It Makes Sense: Using Ten-Frames to Build Number Sense

Easy-to-follow teaching directions for compelling, engaging lessons!

From “Look, Quick!” to “Mystery Sums,” the twenty classroom-tested lessons in It Make Sense: Using Ten-Frames to Build Number Sense provide friendly, meaningful support for using ten-frames.

Many state standards require students to solve addition and subtraction problems using models. Ten-frames are one of the most important models that teachers can use to help students anchor to the landmark number ten and develop all aspects of number sense. Additionally, state standards expect that students become fluent and flexible in their ability to compute numbers. Ten-frames help students develop the skills they need to become flexible and fluent problem solvers.

A wealth of teacher supports

The step-by-step lessons are presented in three categories:

• Routines
• Games
• Problem-solving activities

The lessons are intentionally designed to provide students with opportunities to think, reason, and communicate about numbers. The lessons offer a wealth of teacher support, including:

• strategies for differentiating instruction
• assessment rubrics
• examples of student thinking
• technology tips
• teacher reflections
• reproducible ten-frames, ten-frame cards, and computation cards that are also available in a downloadable, printable format