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Tens and ones – Grade 1 math lesson

Lesson 9 of 15 in the Grade 1 math course

US version. US grades, US spelling and dollars ($). · UK Maths Department

A complete 45-minute lesson for grade 1 (ages 6–7) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is graded right away, with a worked explanation.

Time
45 minutes + 15 min homework
Grade
Grade 1 (ages 6–7)
You need
Paper, a pencil and this page
Graded
Instantly, with explanations

For parents: how to use this lesson

You don't need to know this topic yourself. The lesson explains each step on screen, one tidy step at a time. Every answer is graded straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to grade anything.

  1. Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
  2. Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
  3. Let them do the practice on their own. They choose Getting started, On track or Challenge – start on On track and move up after a few right in a row.
  4. Finish with the exit ticket and the talk question: “Is 41 the same as 4 tens and 1 one? Can you make it another way?”
  5. Later that day or the next day: the homework (15 minutes), then a practice test.

Watch out for

  • Saying the 3 in 36 is worth 3. Ask "3 what?" – 3 tens, which is 30.
  • Writing thirty-six as 306. Build it with tens and ones, then write one digit for each column.

Tip for home: Count out dimes and pennies to make amounts together.

What your child will learn

Learning goal: say what each digit is worth in a two-digit or three-digit number.

Success looks like

  • I can say how many tens and ones are in a number.
  • I can say what each digit is worth.
  • I can split a number into tens and ones.

Key words

tens
groups of ten
ones
single units
digit
one of the symbols 0 to 9
partition
split a number into parts

What to have ready

  • Paper and a pencil
  • This page on a computer, tablet or phone
  • For the hands-on part: Make numbers with bundles of ten straws (or sticks of ten cubes) and single straws. Say how many tens and how many ones. Bundles of ten pencils held with an elastic band work too.

The big ideas (for the adult)

A two-digit number is made of tens and ones. In 36 there are 3 tens (30) and 6 ones.

Ten ones can be swapped for one ten. Ten tens make one hundred.

You can split a number in different ways: 36 is 30 + 6, or 20 + 16.

The lesson, step by step

45 minutes in 5 parts
PartTimeHow it is checked
Starter: quick recall5 minGraded by Classfern
Teaching input10 minNot assessed, self-checked
Worked examples and guided practice9 minNot assessed, graded by Classfern
Independent practice15 minGraded by Classfern
Closure and exit ticket6 minGraded by Classfern, self-checked

Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are graded by Classfern. Worked examples and teaching are not assessed. The hands-on task and the reflection are self-assessed. Explanations in talk are judged by the parent and not recorded.

The lesson

It runs here on the page. No sign-up and no names – progress is kept only in this browser.

Homework and practice at home

15 minutes: 8 practice questions, 3 multiple-choice questions and 2 to remember from earlier work, then a short reflection. New questions every time, all graded instantly.

More practice

All Grade 1 math lessons and tests · Math Department

More Grade 1 math lessons

Curriculum

Common Core State Standards 1.NBT.B.2.a: “10 can be thought of as a bundle of ten ones — called a "ten."”

Common Core State Standards 1.NBT.B.2.b: “The numbers from 11 to 19 are composed of a ten and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine ones.”

Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.