The purpose of this activity is for students to represent quantities between 5 and 10 using 5-frames. Students cut out and put together 5-frames to create a representation of a given number. The images in the student responses look like 10-frames, but students may put the 5-frames together in creative ways or take parts of more than two 5-frames. Students may choose to use one 5-frame and draw additional circles to form the number. In the Activity Synthesis, students see and discuss a 10-frame for the first time. If needed, the 5-frames can be cut out for students before the activity.

• Invite previously identified students to share their 5-frames for 9.
• “Today we are going to start using a new tool called a 10-frame. It holds 10 counters and helps us organize and show numbers. A 10-frame is two 5-frames put together.”

• Display a 10-frame or an image, such as:

  

The purpose of this activity is for students to gain familiarity with the 10-frame by showing different numbers on it. While students may arrange the counters on the 10-frame in many different ways, the structure of the fingers with 5 on one hand and some more on another hand, encourages students to think about the 10-frame as 2 groups of 5.

The purpose of the Activity Synthesis is to highlight the convention of filling out the 10-frame from top to bottom and left to right. This allows students to see numbers 6–10 in relation to 5 and also makes it easy to determine how many squares are empty. While students may organize their counters differently, representations will be organized this way to emphasize the structure of the tool. In addition, moving from left to right and from top to bottom aligns with and reinforces the way children learn to read.

• Display 10-frames filled as shown:

• “What is the same about these 10-frames? What is different?” (They both show 6 counters. They both have one full row and one counter in the other row. The top one has a full top row and the bottom one has a full bottom row.)
• “In the images that we’ll use in class, we will fill the top row first, from left to right, and then go to the bottom row and fill it from left to right.”
• Display 10-frame filled as shown:

• “This is how we’ll show 7.”

The purpose of this activity is to revisit Stage 1 of the Counting Collections center. When this center was first introduced, students counted collections of up to 20 objects. In this variation, after students count their collections, they then represent their count in a way that makes sense to them. A recording sheet is available as a blackline master. Students may use drawings, numbers, or words to represent their count. 

Give students access to counting mats, 5-frames, and 10-frames to help them accurately count or organize their collections. Use formative assessment data collected in previous sections to inform the number of objects in collections for individual students. 

After they participate in the center, students choose any previously introduced stage from these centers:

• Shake and Spill
• Roll and Add

Students will choose from these centers throughout the section. Keep materials from these centers organized to use each day.

• “Mai counted a collection of 8 toy cars.  What are some different ways she could show this on her recording sheet?” (She could write the number 8. She could draw 8 circles.)