Tens and ones

A group of ten

Look at the ten little blocks in this group. A group of ten is called one ten.

Ten and three more

Here is one ten and three single blocks. Each single block is one. Ten plus three is thirteen.

Read thirteen

In thirteen, the one tells us there is one ten. The three tells us there are three ones. Together they make thirteen.

Your turn

Here are two tens and four ones. Two tens make twenty. Pause here. What is twenty plus four?

Twenty-four

Twenty plus four is twenty-four. The two tells us there are two tens. The four tells us there are four ones.