We have been using a very helpful and easily-accessible resource to help us figure out the number pairs that make 10! You guessed it – our fingers! By the end of our practice, our goal is for first graders to be able to fluently recite the number pairs that make 10. While they are still solidifying that knowledge, it is sometimes helpful to have a resource in order to solve a making 10 problem. We have practiced putting down a certain number of fingers and counting how many are still up in order to determine the number pair that makes 10. For example, a student trying to figure out what goes with 4 to make 10 would hold up all 10 fingers, put down 4 of them, and count the remaining fingers to determine that 6 is the number that goes with 4 to make 10.
To practice representing tens with a variety of methods, first graders have been creating some art projects to display! On Tuesday, we created ice cream cones with a different way to show ten on each scoop, focusing on using addition sentences. On Wednesday, we created hamburgers with a ten on each ingredient using some addition sentences along with other ways to show ten such as ten frames, tallies, fingers and subtraction sentences. Soon, we will create fruits with tens on them to complete our “Making 10s is a picnic!” project!
