Make Ten Method: The Ultimate Visual Guide for Addition

What is the Make Ten Method?

The Make Ten Method (also known as the "Making Ten Strategy" or "Bridging 10") is a fundamental mental math technique taught in First and Second Grade. It helps students solve addition problems with sums greater than 10 by determining how many more are needed to make a "friendly number" (10).

How This Tool Works

This interactive Make Ten Method Visualizer creates a dynamic representation of addition problems. It allows teachers and students to:

Step 1: Input an addition problem (e.g., 8 + 5).
Step 2: Visualize the first number (8) represented as beads or counters.
Step 3: Break apart the second number (5) to fill the gap to 10. In this case, 5 becomes 2 and 3.
Step 4: See the transformation: 8 + 2 becomes 10, leaving 3 remainder. The problem becomes 10 + 3 = 13.

Why Use Visual Strategies?

Conceptual Understanding

Rote memorization works for some, but visual strategies build number sense. By seeing the "Ten Frame" fill up, students intuitively understand place value and the composition of numbers.

Mental Math Fluency

Mastering the Make Ten strategy is a stepping stone to complex arithmetic. Once a student can instantly see that 9 needs 1, or 8 needs 2, they can solve multi-digit addition problems with ease.

Common Make Ten Pairs

9 + 1 = 10
8 + 2 = 10
7 + 3 = 10
6 + 4 = 10
5 + 5 = 10