Learning how numbers are put together as parts and wholes is a big step in building the foundational number sense of young mathematicians. Here, children are given a number less than 10 and are asked to find as many pairs of numbers as possible that add up to that original value. Support the success of all learners by encouraging them to represent their solutions as drawings, physical models, or written equations. Repeat this as a daily math warm-up activity, starting with small numbers and getting larger as children become more comfortable decomposing numbers.  

Concepts

addition, decomposing numbers, equations, number sentence, numbers

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Additional Tags

addition, equation, number sentence, decomposing numbers, math

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Pros

• This simple activity can be easily differentiated to meet the learning needs of all students
• Includes a commentary that describes considerations for teachers to be aware of when performing this activity

Cons

• A graphic organizer or worksheet is required to support learners with recording their findings

Common Core

K.OA.A.3 MP7