Addition to 20: Making 10 Strategy (Concrete)

Free sample questions, a clear explanation, and 5 practice skills with an AI tutor that guides without giving the answer away.

Making 10: Your Math Superpower! 🚀

Hey Math Explorer! Have you ever helped pack eggs into a carton? An egg carton usually has 10 spots. The "Making 10" strategy is just like that!

Imagine you have 8 eggs, and your friend gives you 5 more. To find the total, you would first fill up your carton of 10, and then see how many are left over. It makes counting so much faster! Making a ten first is a super trick to solve bigger addition problems.

Meet the Friends of 10! 🤝

Some numbers are best buddies because they always add up to 10. Knowing these pairs will make you a math whiz! Let's say their names:

1 and 9
2 and 8
3 and 7
4 and 6
5 and 5

✨ Key Takeaway!

When you add, always look for a way to make a group of 10 first. It makes the problem simpler!

Let's Try It: Solving 9 + 6

Imagine you have two ten frames and a pile of counters. Let's solve 9 + 6 together.

Step 1: Place 9 counters in your first ten frame. You can see there is one empty spot.
Step 2: Look at your other number, 6. We need to "borrow" from the 6 to fill our ten frame. How many do we need? Just 1!
Step 3: Move 1 counter from your group of 6 to the empty spot in the ten frame. Now your first ten frame is full! That's 10!
Step 4: How many counters are left from your group of 6? You had 6, and you moved 1, so you have 5 left over.
Step 5: Now the problem is super easy: 10 + 5. We know that equals 15! So, 9 + 6 = 15.

This strategy even works with three numbers! For 7 + 2 + 3, you can spot the "Friends of 10" right away! 7 and 3 make 10. Then, just add the 2. 10 + 2 = 12. See? You're a math superstar! Keep practicing making tens!

Sample questions

1. Maya has 4 red blocks, 3 blue blocks, and 6 yellow blocks. How many blocks does she have in all?

✓ 13

○ 10

○ 7

○ 14

Answer: 13 — Look for two numbers that make 10 first! Then add the last number.

2. Sam collects stickers. He has 5 star stickers, 2 moon stickers, and 5 sun stickers. How many stickers does Sam have altogether?

○ 10

✓ 12

○ 7

○ 13

Answer: 12 — Look for two numbers that make 10 first! Then add the last number.

3. There are 7 green pencils, 1 blue pencil, and 3 red pencils in a box. How many pencils are in the box?

○ 8

○ 10

✓ 11

○ 12

Answer: 11 — Look for two numbers that make 10 first! Then add the last number.

Skills in this topic

Add three numbers within 10 using concrete objects.
Identify pairs of numbers that make 10 (e.g., 7 and 3, 6 and 4).
Use concrete objects to add numbers by making a ten (e.g., 8 + 5 by making 10 with 8 and 2 from 5).
Represent the 'making 10' strategy for addition using ten frames and counters.
Demonstrate how to solve 9 + 6 using a ten frame and explain each step of making a ten.

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