MathK-2
Comparing Two-Digit Numbers with Base-Ten Blocks
By Shelby C.
A 5-day practice unit for 1st graders that builds and compares numbers from 0 to 120 using tens rods and ones cubes. Students practice reasoning about place value, learn that more tens means a bigger number, and finish each day with guided "Your Turn" sentence frames.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a daily 20-30 minute math block across five days, starting each session with a quick base-ten block demo before students work independently or in pairs.
- Discussion question: "Why is 34 bigger than 29 even though 29 has more ones?" Encourage students to explain using the words tens and ones.
- Scaffold for struggling readers: provide physical base-ten blocks at each desk and have students build each number before comparing, pointing to the tens rods first.
- Extension for advanced students: ask them to build two numbers with the same number of tens and different ones, then explain which is larger and why.
- Plan roughly 25 minutes per day, with a short wrap-up where students share one comparison sentence aloud.
MathK-2
Comparing Two-Digit Numbers with Base-Ten Blocks
By Shelby C.
A 5-day practice unit for 1st graders that builds and compares numbers from 0 to 120 using tens rods and ones cubes. Students practice reasoning about place value, learn that more tens means a bigger number, and finish each day with guided "Your Turn" sentence frames.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as a daily 20-30 minute math block across five days, starting each session with a quick base-ten block demo before students work independently or in pairs.
- Discussion question: "Why is 34 bigger than 29 even though 29 has more ones?" Encourage students to explain using the words tens and ones.
- Scaffold for struggling readers: provide physical base-ten blocks at each desk and have students build each number before comparing, pointing to the tens rods first.
- Extension for advanced students: ask them to build two numbers with the same number of tens and different ones, then explain which is larger and why.
- Plan roughly 25 minutes per day, with a short wrap-up where students share one comparison sentence aloud.