Washington Kindergarteners Have Fun with Math Lesson

Teacher Kristin Thatcher’s kindergarten students at Washington Primary School are adding within 20 using the base-10 system! The foundation to all math is understanding the base-10 system.

“When students have a foundation in understanding numbers they are able compute complex algorithms, Ms. Thatcher said. “Learning at Washington is experienced through multiple modalities-visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile. We expose students to various pathways to learning so that as they grow as learners they are able to identify their strengths and learning styles.”

In this engaging math mini-lesson, students were introduced to “Rod,” a tens-stick that represents one group of ten, along with his friends, “the ones,” which represent single units. Using this concrete model, students explored how teen numbers are made by combining one ten and additional ones.

Students practiced building teen numbers with the tens-stick and individual ones, helping them visualize place value in a meaningful way. They then recorded their understanding by writing a corresponding number sentence (for example, 10 + 4 = 14) and creating a math drawing to match on their personal math mats.

“This hands-on approach supported students in connecting concrete models, numerical representations, and visual illustrations of teen numbers,” Ms. Thatcher said.