Everyday Mathematics Kindergarten, Unit 9: Teen Numbers and 3D Shapes
In this unit, your child wraps up kindergarten by building teen numbers from a ten and some ones, making shapes with sticks and clay, and joining small shapes to make bigger ones. It brings together the counting and shape work from across the year and gets your child ready for first-grade work with tens, ones, and shapes.
By Robert “Bobby” BarnettMath teacher, parent, and founder of Bobby’s Math Club
What is my child learning in Unit 9?
- Building teen numbers as one group of ten and some extra ones, and writing equations such as 13 = 10 + 3. Learn more: Teen numbers as ten and some more
- Building shapes with sticks and clay balls, and drawing shapes with straight sides and sharp corners. Learn more: Building and drawing shapes
- Putting small shapes together to make larger shapes, such as joining two triangles along a full side to make a rectangle. Learn more: Putting shapes together to make new shapes
Sample questions to try together
These are real questions from our practice. Tap the speaker to hear one read aloud, or the light bulb for a hint, and talk about the answer together.
Question 1 of 3
What do 10 and 1 make?
- 10
- 11
- 12
How you can help
- Draw a ten-frame on paper, a box of 10 spaces in two rows of 5. Fill it with cereal pieces, set a few more beside it, and name the teen number together.
- Make shapes with straws, using small balls of play dough for the corners. Build a triangle, then a square from four straws of the same length, and count the sides and corners.
- Fold a square paper napkin corner to corner to make two triangles, then unfold it. Talk about how the two triangles, joined along a side, make the square.
Where kids can get stuck
- Losing count while building the ten, so the group holds 9 or 11 instead of 10.
- Drawing a triangle with curved sides or rounded corners instead of three straight sides.
- Joining two triangles corner to corner, leaving a gap instead of making a bigger shape.
Practice makes perfect
Bobby's Math Club has practice problems that adapt to your child’s level, each with a detailed explanation and an easy-to-follow video, so your child can build confidence in these skills one step at a time.
Words your child will hear
- teen number
- A number from 11 to 19, made of ten and some more ones.
- ten ones
- Ten single things, which together make one ten.
- ten-frame
- A box of 10 spaces, in two rows of 5, for showing numbers.
- equation
- A number sentence with an equal sign, like 3 + 2 = 5.
- side
- One of the straight lines that make up a flat shape.
- corner
- A point where two sides of a shape meet.
- triangle
- A flat shape with 3 straight sides and 3 corners.
- join
- To put shapes side by side so they make a new shape.
Ready to build your child’s confidence with teen numbers and shapes?
In Bobby's Math Club, your child practices these skills at just the right level, with a hint when they need one, a clear explanation after every question, and kid-friendly videos. Unlimited practice is free.
Join the club
Written by Robert “Bobby” Barnett
Bobby is an award-winning math teacher, the author of Meet Every Learner’s Needs, and the father of two elementary-school math learners. He uses Bobby’s Math Club with his own kids a few times every week. Learn more or contact Bobby.
Which math standards does Everyday Mathematics Kindergarten Unit 9 cover?
Everyday Mathematics Kindergarten Unit 9 covers these math standards. Each one links to what it means, sample questions, and teaching strategies.
For teachers: Unit names and order vary between editions and districts, so your school’s own materials have the exact sequence. Learn how Bobby's Math Club can help your students grow.