MATH · PRE-K-K, GRADES 1-2 · 25-30 MIN
The 100-Day House: Counting, Grouping and Place Value to 100 lesson plan
Children group 100 objects into tens across rooms, count by tens and ones, and compare rooms using tens-and-ones language.
At a glance
Time: 25-30 min
Grades: Pre-K-K, Grades 1-2
Subject: Math: Counting, Grouping and Place Value to 100
Grouping: Small groups.
Space: 3-5 rooms or areas.
Teacher prep: 10 min printing + 10 min taping
Included: Teacher guide, student sheet, checks for understanding, exit ticket with answers
Open the printable lesson: teacher guide and student sheet →
Essential question
How many tens make 100, and can you walk to each one?
What students learn and show
Learn: Ten ones make a ten; ten tens make 100; numbers can be described as tens and ones.
Show: Count a collection by grouping tens and say the number in tens and ones.
Objectives
Count to 100 by ones and by tens
Group objects into tens and count the groups
Connect groups of ten to place value (tens and ones)
Compare two rooms' totals using place-value language
Before this lesson students should: Counting to 20 by ones.
Materials and prep
The 1:1 print
100+ countable objects (cubes, beanbags)
Ten-frames or hoops for grouping
Number cards
Prep (about 10 min to print, 10 min to tape)
Scatter 100+ objects across rooms.
Provide ten-frames or hoops.
Space: 3-5 rooms or areas.
Grouping: Small groups.
Ways to run it: Painter's tape on the floor; 1:1 printed floor plan; real
Lesson procedure
Teacher model: 'I make a ten: 1, 2, ... 10 in the frame. Three tens and four ones: 10, 20, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34.'
Guided practice: Groups make tens in one room with an adult.
Ones walk: count objects in one room by ones, stepping to each, slowly.
Make tens: group the objects into tens using frames; a room now holds, say, 3 tens and 4 ones.
Count by tens: walk room to room counting the tens (10, 20, 30), then add leftover ones.
Build 100: as a class, gather tens until ten tens stand together. Ten tens = 100.
Compare: which room had more? Say it in tens and ones ('4 tens 2 ones is more than 3 tens 9 ones').
Checks for understanding
Ask: How many tens are in 100? Look for: Ten.
Ask: A room has 3 tens and 4 ones. How many? Look for: 34.
Ask: Which is more, 4 tens 2 ones or 3 tens 9 ones? Look for: 42 is more than 39.
Exit ticket
Count this pile by making tens. How many? Answer: Correct count with tens shown.
Say it in tens and ones. Answer: Correct tens and ones.
Scoring: Observed: Yes / Not yet.
Common misconception
Students may think: More ones means more (39 > 42 because 9 > 2).
Address it: Compare tens first.
Supports and extensions
Learning support: Count to 20 with a partner and one ten-frame; the physical grouping is the whole support.
Multilingual learners: Counting sequence carried by stepping; 'ten,' 'group,' 'more' shown with the frames.
Mobility and access: Children can group objects at a table; counting by tens stays the goal.
Extension: Build 100 a new way — two fifties? Four twenty-fives? Which groupings walk easily and which fight?
Transfer task: Count crayons in the class bin by tens.
Spaced review: Next week: compare 56 and 65 with tens frames.
Standards connections
CCSS 1.NBT.B.2 (standard)
CCSS K.CC.A.1 (standard)
Connections show which skills the activity practices. They are not a claim of full coverage; see the library for scope notes.
Why this approach
A review arguing that early play with blocks, puzzles and shapes, and the spatial talk it prompts, supports spatial skills and school readiness. Limit: A review and argument, not a test of this lesson.
Ready to teach it?
The printable version has the full teacher guide, a student recording sheet, prep steps and an exit ticket. Open the printable lesson →
Need the floor plan itself? Get a 1:1 print quote.
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