1st Grade · Math · 1.NBT.B.2, CCSS.MATH.7.A.1, CCSS.MATH.4.B.4

Ten Frames Lesson Plan for 1st Grade

A ready-to-teach ten frames lesson for 1st Grade. Everything below is classroom-tested structure: an objective, a 45-minute sequence, a way to check who got it, and 6 printable practice pages.

Approximately 45 minutes

Learning objective

Use a ten frame to represent numbers up to 20
Count filled and empty cells in a ten frame accurately
Build numbers by placing counters in a ten frame

Materials

Addition with ten frames (sums within 10) - Robot
Addition with ten frames (sums within 10) - Play time
1st Grade Ten Frames: Ten frames Practice Worksheet
Addition with ten frames (sums within 10) - Toy box
1st Grade Ten Frames: Ten frames Worksheet
Addition with ten frames (sums within 20) - Teddy
Pencils, and whiteboard space for the modeled examples

Lesson steps

1. Warm up together (5 min)
Count around the circle before anyone sits down, then ask where ten frames shows up outside this room. Listen for who counts confidently and who is watching a neighbour's lips.
2. Model it (I do) (10 min)
Work two examples of ten frames where everyone can see, saying each number aloud as you go. Miscount once on purpose and wait: the child who corrects you has it.
3. Practice together (we do) (10 min)
Work three more problems as a class. Ask a different student to supply each step rather than the whole answer. If a step stalls, drop back to concrete objects or a drawing before moving on.
4. Independent practice (you do) (15 min)
Hand out "Addition with ten frames (sums within 10) - Robot". Students work independently while you circulate. Note who is fluent, who is counting on fingers, and who has not started, because that grouping drives tomorrow's small group.
5. Close the loop (5 min)
Pull the class back. Ask one student to explain a problem they got right and one to name something that is still confusing. End on the confusion, not the success, so students learn that naming a gap is normal.

Check for understanding

Collect the practice pages and sort them into three piles: fluent, developing, and not yet. Any student in the third pile needs ten frames retaught in a small group before the class moves on.

Differentiation

Extra support. Students who stall: pull them into a small group and rebuild ten frames with concrete materials or a simpler text before asking for the written work again. Do not send the page home as homework, it will just rehearse the misunderstanding.

Extension. Students who finish early: ask them to write their own ten frames problem for a partner to solve, then check the partner's work. Creating a problem is harder than solving one and it surfaces whether they really understand ten frames.

Skills covered in this lesson

Ten frames

Questions teachers ask about teaching ten frames

What is a ten-frame and how do first graders use it?

A ten-frame is a rectangular grid with two rows of five boxes used to organize and count objects up to ten or twenty. First graders use ten-frames to develop place value understanding (CCSS 1.NBT.B.2) - seeing that numbers like 7 can be visualized as a full row of 5 and 2 more. Ten-frames support strategies like making ten for addition and subtraction.

How does a ten-frame help with addition?

Ten-frames make the 'make a ten' addition strategy visual and intuitive. For 8 + 5, a student fills one ten-frame to ten (needing 2 from the 5), leaving 3, so 8 + 5 = 10 + 3 = 13. This strategy aligns with CCSS 1.OA.C.6 and is one of the most powerful for building fluency within 20. Worksheets with blank ten-frames let students practice the strategy hands-on.

When are double ten-frames introduced?

Double ten-frames (two side-by-side ten-frames) are typically introduced in first grade when students begin working with numbers 11-20 (CCSS 1.NBT.A.1). They help students see teen numbers as one group of ten plus some ones, which is fundamental to place value understanding. Worksheets that show partially filled double ten-frames and ask students to write the number reinforce this connection.