standard_description: Understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens and ones. Understand the following as special cases:
- The numbers from 11 to 19 are composed of a ten and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine ones.
- The numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 refer to one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine tens (and 0 ones).
- 10 can be thought of as a bundle of ten ones — called a “ten.”
problem_activity: Stage 2: Subtract from 20
Required Preparation
Materials to Gather
Number cards 0–10
Materials to Copy
Blackline Masters
How Close? Stage 2 Recording Sheet

Narrative
Before playing, students remove the cards that show the number 10 and set them aside.
Each student picks 4 cards and chooses 2 or 3 to subtract from 20 to get close to 0. The student whose difference is closest to 0 wins a point for the round. Students pick new cards so that they have 4 cards in their hand and then start the next round.


aligns: no