Counting in Tens

We are currently in a math unit on numbers beyond 20. Some of the skills and concepts we work on during this unit are:

• counting in tens
• counting on
• place value

To have the children practice counting in tens and ones as well as begin to understand what each digit in a two digit number represents, I had my students slowly create recordings on Doodlecast choosing a different number beyond 20 each day. Over three days the kids had to create three pages, on each page was a chosen number and then a corresponding representation using tens frames. I had the kids just go and take a picture of one of the tens frames we had in class, but in hindsight I think finding a digital image of a tens frame would have been better.

The children put in the correct number of dots onto the tens frames and then recorded their counting. Here are some examples:

Then in groups I wanted to allow the children not only to practice the skill of problem solving but also develop the skills of listening to others, negotiation and compromise by working collaboratively in a group. On four tables I just took a handful of manipulatives and placed them in the middle of the table. In their table groups I challenged the children to work together to find the quickest way to count the objects AND CHECK their answers. Initially I had some groups lining up their manipulatives in a long line and coutning in ones. One girl suggested counting in twos but her group mates did not know how to do this so they could not collabroate through that technique. Finally, most groups ended up helping to put the manipulatives into small groups of ten and then counting on for the leftovers. Here is one example of how one group worked out the number of counters on their table.