Practical Elementary Resources

Are your students struggling with addition and subtraction within 20? This bundle includes 4 puzzle-based math centers that help students build number sense through picture models, number bonds, equations, and word problems. Designed to build number sense, these puzzles have students match visual representations to number bonds, word problems, and addition/subtraction equations within 20. The puzzles are built for 1st graders. The... Visuals are clear and spaced far enough to make finger count

First graders struggling with word problems? This Grade 1 math mini unit is designed to help students build strong number sense through counting, grouping, and part–part–whole relationships within 20. Inspired by my own son’s love of vehicles, this mini unit features common vehicles and locations. Activities move intentionally from concrete counting to visual models, number bonds, and word problems for addition and subtraction within 20. This unit focuses on developing number sense through th

Are your students learning to check addition and subtraction equations using ten frames? This ten frame error analysis 1st-grade math center helps students develop fact fluency, use math vocabulary, and practice addition and subtraction within 10.With vocabulary and math talk cards included, these error analysis cards help students understand and use key math vocabulary: addend, difference, total, and sum. This not only helps develop their understanding of addition and subtraction, but also buil

Target addition and subtraction within 20 using these number line error analysis math cards. Perfect for a math center, these task cards help students practice addition and subtraction within 20 using a number line. These task cards are designed for 1st-grade math practice, and feature large, visible number lines and clear jumps. They help students develop math sense, skip count, develop fact fluency within 20, and use mathematical reasoning. The task cards all feature an equation and a number l

Students struggling with word problems? These word problem puzzles within 20 aim to scaffold students' understanding of word problems. This resource aims to reduce cognitive load for students. As they read word problems (already challenging for so many of our 1st graders!) and make sense of the visual models, they see multiple examples of word problems within 20 modeled. This helps scaffold what common phrases in word problems mean, and gives them ideas on how to draw their own models when they

Are your students struggling with number sense? Do they need help connecting visual models to part-part-whole representations? These part-part-whole number bond puzzles help students make the connection between visual models and number bonds. As they practice and complete the puzzle, their understanding of how numbers can be broken and put together will strengthen. These puzzles include 28 separate puzzles within 20. Students match picture models of vehicles to the correct number bond. In doin

Do your students need meaningful practice with addition within 20? Build fact fluency, counting accuracy, and number sense with these addition within 20 puzzles. As students complete these hands-on puzzles, they match picture models to addition equations. Repeated exposure to visual models builds their number sense, counting strategies, and helps them develop a stronger conceptual understanding of addition. These addition puzzles within 20 are now part of a bundle. The bundle also includes pu

Is your class having trouble with subtraction? These math center puzzles are designed to help students practice subtraction within 20. The hands-on puzzles engage students in matching visual models to a written equation. In doing so, they build their number sense, counting skills, and comprehension of subtraction. These subtraction puzzles within 20 are now part of a bundle. The bundle also includes puzzles that focus on word problems, part-part-whole, and addition within 20. The cards are spl

Students struggling to make sense of word problems? This Grade 1 math center helps students slow down, compare representations, and decide which one is wrong. Instead of only solving for an answer, students must look carefully at a word problem, compare it to two visual representations, and explain what does not match. In doing so, they see multiple examples of number bonds, visual representations, and build up their conceptual understanding of common word problem phrases, such as "how many more

Are you looking to target place value, skip counting, and overall number sense with your students? Or maybe they're learning how to regroup and, despite your best efforts, they're struggling with it. ,Often, when we teach regrouping and carrying tens, we solve weak conceptual understanding with more strategies or more practice. Yet for many of our students, the difficulty is in the concept of a ten itself, which can feel very removed and abstract from their lives.These task cards were made for t

Do your students need more practice with word problems within 20? These 4 free sample puzzles help students match word problems to picture models within 20. As they complete the puzzles, they read the word problem, decide if it would require addition or subtraction, and choose the best visual model to match it. This free sample is part of a larger 28 puzzle set, found here. The full resource uses common math vocabulary such as altogether, how many more, and how many are left, and includes bot