Can you make 10

The first operation a child learns is to ADD.  There is much time spent in adding this number to that.   I strongly believe learning how to get to 10 should come first .  If we look at the counting integers 1 to 9 we should ask, what unique set of 2 of them add to 10?

  1 + 9, 2 + 8, 3 + 7,  4 + 6,  5 + 5 (ALL ADD TO 10) 

Before calculators fill their hands in 6th or 7th grade this needs to be pairs to look for when adding.  Then as they sum by 10's their speed and confidence will increase.

This is just the start.  Now the next question makes further learning easier.  And like the pattern above it is important they see this as a pattern.  Which UNIQUE SETS of three numbers make 10?

1 + 1 + 8 = 10

1 + 2 + 7 = 10 

1 + 3 + 6 = 10 

1 + 4 + 5 = 10 

2 + 2 + 6 = 10 

2 + 3 + 5 = 10 

2 + 4 + 4 = 10

3 + 3 + 4 = 10

In this pattern if we tried 1 + 5 + ? it would be 4, and we already have it.
So we need to go to 2, but we can not do 2 + 1, as we already did that. 

As the children create these it is up to us to lead them to the pattern.
Have them just think of numbers that fit first.  By doing this they do
all the other combinations they practice up to 10; 2 + 3 = 5, 3 + 4 = 7,
and they are writing them down over and over.

Which unique set of 4 numbers make 10?