Math is Elemental

Help students look for the difference. The attached is based on the idea behind Ten Frames and is intended to help with basic subtraction. To get one in the habit of looking for the gap. It helps early on when filling out pages of single-digit subtraction problems. One can learn to quickly identify numbers one and two digits apart. Helps later on when faced with problems like: calculating: 201 - 199 = ? or, 201 - 6 = ? Same skill. Mind the gap. 'See' the values on a number line. Then decide

The introduction of Decimals is a good time to show that the Ones column is the foundation of the numbering system. The Place Value chart is symmetrical around this column - not the Decimal Point. Too many students think the Decimal Point is the center. Too many PV charts imply the Decimal Point is the center. Emphasizing the Ones column helps address this common mistake. Note: The Ones column is not labeled as Whole Numbers to emphasize the symmetry of Place Value.