Questions: Making Ten Strategy

Question 1

Using the make-ten strategy to solve 9 + 6, which number should you break apart, and into what parts?

• A. Break the 9 into 5 + 4, then add 5 + 6 = 11, then add 4
• B. Break the 6 into 1 + 5, since 9 needs 1 more to reach 10; then compute 10 + 5 = 15
• C. Break the 6 into 3 + 3, add 9 + 3 = 12, then add 3 more
• D. Break both numbers in half and add the halves separately

Answer: (B)

The make-ten strategy always asks: how much does the larger number need to reach 10? The 9 needs just 1 more. So you take 1 from the 6, giving you 9 + 1 = 10, with 5 left over. Then 10 + 5 = 15. You always break the smaller number into the exact piece the larger number needs, plus the remainder. Breaking the larger number (option A) or breaking randomly (option C) misses the point of the strategy.

Question 2

Why is 10 a useful 'stepping stone' in the make-ten strategy?

• A. Because 10 is the largest single-digit number
• B. Because our number system is organized around tens, so adding to 10 is fast and easy
• C. Because 10 is always exactly in the middle between any two numbers
• D. Because you can split 10 evenly, which makes the math simpler

Answer: (B)

Ten is special because our whole number system is built in base ten — numbers are organized into groups of ten. Once you reach 10, you've completed one full group, and 10 + any single digit is immediately recognizable (10 + 6 = 16, 10 + 7 = 17). This is essentially thinking in place value: one ten and some ones. Ten is a 'friendly' number precisely because of how the number system works, not by coincidence.

Question 3

In the make-ten strategy for 8 + 5, you break the 8 into smaller parts to reach 10.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

This is the most common mix-up. In 8 + 5, you always start with the LARGER number (8) and ask what it needs to reach 10 — that's 2. Then you break the SMALLER number (5) into 2 + 3. You give the 2 to the 8 (making 10), and the 3 is what's left. The larger number stays intact; the smaller number is broken apart. Breaking the larger number instead defeats the strategy.

Question 4

The make-ten strategy works because adding any number to 10 is quick and easy in our base-ten number system.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: True

This captures the deep reason the strategy works. Our number system groups things by tens, so 10 + 3 = 13, 10 + 7 = 17, and so on are almost automatic — the tens digit is always 1 and the ones digit is the number you're adding. The make-ten strategy deliberately routes every addition problem through this easy step, turning hard problems (8 + 5) into easy ones (10 + 3). It's not a trick — it reflects the structure of the number system.

Question 5

Using the example 7 + 5, explain the three steps of the make-ten strategy.

Model answer: Step 1: Find out how much 7 needs to reach 10 — it needs 3. Step 2: Break 5 into 3 + 2 (giving 3 to the 7). Step 3: Now you have 10 + 2 = 12.

The three steps are always: (1) find the 'gap' between the larger number and 10, (2) break the smaller number into that gap plus a remainder, and (3) add the remainder to 10. The strategy works because it uses known number bonds to 10 (7 + 3 = 10) to turn a harder calculation into an easy one (10 + 2 = 12).