Do you clearly hear the -n at the end of teen numbers? Probably not. That is why children, and especially English language learners, easily confuse teen numbers and “-ty” numbers, 20, 30, 40, etc. Add to that the fact that in teen numbers we name the ones before we say “teen” and no wonder young learners confuse numbers like 13 and 30 or 18 and 80.

What you can do:
1. Use child friendly visuals like ten frames to model and reinforce early numeracy. Check out this video, Count to Ten.

2. Help families understand ten frames. This video, Getting Started with Ten Frames, is a really helpful introduction.

3. In the classroom, exaggerate pronunciation when you talk about teen numbers. I like to put a silly “n-n-n” sound on the end of teen numbers. That really gets children’s attention and we all laugh a little.

4. Talk about solutions when doing simple exercises.
For example,
9 + 5 = 14 “Is that sum 4 plus 10 or 4 groups of 10?”
28 + 2 = 30 “Is that product 3 plus 10 or 3 groups of 10?”

“There’s an app for that!” This inexpensive KinderMath app covers Common Core Standards for Kindergarten and Grade 1, incorporating ten frame models throughout to make sure children visualize the relationship between rote counting and quantity.

All of these ideas will help you align your instruction with the Common Core Standards, too.

Thanks for all you do to educate our nation’s children!