Teen Numbers Are Ten and Some More
Lumi stands at a sunny kitchen table covered with red strawberries, carefully placing ten strawberries into a big round bowl and lining up extra strawberries beside it, counting aloud with a big smile.
- Identify that any teen number is made of ten ones and some extra ones.
- Count out ten objects and name how many extra ones remain to make a teen number.
- Match a teen number to a description that shows ten ones and some extra ones.
Key terms
- teen number
- A number from 11 to 19 made of ten and extras.
- ten ones
- A group of ten single items grouped together.
- extra ones
- The single items left over after making one ten.
- place value
- The idea that a digit's spot tells its meaning.
Ten and Some More
Every teen number is made of one full group of ten ones plus some extra ones beside it. For example, thirteen is ten ones and three more ones, and seventeen is ten ones and seven more ones. The ten is the hidden part that is easy to forget, but it is always there inside every teen number from eleven through nineteen.
The Ten Comes First
When we write a teen number with two digits, the ten always comes first and the extra ones come second. In 15, the 1 stands for one group of ten and the 5 stands for five extra ones. That is why 15 is fifteen, not fifty-one. Knowing that the ten leads helps you read and write teen numbers correctly.
Worked examples
Build the teen number for ten and three.
- Count ten strawberries into the bowl.
- Place 3 more strawberries beside the bowl.
- Ten ones and three extra ones make thirteen.
Answer: 13
What teen number is 10 blocks and 5 blocks?
- Start with one group of ten blocks.
- Add five extra blocks beside it.
- Ten ones plus five ones is fifteen.
Answer: 15
Activity
Drag strawberries into the bowl to make ten ones, then place the extra ones beside it to build the teen number shown.
Practice
Make the number 16 using ten ones and some extra ones.
Explain why 12 is ten ones and two more ones.
Common mistakes to avoid
- A teen number is just the extra onesA teen number always includes the hidden ten, so 13 is ten ones and three ones, not only three ones.
- Digits can be read backwardsThe ten always comes first, so 15 means ten and five, which is fifteen, never fifty-one.
Check your understanding
Mia has 10 blocks in a bag and 5 blocks on the table. What teen number does she have in all?
Which of these means the same as 14?
Leo says 13 is just three ones with nothing else. Is Leo right?
Recap
Every teen number from 11 to 19 is made of one group of ten ones plus some extra ones beside it. The ten always comes first, so 15 means ten ones and five extra ones, which we read as fifteen.
Reflect
When might it help to group ten things together before counting the extras?