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How to Teach the Base 10 Number System to 1st and 2nd Graders

If you are an elementary teacher looking for tips and ideas for how to teach the base 10 number system, then you found the right place! Learn what the base 10 number system is, why it’s important, what your students need to know, and get 5 helpful tips for teaching it in a fun and engaging way. Read all about teaching the base 10 number system below!

What is the Base 10 Number System?

The base 10 number system is the foundation of our number system and the core of understanding mathematics. In our base ten number system, the position of a number determines its value. Each place represents ten times the value of the place to the right of it.

Why is the Base 10 Number System Important?

It is important for students to learn the base 10 number system because students at the elementary level need to develop a strong conceptual understanding of place value in order to grow both their math confidence and skill sets as they approach more complex numbers and situations.

What the Base 10 Number System Skills Do Students Need to Know?

Below are the Common Core and TEKs standards that relate to the base 10 number system that define what students should be able to do by the end of the school year.

Common Core Standards

Below are the CCSS standards related to how to teach the base 10 system.

1st Grade

  • Understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens and ones. Understand the following as special cases: (NBT.B.2)
  • 10 can be thought of as a bundle of ten ones — called a “ten.” (1.NBT.B.2.A)
  • The numbers from 11 to 19 are composed of a ten and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine ones. (1.NBT.B.2.B)
  • The numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 refer to one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine tens (and 0 ones). (1.NBT.B.2.C)

2nd Grade

  • Understand that the three digits of a three-digit number represent amounts of hundreds, tens, and ones; e.g., 706 equals 7 hundreds, 0 tens, and 6 ones. Understand the following as special cases: (2.NBT.A.1)
  • 100 can be thought of as a bundle of ten tens — called a “hundred.” (2.NBT.A.1.A)
  • The numbers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 refer to one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine hundreds (and 0 tens and 0 ones). (2.NBT.A.1.B)

TEKS

Below are the TEKS standards related to how to teach the base 10 system.

1st Grade

  • Use concrete and pictorial models to compose and decompose numbers up to 120 in more than one way as so many hundreds, so many tens, and so many ones. (1.2.B)

2nd Grade

  • I can use models to make a number that has hundreds, tens and ones. (2.1.A)
  • Use concrete and pictorial models to compose and decompose numbers up to 1,200 in more than one way as a sum of so many thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones. (2.2.A)
  • Use standard, word, and expanded forms to represent numbers up to 1,200. (2.2.B)

5 Tips for How to Teach the Base 10 Number System

Below are 5 helpful tips for teaching the base 10 number system to elementary students.

1. Read Aloud Picture Books that Teach the Base 10 Number System

Reading aloud picture books is a great way to integrate literacy into your math block and present information in a different way. Our favorite picture books for teaching the base 10 number system are Chicka Chicka 123 by Bill Martin Jr, Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews and 100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Days by Bruce Goldstone. Check out the full list of math picture books we recommend!

2. Offer Hands On Learning Experiences

Hands-on math experiences help students make connections, remember their learning, and develop a deep conceptual understanding of the content. You can make any lesson interactive and engaging by offering math manipulatives. Our favorite math manipulatives for teaching the base 10 number system are base-ten blocks, number tiles and place value frames. 

Teaching math vocabulary is essential for all students, but it is especially beneficial for students who speak English as a second language and students with learning differences. Key vocabulary terms for the base 10 number system are digit, multi-digit, rods, units, base-ten system, place value, position, tens, ones, zero, regroup, standard form, word form, expanded form, base-ten model, hundreds, thousands, concrete model, pictorial model, flats, place, position and value. 

4. Give Students Opportunities to Apply the Base 10 Number System to the Real World

Learning becomes more meaningful when students understand how it connects to the real world. Students are more engaged and invested in their learning. Some examples of ways we use the base 10 number system in the real world are determining costs, weight, distances and time. Project based learning and word problems are examples of opportunities for students to apply their learning to real world situations.

5. Encourage Parent Involvement

Parent participation in math is essential because it impacts students’ attitude toward math, proficiency levels this school year, and future success in their math education. Be sure to keep communication open with families and share ways they can support their children in their math learning. Some examples of ways they can practice the base 10 number system at home are determining the best price when shopping at the grocery store, finding the fastest route home from the beach, or determining who ran the fastest at track practice.

In closing, we hope you found this information about how to teach the base 10 number system helpful!

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