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Completing the addition statement up to 10

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Completing the Addition Statement Up to 10

This kindergarten lesson teaches students how to complete an addition statement up to 10 when one number is missing. Kids learn to use number bonds, counting on, and ten frames to figure out the missing addend, building a strong foundation for later addition and subtraction skills.

What Does It Mean to Complete an Addition Statement?

An addition statement is a number sentence like \(3 + 4 = 7\). Sometimes one of the numbers is missing, and the job is to figure out what it must be so the statement stays true. A statement up to 10 might look like \(3 + ? = 7\) or \(? + 4 = 10\). Completing the addition statement means finding that missing number, called the missing addend, so both sides of the equal sign balance.

This skill builds directly on writing an addition statement up to 10, where students first learn how to record two parts and a total as a number sentence. Once a student can write a statement, the next step is learning to work backward from it to find a missing piece.

Using a Part Whole Model

One of the easiest ways to picture a missing addend is a part whole model. The whole (the total) sits on top, and it splits into two parts below. If the whole is 10 and one part is 6, the other part must make the difference.

10 6 ? 6 + ? = 10, so the missing part is 4
The whole 10 splits into a known part, 6, and a missing part.

Since \(6 + 4 = 10\), the missing part is 4, and the completed statement is \(6 + 4 = 10\). Thinking in parts and wholes connects nicely with combining together with objects up to 10, where students first joined two groups of real objects to see the total.

Counting On to Find the Missing Addend

Another strategy is counting on. Start at the known number and count forward, one at a time, until reaching the total. The number of counts made is the missing addend.

For \(3 + ? = 7\), start at 3 and count on: 4, 5, 6, 7. That is four counts, so \(3 + 4 = 7\).

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 +4
Counting on from 3 to 7 takes 4 jumps, so the missing addend is 4.

Using a Ten Frame Up to 10

A ten frame is a grid of ten boxes that shows numbers up to 10 clearly. Filling in a known amount and counting the empty boxes shows exactly what the missing addend must be.

5 + ? = 10, so ? = 5
Five boxes are filled and five are empty, showing that the missing addend is 5.

Ten frames work well alongside adding with digits up to 10, since seeing the frame filled in helps connect the picture to the numeral statement.

Worked Examples

Example 1: Complete \(2 + ? = 8\). Counting on from 2: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, that is 6 counts, so \(2 + 6 = 8\).

Example 2: Complete \(? + 5 = 9\). Think about what part goes with 5 to make 9. Since \(4 + 5 = 9\), the missing addend is 4.

Example 3: Complete \(7 + ? = 10\). Using a ten frame with 7 filled boxes leaves 3 empty, so \(7 + 3 = 10\).

Tips for Practicing

Always check the completed statement by adding the two known parts together to make sure they equal the total. Practicing with objects, ten frames, and number lines side by side helps build a strong sense of how numbers up to 10 fit together, which makes later work with larger sums much easier.

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