MR. AUBE AND FRIENDS · TEACHING NOTES
Build tens and ones
Explain a two-digit number as groups of ten and leftover ones. Try a little together and stop whenever you need.
Get ready
Twenty-three counters and two small mats, or blocks that join into tens.
Show it: 23 = 20 + 3
- Count out 23 counters. Make two groups of ten, with three counters left over.
- Say: “Each group has ten. Ten, twenty, then twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three.”
- Write 23. Point to the 2: “Two tens means twenty.” Point to the 3: “Three ones means three.” Write 20 + 3 = 23.
Classroom routine
- Show 23 counters. Ask how grouping them could make the total easier to see.
- Model two tens and three ones. Pairs build a number, then swap roles to draw or write it.
- Compare two different ways to group 23. Finish with a drawing of a new number.
Ask together
“What does the 2 in 23 tell us about the counters?”
If it feels tricky
Start with ten loose counters. Make one group of ten, then add one loose counter to build 11.
Check with a fresh example
Draw two bundles of ten sticks and six single sticks on paper. Ask: “What number is this? How do you know?”
Ready to explore?
Show 23 as two tens and three ones, then as one ten and thirteen ones. Explain why both still show 23.
Gr 2 · N7 · This practises part of the outcome. It is not an assessment of the whole outcome.
Let your child show, draw or tell you how they worked it out. One answer is a starting point for a conversation.
Open the free guide and matching tool — no account needed:
https://mraube.ca/learn/tens-and-ones