Ten Frame Tactics Teacher Guide
Tier 3 Intervention
Ten Frame Tactics
Focus: Fact Fluency to 10 (Addition & Subtraction Connections)
Target Grade: 2
Duration: 15-20 Mins
Materials Needed
- Double ten-frame mat
- 20 dual-color counters
- Dry-erase marker
Key Anchors
The 5-Anchor: filling the top row first.
The 10-Anchor: a complete single ten-frame.
Objective
Students build, visualize, and solve addition/subtraction facts to 10 using ten-frames.
1 Concrete to Representational: Addition Strategy (8 Mins)
MY TURN (Modeling) Demonstrate with physical counters
Action: Place a ten-frame mat in front of the student. Place 6 red counters on the frame, filling the top row of 5 first, then adding 1 on the bottom row. Keep 4 yellow counters nearby.
Script: "Watch me build a number. I fill the top row first. Five... and one more is six. I have six red counters. Now, I want to make ten. Let's see how many empty spaces are left on our ten-frame. One, two, three, four. I'll fill those spaces with yellow counters. Six red plus four yellow equals ten altogether. The whole ten-frame is full! Let's write that equation: 6 + 4 = 10."
OUR TURN (Guided Practice) Collaborate with high support
Action: Clear the board. Have the student take 7 red counters and fill the ten-frame, focusing on the 5-anchor.
Script: "Now let's do one together. Fill the top row first with red. Good! That's five. Now put red counters in the bottom row until you have seven. How many more did we add? Two more! Excellent. Five and two is seven."
Ask: "How many empty spots are left on our ten-frame? Let's point and count them. Three! Fill them with yellow. What addition story did we just build?"
Prompt: "Let's read the cards together: 7 + 3 = 10. Perfect. When the ten-frame is full, our answer is always ten!"
Ten Frame Triumphs • Teacher Guide Page 1 of 2
Tier 3 Intervention
Ten Frame Tactics
Focus: Fact Fluency to 10 (Addition & Subtraction Connections)
Target Grade: 2
Duration: 15-20 Mins
2 Representational to Abstract: Subtraction Strategy (8 Mins)
Key Concept: Subtraction is modelled as "removing" part of a full ten-frame to see what is left. This explicitly reinforces related fact families.
Action: Place 10 counters (all red) on the ten-frame so it is completely full.
Script: "Now let's use our ten-frame for subtraction. Subtraction means we start with a whole group and take some away. How many counters are on our frame right now? Yes, ten! The whole frame is full."
Action: Physically pull away 4 red counters from the frame. Put them in your hand.
Script: "I am taking away four counters. Watch: ten minus four. Look at the ten-frame now. We don't need to count them one by one! Look at the top row. It is completely full. That means we have a five-anchor, and one more on the bottom row. What is five and one more? Six! So, 10 - 4 = 6."
YOUR TURN (Direct Practice) Student independent action with check-ins
Have the student build a full ten-frame. Challenge them to solve 10 - 3 by physically removing 3 counters, and stating the remaining value instantly using the 5-anchor.
"I have 10. I take away 3. I see 5 on top and 2 on bottom. That is 7. So 10 minus 3 is 7!"
Immediate Corrective Feedback & Diagnostics
Error: Counting One-by-One
If the student counts "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6" to find the total instead of using subitizing or anchors.
Redirect: "Stop. Look at the top row. Is it full? Yes! If it is full, we know it has exactly 5. We do not need to count them. Say 'Five', then count on: 'Five... six!'"
Error: Subtraction Gap
If the student writes the remaining count as the subtracted number (e.g., 10 - 2 = 2).
Redirect: "Let's check. You started with 10. You took away 2. Are there only 2 left on the board? No, look at the board. How many are left on the board? Let's write that count here."
Interventionist Best Practices
- Pace: Do not rush to independent work. Ensure the student can reliably explain the 5-anchor visually before moving to paper.
- Visual Prompt Fading: Gradually transition from using physical red/yellow counters to pointing at drawn frames, then solving abstract equations by "visualizing" the frames in their head.
Ten Frame Triumphs • Teacher Guide Page 2 of 2
Ten Frame Showdown Activity
Hands-On Activity
Ten-Frame Showdown Mat
Place your counters, build the numbers, and solve the math!
Name:
Date:
!
How to Play:
1. Pull a challenge card from the pile.
2. Build the first number on your Ten-Frame below using Red counters. Fill the top row first!
3. Fill in the empty spaces with Yellow counters to make 10, or take some away for Subtraction.
4. Write your equation below in the clean equation box.
Interactive Workspace
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Equation Solver Workspace
+ / -
=
Ten Frame Triumphs • Game Workmat Page 1 of 2
Showdown Challenge Cards
Teachers: Cut out these 8 challenge cards along the dotted lines for student use during play.
Addition partners Card 1
Build 6 Red
Fill the top row first. How many more yellow counters do you need to reach 10?
Equation: 6 + ___ = 10
Addition partners Card 2
Build 8 Red
Fill the top row first. How many more yellow counters do you need to reach 10?
Equation: 8 + ___ = 10
Addition partners Card 3
Build 5 Red
Fill the whole top row with red counters. How many yellow do you need to fill the frame?
Equation: 5 + ___ = 10
Addition partners Card 4
Build 7 Red
Build seven. Spot the five-anchor! How many empty boxes are left?
Equation: 7 + ___ = 10
Take Away Card 5
Start with 10 Red
The whole frame is full. Now, take away 4 red counters. What is left on your board?
Equation: 10 - 4 = ___
Take Away Card 6
Start with 10 Red
The whole frame is full. Take away 3 red counters. Look at the rows! What is left?
Equation: 10 - 3 = ___
Take Away Card 7
Start with 10 Red
The whole frame is full. Take away 5 red counters (one complete row). What is left?
Equation: 10 - 5 = ___
Take Away Card 8
Start with 10 Red
The whole frame is full. Take away 2 red counters. Use the 5-anchor to count what is left!
Equation: 10 - 2 = ___
Ten Frame Triumphs • Game Cards Page 2 of 2
Ten Frame Tracker Tool
Quick Assessment
Ten-Frame Mastery Check
Use the ten-frames to find the missing numbers. Write your equations!
Name:
Date:
1. How many more to make 10? P1
6 + _____ = 10
2. How many more to make 10? P2
8 + _____ = 10
3. How many more to make 10? P3
5 + _____ = 10
4. How many more to make 10? P4
7 + _____ = 10
5. Subtract. What is left? P5
✕
✕
✕
10 - 3 = _____
6. Subtract. What is left? P6
✕
✕
✕
✕
10 - 4 = _____
7. Subtract. What is left? P7
✕
✕
✕
✕
✕
10 - 5 = _____
8. Subtract. What is left? P8
✕
✕
10 - 2 = _____
Ten Frame Triumphs • Student Quick Check Page 1 of 2
Interventionist Record
Diagnostic Assessment Log
Track response accuracy, response time (fluency), and target intervention strategies.
Student Name: _____________________________
Instructor Name: ___________________________
Fluency Standard (Zone):
Green Zone: < 3s (Fluent) Yellow Zone: 3-5s (Emerging)
Formative Mastery Log
| Item | Target Fact | Accuracy | Fluency / Response Time | Observations & Misconceptions |
|---|
| P1 | 6 + 4 = 10 | ◯ Correct ◯ Error | ◯ <3s ◯ 3-5s ◯ >5s | |
| P2 | 8 + 2 = 10 | ◯ Correct ◯ Error | ◯ <3s ◯ 3-5s ◯ >5s | |
| P3 | 5 + 5 = 10 | ◯ Correct ◯ Error | ◯ <3s ◯ 3-5s ◯ >5s | |
| P4 | 7 + 3 = 10 | ◯ Correct ◯ Error | ◯ <3s ◯ 3-5s ◯ >5s | |
| P5 | 10 - 3 = 7 | ◯ Correct ◯ Error | ◯ <3s ◯ 3-5s ◯ >5s | |
| P6 | 10 - 4 = 6 | ◯ Correct ◯ Error | ◯ <3s ◯ 3-5s ◯ >5s |
