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An introduction to place value where students learn how to group ten ones to make one ten.
Imagine you have 19 loose socks scattered all over your floor! What if you could snap your fingers and turn 10 of them into one neat bundle to make them easier to count?
In math, we love to stay organized! When we have a lot of single items, called ones, we can get confused counting them one by one. To make it easier, we take ones and group them together. We call this group a ten. Think of it like a pack of crayons: you might have loose crayons, but once you put them in the box, you have one box of ten. This is the foundation of place value, which helps us understand how big a number really is.
Let's look at how we build a ten: 1. Start with separate blocks (these are your ones). 2. Stack them on top of each other. 3. Now you have tower. This tower represents ten. 4. Even though it looks like one object, we know it is made of smaller pieces!
Quick Check
If you have 10 single pennies and you trade them for one 10-cent dime, how many 'tens' do you have now?
Answer
You have 1 ten.
Numbers like and are special. They are made of one ten and some extra ones. When we write the number , the digit on the left () tells us we have one group of ten. The digit on the right () tells us we have four extra ones left over. We call the left side the tens place and the right side the ones place.
How do we see the number using our blocks? 1. First, look at the tens place: It is a . That means we have bundle of ten. 2. Next, look at the ones place: It is a . That means we have loose ones. 3. So, .
Quick Check
In the number 18, which number is in the 'ones' place?
Answer
The number 8.
Counting becomes much faster when we see groups of ten. Instead of counting all the way to , we can just say 'One ten and nine ones.' This helps us prepare for even bigger numbers. If you have two groups of ten, you have ! But for now, let's master the numbers where we only have one group of ten and a few friends left over.
Imagine you have bundle of ten and you add ones. Then, your friend gives you more one. What happens? 1. You had ones, and you got more. . 2. Now you have a new group of ones! 3. You can bundle those ones together to make a second ten. 4. Now you have tens and ones, which is the number !
How many ones do you need to make exactly one ten?
In the number , what does the '' represent?
The number 15 is made of 1 ten and 5 ones.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, look at a two-digit number on a house or a page in a book. Can you tell which number is the 'tens' and which is the 'ones'?
Practice Activity
Find 12 small items (like cereal pieces or pebbles). Group 10 of them together. How many are left over?