Kindergarten · Math · week 20

Ten-frames: building 14, 15, 16

Use a ten-frame to build and represent the numbers 14, 15, and 16 as ten plus more ones.

A ten-frame is a simple picture: two rows of five boxes, ten boxes total. Fill it all the way up, and you have exactly ten. Any extra counters sit outside the frame.

Fourteen is a full ten-frame plus 4 more. Fifteen is a full ten-frame plus 5 more. The frame makes ten easy to see at a glance.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Draw a simple 2 by 5 grid on paper if you do not have a printed ten-frame.
  • Always fill the frame completely before placing any counters outside it.
  • Ask how many in the frame, how many outside, and what is the whole number, every time.
  • This visual habit makes later addition and place value much easier.
Talk about it:
  • Why does a full ten-frame always mean 10?
  • How do you find the teen number from a ten-frame picture?
  • Can you build 14 and 16 and tell me what is different about them?

Mastery looks like: They build 14, 15, and 16 on a ten-frame, correctly filling the ten first and placing extras outside.

Common stumbles: Leaving the ten-frame partly empty while adding extras outside; miscounting the outside counters.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Counting & Ten-FramesCount objects in ten-frames and base-ten blocks, one tap at a time.try →AdditionSee groups combine — with counters, blocks, and the number line.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Math for this learner.
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