Turkeys to Ten!

{Click the picture to download the freebie turkey pattern!}


Decomposing numbers can be tricky!  I always like for my students to see the relationship between the numbers before we start adding plus signs and equal signs.  I also like teaching decomposing numbers using the word "and."  This reinforces the idea that 8 and 2 make 10, & 2 and 8 make 10!  I always use the example:  "I like dogs AND cats" means the same thing as "I like cats AND dogs."  It doesn't matter what order the words are in, the sentence means the same thing.  This builds a solid foundation for later when we talk about the order of our addends in an addition sentence.

Happy Gobbling!