Goal: make/read numbers with 3 tens and 1–5 ones. Materials: 3 strips, five ones, transit/art cards.
- Notice, 3: Rebuild 30. Add one paper seat; ask what the model now shows. Key: 31.
- Model, 5: Build 34: “Three tens are thirty. Four loose ones make thirty-four. I write 34, not 304, because the 3 lives in the tens place.” Show 30+4.
- Together, 8: Learners make 31, 33, 35, each time verify tens count and number of loose ones. Use transit model for 31 and art studio for 34; let children select which card matches a shown model.
- Try, 6: Child creates a model for 32 or 35 then asks a partner to read it. Give a tactile mat and digit cards; require the child to control the adult placement if needed.
- Check, 3: Show 3 ten-strips and 5 ones. Key: 35; 30+5. For 53, pair numeral digit positions with the tens and ones columns and contrast a model of 53 if materials permit.