All about Ten

Teacher: Let's talk about what strategies we've been using to play this game. How are you figuring out what card to ask for to make a ten? Shannon, can you tell us your strategies?

Shannon: I count in my head. Like if I have an 8, I go 9, 10. That's 2 more, so I know I have to get a 2 so I can make a 10 with my 8.

Teacher: That's called counting up. Has anyone else used that strategy?

Frank: I did, but I did it with 7. I went 7, 8, 9, 10. I need a 4 to make 10. 7 + 4 = 10.

Teacher: Yes, Frank, that's the counting-on strategy. What do you think about using the counting strategy that way, Grace?

Grace: He's not right. You need 3 with 7 to make a ten.

Teacher: How do you know that, Grace? Didn't he get his answer by counting on from 7?

Grace: I didn't count on. I just remember from yesterday.
7 + 3 = 10.

Teacher: What did we do that helped you remember?

Jerome: I counted on from 7 and I got 3. I went 7 [pauses] 8, 9, 10. It's on my fingers. 8, 9, 10 is 1, 2, 3. So it's 3, not 4. You need a 3 to make 10.

Teacher: I like the way you explained that, Jerome. Do you see what your mistake was, Frank? Can you do what Jerome did? We can also look on the number line and see if that helps.

Frank: Jerome went 7, then he started counting using his fingers 8, 9, 10. That's three fingers, not four.

Teacher: So, we start at 7 on the number line. Count the hops it takes to get to 10. [Frank puts a finger on 7 on his number line and makes three hops to 8, 9, and 10.] Any other strategies? Did someone use the ten frame?

Keenya: I did. I had a 4. I know it needs one more to fill up the top row and that's 5. And the bottom row is 5. So 5 plus one more is 6. So I need a 6 to make 10.