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UPDATED: JUNE 30, 2023: Newsletters
Decomposing to Use the Five or Ten Anchor:
Students split one or both addends to find anchors of five or ten and the leftover amount. Students think about 5s or 10s inside each number, adds them, then adds the leftovers.
Videos for Educators
Important Information:
Using the five or ten anchor is a foundational skill that helps students see how numbers relate to each other. When students focus on number relationships and build an understanding of numbers, they are able to see smaller numbers inside of larger numbers.
The numbers 5 and 10 provide the strongest benchmarks for thinking about all other numbers.
Students need multiple opportunities to work with ten frames. Hands on manipulation of the numbers will help build the understanding that numbers are flexible.
Key Early Number Ideas: Hierarchical Inclusion
Examples of what students might do
Examples of what students might say:
"I can break 13 into 10 and 3. I know that 10 subtract 8 is 2. I can them add 3 and 2 to get 5."
"I can break apart the numbers into 5 + 2 and 5 + 3. I know that 5 + 5 is 10 and 2 + 3 is 5. I can put them together and make 15."
Strategies to Support Student Learning:
The recognition of the relationship of all other single-digit numbers to 5, at first, and then to 5 and to 10 helps students to structure their understanding of number around anchors of 5 and 10.
Using visual models, such as ten frames when introducing basic facts will help students to see that numbers live inside a number. Knowing how numbers relate to each other will be helpful for students when they learn strategies for composing and decomposing numbers.
Things You Can Do In The Classroom
Games (Click Links Below)
This game promotes the foundation for strategy of up/down over 10. Students work on naming all of the pairs of number that make up the target number. (Lawson, Pg 169)
In this game, students take turns playing I Spy with target numbers. It is played like the traditional game but students must identify two cards that when added together make the target number. (Lawson, Pg 169)
In this game students match pairs of cards in their hand to a sum on one of the dominos. Students work on adding two numbers together to reach each target number on the dominos. (Lawson, Pg 170)
Students organize the cards in their and look for pairs of cards that make 10. Students continue to play the game the same way the traditional version is played but instead of asking for a card to make a pair, they are searching for a number to make 10. (Lawson, Pg 171)
In this game, students create an array with playing cards. Students take turns flipping over two cards, with the hope of turning over two cards with the sum of 10. (Lawson, Pg 172)
Players try to make ten by matching a card from their hand with one of the four cards placed in the middle of the game space. Players continue to take turns until all cards have been dealt and played. (Lawson, Pg 174)
Players all sit in a circle. The teacher selets a target number for the group to reach. Player 1 starts by saying a number between 1-9. Player 2 then says the number that needs to be added to make 10. Player 3 chooses a number between 1-9 then adds the number to 10. Player 4 then says the number that needs to be added to get to 20. The game continues until the target number is reached. (Lawson, Pg 174)
All games and activities located above are directly linked. Some can be found in the Alex Lawson What to Look For Resource. Page locations have been included in the description of each activity.
Activities and Lessons
Addition and Subtraction Practice
Cookie Monster 3 Part Lesson (Subtraction)
Same or Different #6 (Video)
Printable Tools
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