how many more do we need to fill it up?' Students tell a partner the missing number and explain how they know, then share strategies as a class. Rotate through different starting amounts from 1 to 9 across the session.
Prepare & details
Why is the number ten so important in our counting system?
Facilitation Tip: During Ten-Frame Toss, have students say the full equation aloud as they place each counter, reinforcing the connection between action and symbol.
Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor
Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs
Stations Rotation: Ten Buddy Hunt
At each station, students draw a card (1 through 9) and find the 'ten buddy' that completes 10. Use two-color linking cubes to build each pair physically, then record both addends and the total in a T-chart. Students verify that all nine pairs produce 10.
Prepare & details
How can we use a ten-frame to see a number without counting by ones?
Facilitation Tip: In Ten Buddy Hunt, circulate and listen for partners to state the missing addend with the sentence frame 'I have __, so I need __ more to make 10.'
Setup: Tables/desks arranged in 4-6 distinct stations around room
Materials: Station instruction cards, Different materials per station, Rotation timer
Whole Class: Ten-Frame Toss
In pairs, students toss 10 two-sided counters onto a ten-frame mat. Count red and yellow, then determine the 'missing' number needed to reach 10. Partners record each combination discovered and compare T-charts at the end to see if the class found all ten possible pairs.
Prepare & details
Explain how knowing pairs that make 10 helps with addition.
Facilitation Tip: For Ten-Frame Stories, pause after each story to ask students to turn and explain their partner to a peer before sharing with the class.
Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter
Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback
Teaching This Topic
Teaching making 10 starts with consistent visuals—ten-frames are non-negotiable because they show the structure of 10 in a single glance. Avoid isolated drills; instead, embed the concept in games and stories so students experience the inevitability of 10 as a total. Research shows that students who practice making 10 through varied, connected activities develop stronger number sense than those who memorize facts without context.
What to Expect
Students will confidently state the missing partner to make 10 for any number from 1 to 9 and connect visual models to symbolic equations. They will explain their reasoning using the language of partners and totals, not just by counting.
These activities are a starting point. A full mission is the experience.
- Complete facilitation script with teacher dialogue
- Printable student materials, ready for class
- Differentiation strategies for every learner
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Common MisconceptionDuring Ten-Frame Stories, watch for students who only see the ten-frame as a counting tool rather than a representation of additive partners.
What to Teach Instead
Prompt students to say, 'I filled 4, so I need 6 more to make 10,' while pointing to the filled and empty spaces on the frame.
Common MisconceptionDuring Ten Buddy Hunt, watch for students who treat the activity as a memory game rather than a structural understanding of partners.
What to Teach Instead
Ask students to explain their matches using the sentence frame, 'I paired 7 with 3 because 7 plus 3 makes 10,' and model this language during the hunt.
Common MisconceptionDuring Ten-Frame Toss, watch for students who cannot connect the physical counters to the written equation.
What to Teach Instead
After each toss, ask students to write their equation on a whiteboard and read it aloud, bridging the concrete and symbolic representations immediately.
Assessment Ideas
After Ten-Frame Stories, give each student a blank ten-frame and a number from 1 to 9. Ask them to draw the given number of dots, complete the frame, and write the matching equation.
During Ten-Frame Toss, hold up a partially filled ten-frame and ask students to tell you how many dots are shown and how many more are needed to make 10, recording their responses on a clipboard.
After Ten Buddy Hunt, present a problem like 'Jake has 6 marbles. How many more does he need to have 10 marbles?' Ask students to explain their reasoning using the term 'partners that make 10' to assess their understanding of the additive structure.
Extensions & Scaffolding
- Challenge: Ask students to write all number sentences for making 10 when starting with 5, then explain the pattern they notice.
- Scaffolding: Provide a two-column chart with numbers 1–9 in one column and the missing partner in the other for reference during activities.
- Deeper exploration: Introduce the concept of complements to 100 using the same ten-frame structure and partner language.
Key Vocabulary
| Ten-frame | A rectangular frame with 10 spaces, typically in two rows of five, used to help visualize numbers up to 10. |
| Compose | To put numbers together to make a larger number, like putting 6 and 4 together to make 10. |
| Decompose | To break a number apart into smaller numbers, like breaking 10 into 7 and 3. |
| Addend | A number that is added to another number in an addition problem. |
Suggested Methodologies
Planning templates for Mathematics
5E Model
The 5E Model structures lessons through five phases (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate), guiding students from curiosity to deep understanding through inquiry-based learning.
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RubricMath Rubric
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