Cranberry Ten Frames

Standards:

Kindergarten: M.K.G.B.5

1st grade: M.1.G.A.2

2nd grade: M.2.G.A.1

What is a ten frame?

I had never seen a ten frame until my oldest son came home from school with a ten-frame worksheet.  I let my 5-year-old explain what it was.  He said they used the ten frames to help count to ten without having to count.

Now, that I have some experience with it I can use adult words to explain what it is and how teachers use them.

A ten frame is a rectangle with ten equal spaces. It has five spaces on top and five on the bottom. Students can use counters or in this example cranberries to represent numbers less than or equal to ten on the frame.

Cranberry ten frames can be used to help students develop number sense. Number sense is having good intuition about numbers and their relationships.  A goal with ten frames is to develop subitizing skills. Subitizing is being able to instantly tell you ‘how many’ something is without counting. For example, a person who can subitize can roll dice and tell you what they rolled without counting every dot. This skill is developed over time but practicing it through games or using ten frames will help develop better number sense.

After ten frames are mastered, students can use ten frames to help with addition and subtraction.  Eventually, students can put multiple ten frames together to add and subtract larger numbers.

Using multi-sensory techniques will help the students learn more efficiently.  Using fresh cranberries or fun pictures can make gaining math skills more fun!