12 Ways to Compose and Decompose Numbers 11-19

“Have you ever said, “I’ve done everything but stand on my head and they still don’t get it?” Well, this is one of those standards—composing and decomposing numbers. Now, when I say “get it” I mean do they REALLY get it?

• Do, they understand what is happening when they snap ten together and what does the “1” in the front really means?
• Can they show my multiple ways to make each number 11-19?
• Can they explain what is happening?

When Michele and I got together to plan how we were going to teach this unit, it took a little longer than usual, like a lot longer! Each month Michele and I meet for dinner at Panera. After dinner, we spend a few hours mapping out how we are going to run our small groups the next month. After we come up with the activities, we each “do our part” at home.  I usually create the games and make the photo directions. Michele does the scripting! (Glad she likes doing it, because I don’t!)

These are the easy to follow “general” photo directions  for each game. In the scripting, Michele explains how to use the activity in more detail with your intervention, on target, and challenge level kids.

I make each game in color and black and white…so you choose which works best for you!

Ants on a Log

Recently a teacher shared this photo with me.  She chose to make the game black and white and run it on brown paper. Love the page protector and dry erase idea for the recording page! Here’s the game they were playing…..

To play the Ants on a Log game...

1. Invite the child to spin the spinner and count out that many ants.
2. Record the number on the recording page.
3. Continue to spin, count ants and record the number on the recording page.
4. If you land on the picture of the foot when you spin, you must remove all of your ants from the game board.
5. The game is over when they reach the bottom of the page.

Watermelon Number Necklace

Here's another fun craftivity to store their number books. To make the holder, follow these directions:

1. Cut a paper plate in half and paint them to look like a slice of watermelon.
2. Staple the plates together to make a pocket.
3. Punch a hole in the name tag and thread it on a ribbon.
4. Tie the ribbon to the watermelon to make a necklace.

Reproduce a booklet for each number 11-19. The children do the following:

1. Color two tens frames to match the numeral.
2. Write the number sentence for the numeral.
3. Write the numerals in a number bond to make the numeral.
4. Write how many tens and how many ones in the numeral.
5. Write the numeral.

What's In the Bag?

This game is super simple to make and to play. Here's how:

1. Collect 9 paper bags.
2. Count 11 unifix cubes, all one color, in the first bag. Count 12 unifix cubes, all one color, in the second bag. Repeat counting unifix cubes to make bags of 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19.
3. Staple a picture to the front of each bag.
4. Invite the child to select a bag.
5. Dump out the cubes and make a ten with some ones.
6. On the recording page, find the picture that matches the picture on the bag.
7. Write the numeral to tell how many cubes are in the bag.

 

These activities came from the Small Group Math Unit for Decomposing and Composing Numbers 11-19.