Tens and ones – Year 2 maths lesson
Lesson 2 of 16 in the Year 2 maths course
UK version. UK school years, UK spelling and pounds (£). · US Math Department
A complete 45-minute lesson for Year 2 (ages 6–7) that runs on this page – at school or at home. Every answer is marked straight away, with a worked explanation.
- Time
- 45 minutes + 15 min homework
- Year
- Year 2 (ages 6–7)
- You need
- Paper, a pencil and this page
- Marked
- 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 marked straight away with a worked explanation, so you never have to mark anything.
- Read what your child will learn and the big ideas together.
- Press Start the lesson below and sit with your child for the teaching and the worked examples (about 19 minutes).
- 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.
- 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?”
- 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 10p coins and 1p coins to make amounts together.
What your child will learn
We are learning to 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
| Part | Time | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Starter: quick recall | 5 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Teaching input | 10 min | Not assessed, self-checked |
| Worked examples and guided practice | 9 min | Not assessed, marked by Classfern |
| Independent practice | 15 min | Marked by Classfern |
| Plenary and exit ticket | 6 min | Marked by Classfern, self-checked |
Starter, "your turn", practice and exit ticket are marked 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 marked instantly.
More practice
More Year 2 maths lessons
- Counting in 2s, 5s and 10s
- Numbers in words
- Comparing numbers
- Number lines
- Number bonds to 10 and 20
- Adding and subtracting
- The equals sign and missing numbers
- Adding and subtracting word problems
- Multiplication and division
- Recognising fractions
- Counting money
- Telling the time
- Measuring length, mass and capacity
- Shapes, position and turns
- Tally charts, pictograms and block diagrams
Curriculum
National Curriculum for England, Year 2: “recognise the place value of each digit in a two-digit number (10s, 1s)”
National Curriculum for England, Year 2: “use place value and number facts to solve problems”
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Our lessons and questions are our own. They are not written or endorsed by any government department, testing agency or exam board.