Mathematics K–6 · Years 1–2

Bundling sticks: tens and ones to 120 and beyond

Number and algebra

Practical, model not builtLow risk

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The idea

Ten ones make one ten, so a large collection is counted by making bundles of ten, and the same number can be named in tens and ones in more than one way.

What you need

150 craft sticks (icy-pole sticks)
20 rubber bands
a place-value mat with columns for hundreds, tens and ones
a 120 chart
a 0 to 1000 number line on a paper strip, marked every 100

How to do it

Tip out a pile of sticks (between 40 and 120). Estimate the count and write it down.
Count out ten sticks and band them. Keep making bundles of ten until fewer than ten loose sticks remain. Place bundles in the tens column and loose sticks in the ones column.
Say the number as tens and ones (for example 7 tens and 3 ones), write it, and find it on the 120 chart.
Add one stick at a time to a pile of 9 ones and show what happens at the tenth stick. Add bundles one at a time from 90 and show what happens at 100 by banding ten bundles together.
Take 73 sticks and rename it: unband one ten to show 6 tens and 13 ones, then 5 tens and 23 ones. Check the total is unchanged by counting.
Year 2: pool the bundles of several pairs to build a three-digit number (for example 3 bundles of a hundred, 4 bundles of ten and 6 loose sticks), write the numeral and mark it on the 0 to 1000 number line. Order three such class numbers.

What you should see

A pile of 73 sticks becomes 7 bundles and 3 loose sticks, and the child reads 73 on the chart without counting by ones. The tenth loose stick forces a new bundle and the tenth bundle forces a bundle of bundles (100). 120 sticks make 12 bundles or 1 hundred, 2 tens and 0 ones. Renaming 73 as 6 tens and 13 ones or 5 tens and 23 ones keeps 73 sticks on the mat every time. Pooled bundles of 3 hundreds, 4 tens and 6 ones make 346, which sits between the 300 and 400 marks on the number line, just under halfway.

What changes

This activity lists no variables to change, measure and keep the same.

Common misconceptions

Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.

In 73 the 7 means seven, not seventy.
Once a number is written in tens and ones there is only one way to write it.

Safety card

Low riskLearners carry it out

Hazards

rubber bands can flick

Controls

band bundles at table height, away from faces

Note

No chemicals or heat are used, so the NSW Department of Education Chemical Safety in Schools package is not needed; ordinary classroom supervision under the school's usual risk management.

Curriculum references

The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.

Mathematics K-10 Syllabus (2022), NSW Education Standards AuthorityMA1-RWN-01 MA1-RWN-02 MAO-WM-01
Australian Curriculum v9AC9M1N01AC9M1N02AC9M2N02AC9M2N01

Sources

The pages the author read to write this activity.

All Concept Studio activities