Make ten and keep the leftover in sight

Move just enough from one collection to complete a group of ten. The remaining objects matter: leaving them visible helps show why rearranging the parts has not changed the total being added.

Place eight in the frame. Split five into two and three. Complete ten and combine the remainder.

Eight plus five becomes ten plus three, so the total is thirteen.

Complete ten without losing quantity

Explain how part of one quantity completes ten. Keep the remainder visible so the rearrangement preserves the original total.

Moving counters changes grouping, not quantity.

Why does the rearranged model have the same total? Provide a frame with eight already placed.

Resources

• Maths Puzzle Generator — Choose arithmetic or missing-number questions only when they match the number relationship being explored.

Further reading

• Australian Curriculum Version 9 — Mathematics

Read next

• Subtraction as taking away: show the starting amount
• Arrays: see the repeated grouping in rows and columns
• Quarters require four equal shares of the whole

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