Ten-Frame Treasures Game
by Learning Resources
Grades Kindergarten +
Chest measures 9” L x 5” W x 5” H
Find the hidden treasures in Ten-Frames! See hidden treasures in Ten Frame Games!
Find the hidden math bounty in ten-frames! Playful theme supports hands-on reinforcement of base-ten number concepts and early addition and subtraction. Great for helping young students to relate to the number 10, building a strong foundation for mathematics.
Look what just washed ashore—it’s Ten-Frame Treasures, the comprehensive math manipulative set in which the most valuable currency is knowledge! Open the treasure chest to find a bounty of gold and silver coins, imprinted with designs sure to kindle the spirit of math adventure within every student. Arrange these counters on the ten-frame trays to observe the relationships among numbers up to 10 and to gain a deep understanding of the smaller units of which 10 is composed. As students acquire the skills necessary for higher-level math development, they’ll realize something all explorers eventually learn: great voyages—over land, by sea, or in the classroom—are measured by what you take away from them. Ahoy!
Let students build freely, placing two and three coins in the ten-frame trays in any way they want. Then, establish a rule for building numbers: students should always start by placing coins in the top left square of the frame, fill the row across, and then fill the next row, moving from left to right. Horizontal is a more popular orientation because children find it easier to see that 10 is two 5s, and to count up from 5 while building the numbers 6–10.
When students build numbers, have them use all of one color, gold or silver. Later, when they add numbers, they can use two colors to represent the addends. Have children practice building different numbers from 1–10, and then compare and share their solutions with other students.
What Makes a Number?
Put coins in a ten-frame tray showing the number 7, for example. Ask students how many coins they see and how they determined the number. You will soon discover that students see this number in many ways. Some popular answers: “It’s 5 and 2 more. It’s 4 and 3. It’s 3 less than 10.” All of these answers are correct and essential to explore for a true understanding of the quantity 7, and what the symbol 7 actually represents. Try this with other numbers between 1–10.
Adding On, Taking Away—
Relationships Between Two Numbers
Have students build a number; for example, 4. Then, ask them to make their ten-frames show 6. Observe the strategies students use. Some will clear their frames and start over, while others will add two more coins. As students gain a better understanding of number relationships, they will begin to naturally add to or take away from what’s already there rather than starting over.
At a Glance
Students at this age should begin to subitize—to see an amount represented without counting, as with dice and dominoes. Build a number with coins on a ten-frame tray and cover it with a piece of paper. Uncover it for about three seconds and cover it up again. Ask students to tell you what they saw. As students build skills in subitizing, they will be able to name the number
Building a number with two different-colored coins at a time is a good way to demonstrate part-whole relationships. Have students put 6 gold coins and 4 silver coins on a ten-frame. Discuss relationships such as 6 + 4 = 10, 4 + 6 = 10, and 6 and 4 together is 10. Alternate coins and amounts to see other relationships within the number 10. This also works well with smaller numbers. For example, 2 gold coins and 4 silver coins is 6. You can also discuss that there are four empty spaces on the ten-frame, which shows that 6 is 4 less than 10.
Align two ten-frames, one above the other. Make the top frame show 7 (silver coins) and the bottom 6 (gold coins). Show students how to add the two numbers together. Explain that they can take 3 of the gold coins and move them up into the frame showing 7, thereby filling it to 10. There will be 3 gold coins left in the lower ten-frame. Students will now see that 6 + 7
is the same as 10 and 3 more, creating 13. Try this using other combinations with sums up to 20.
Number Concepts, Early Addition and Subtraction, Understanding Ten-Frames
What's in the Box?
Divided Treasure Chest, 4 Ten-Frame Trays, 40 Silver Coins, 40 Gold Coins and Activity Guide