Teaching article
Tens and ones: explain what the digits stand for
Represent a two-digit number with grouped tens and remaining single units.
Reading the digits in a two-digit number does not necessarily explain their values. Build the quantity with grouped materials, then connect each written position to the corresponding part of the model.
To hand: Bundled paper strips and loose counters.
The model for 23 contains two tens and three ones, not two objects and three objects of equal value.
From the collection to the numeral
- Build two groups of ten.
- Add three single counters.
- Compare the model with the written numeral.
Ask what each digit represents in this particular number. Reading the digits correctly does not necessarily demonstrate understanding of their place values.
The grouping unit must be explicit. What does one bundle represent?
Use labelled group outlines instead of physical bundles.
Resources
- Maths Puzzle Generator — Choose arithmetic or missing-number questions only when they match the number relationship being explored.
Further reading
Read next
- Regrouping changes the pieces, not the amount
- Make ten and keep the leftover in sight
- Equal groups give multiplication a structure
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