A: Focus on Addition

Activity

1. Teacher holds up a tens frame and asks
   Tell me the number pattern?
   How many gaps are there?
   Teacher then states the appropriate number sentence e.g. 6 and 4 is 10.

2. Repeat several times with all cards to build facts to ten.

3. Teacher holds up a tens frame and asks
   Who can tell me the number sentence for this card?

4. Repeat several times, ensuring that all cards (0-10) have been covered up to this point.

5. Teacher models the recording of the number sentences as “6 and 4 is ten”, then “6+4=10”

B: Focus on Subtraction

Activity

1. Teacher explains to students that today
   We are using the cards to work on take-away equations starting with ten.

2. Teacher holds up a tens frame and asks
   How many dots could I fit on this frame?
   How many have gone?
   How many are left?
   Who can give me a number sentence for this card?

3. If necessary the teacher gives the appropriate number sentence e.g. 10 take away 6 is 4

4. Repeat several times with all cards to build facts to ten.

5. Teacher gives the number sentence and asks the students to find the appropriate card. For example:
   I had ten dots and I took away 6, how many do I have left?  Can you find the card for that? How many are left?

6. Teacher models the recording of the number sentences as “10 take away 6 is 4”, then “10 - 6 = 4”.

Broadening activities:

• Teacher demonstrates that the facts can be placed in a pattern i.e. 0 + 10 = 10, 1 + 9 = 10, 2 + 8 =10.  After the teacher has given some of the pattern students can work independently to find the rest.
• Teacher gives students the number sentence and they find the matching dot pattern.

Independent Activities

• Students make their own dot patterns using blank tens frames and counters.  They record these using + /or - and =.  (Two sided counters ideal for this activity.)
• Students work on sheets of empty tens frames to fill in dots and record the corresponding number sentence.
• Given one card students record either two complimentary number sentences or the entire family of facts.
• Students match tens frames to appropriate number sentence on cards.

Notes:
There are many ways to record the work being done and what is appropriate depends on the students in the group.  Options include:

• Teacher records
• Draw a picture
• Number story e.g. 3 and 4 make 7
• Number sentence or equation e.g. 3 + 4 = 7
• Use pre-made equations and match these to the appropriate card
• Use digit labels