The Insect Files: THE LADYBUG EDITION

Friends of 10 addition

With this Friends of 10 activity, you want to get your students using a range of mental strategies to build number relationships and understand that addition is the joining of two groups.

Get the activity here.

Quick recall of basic facts makes maths easier as it gets more complex. I've seen so many kids in the later years of primary school anguish over maths, not because they aren't good at it, but because their quick recall of number relationships isn't there.

A deck of playing cards and some whiteboard markers and you’re ready to go.

How to run this activity

Lots of options:

- at a maths rotation station
- as an independent activity
- use cards to guide whole group instruction.

Explicitly explain the task

Lots of ways to do this, but one way I have done this is during a whole class session by running a mini-lesson. Pick a random number from 1-9 and get that number of kids up the front of the classroom. Visually the students can see this, so they can then figure out the other number required to make ten.

Two groups of students helps make sense of grouping of numbers to make 10.

For fun, make your explanation a case study. For example, put it to your students like this:

Your parents said you can have 10 friends over for your birthday party. You have already given out 6 invitations to your friends. [Get six kids up]. How many more invitations can you give out? [Continue to get more kids up as your students count on, stopping at 10].

Write 6 and 4 on the whiteboard and say the numbers are “Friends of 10”. Then explain the activity using the cards. 

Students draw a card and then ask group members for its friend.

And now … the NATURE stuff!!!!

I have included different Ladybug facts on each of the five cards because I really want this activity to generate conversation about topics beyond straight maths (and not just keep the natural world in science)! Here are some ways you might be able to connect this activity with the natural world outside of the classroom.

If counters are needed to play this game, make ladybugs counters from bottle tops

Use a permanent marker for the spots and shading and stick on some googly eyes. Very cute!

Create a word wall or mind map. Use the facts as a literacy activity to build knowledge around a central theme, e.g. insects, gardening (ladybugs are beneficial insects), etc. You can even start to show ecological relationships.

sun → provides energy → plants can grow in your garden → attracts ladybirds → eat aphids which destroy your garden → food for you to eat 

Mind mapping helps students see connections.

After another way to use the activity?

Activity could be run as a whole class activity by displaying a resource card on an interactive whiteboard. Teacher chooses a number from a deck of cards and asks students to give the other number to make “Friends of 10”.

Use your imagination! Use this activity during whole class teaching.

Differentiation within the activity

• Provide concrete materials such as counters or number lines to help your students figure out the missing numbers. Some students may already be counting on from the biggest number and won’t need these, but others will.
• To extend students, get them to use small whiteboards and write out the groupings that make Friends of 10 in equation format.

Extend students by writing facts as equations.

Blog clipart - thanks to A Sketchy Guy, Happy Little Daydreams, Graphics from the Pond.