Definition
Ten frame
A ten frame is a 2-by-5 grid that shows a number by filling up to ten spaces.
Continue from this idea into connected AXIO math.
What it means
Fill the five spaces in the top row before moving to the bottom row. Then you can often see the number without counting every counter: a full row means 5, the counters below are extras, and the empty spaces show how many are needed to make 10.
Remember it
See five first, then notice the extras—or count the empty spaces to ten.
Example
The top row is full and the first two spaces in the bottom row contain counters. That is 5 and 2 more, so the frame shows 7. The three empty spaces show that 7 needs 3 more to make 10.
Watch for
The empty grid is only the structure; the occupied cells or counters are what represent a quantity.
Common mix-up
A ten frame always has ten cells, even when some of them are empty.
Exact meaning
A ten frame is a rectangular array of ten equal cells arranged in two rows of five. Counters placed in a consistent order represent a quantity and reveal its relationships to 5 and 10.