Teen numbers are hard for kindergartners. Kids need to work with teen numbers using hands-on lessons that allow them to make them with various tools and strategies. We compiled our favorite and most effective teen number lessons into our Math It Up! Teen Numbers creation. After completing a week of lessons, my students had an amazing grasp of teen numbers!
Our first lesson is using our giant base ten blocks! These giant manipulatives really help students see the idea of ten and more! We introduce teen numbers and the rod and cube. I display the manipulatives and students count and write the equation on their whiteboards. The directions and templates for these are included in the Math It Up! creation!
The next lesson is for students to use base ten blocks to build teen numbers. Students identify the number, build the teen number and write the equation on their recording sheet.
Students then used their understanding of base ten blocks to transfer the idea to ten frames. They were able to explain the relationship between a ten frame and a rod and use their ten frames to build teen numbers. They also were able to use addition and subtraction skills to make teen numbers.
Our last lesson challenged students to build teen numbers after listening to a story. This lesson required students to understand the concept of ten and some more. After hearing the story, they had to build the teen number by putting 10 animals into a “pen” and some more animals outside the pen. They wrote their equation on their recording sheet and then we completed our anchor chart!
For more math lessons and resources, check out these posts:
