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Common Core MathKindergartenNumbers in Base Ten

K.NBT.1: Teen Numbers as Ten Ones and Some More

Also written as K.NBT.A.1 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.NBT.A.1 · Cluster: Work with numbers 11-19 to gain foundations for place value.

Get the Place Value ChartAll 22 Kindergarten Math Standards

The Official Wording

Compose and decompose numbers from 11 to 19 into ten ones and some further ones, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each composition or decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g., 18 = 10 + 8); understand that these numbers are composed of ten ones and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine ones.

Common Core State Standards, Kindergarten, Number & Operations in Base Ten · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What K.NBT.1 Means in Plain English

Kindergartners take a teen number apart into ten ones and some more ones. With 14 counters, they fill a ten frame with 10, set 4 beside it, and say and write 14 = 10 + 4. Going the other way, 10 and 6 more make 16.

The word “fourteen” hides its ten, so children often hear it as four. Building every teen number on a ten frame makes the ten visible. In 1st grade the ten becomes a unit, and 14 is read as 1 ten and 4 ones (1.NBT.2).

K.NBT.1 I Can Statements

  • I can show a teen number as ten ones and some more.
  • I can write 14 = 10 + 4 to match my counters.
  • I can tell how many more than ten a teen number has.

K.NBT.1 Worked Example

One teen number in two columns, with the ten frame full and the extra ones beside it, which is the picture every teen number shares.

14 by place value
1Tens
4Ones
Count out 14 counters. Fill a ten frame first: that is 10 ones with no gaps. The 4 left over sit beside the frame, so 14 is ten ones and 4 more ones.
14 = 10 + 4

fourteen: ten ones and four more ones

Common Mistakes with K.NBT.1

Hearing “fourteen” as four

Writes 4 for fourteen, or 41

Try this: Build the number on a ten frame first, then write the ten before the ones: say “ten and four” while writing 14.

Counting all 14 again

Asked how many more than ten, the child recounts from 1 every time

Try this: Cover the full ten frame with a hand, say “ten” once, and count on from there: ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen.

An equation that does not match the picture

A full ten frame and 4 extras recorded as 14 = 7 + 7

Try this: Point to each part of the equation and ask where it is in the counters. The 10 must be the full frame.

Where K.NBT.1 Fits

Comes BeforeK.CC.5Count out a given number of objects, up to 20, which is where the 14 counters come from.K.OA.3Break a number up to 10 into two parts, like 6 = 2 + 4.
AlongsideK.OA.4Find the number that makes 10 with any number from 1 to 9.K.CC.3Write the numerals 0 to 20, including the teens.
Comes Next1.NBT.2A two-digit number is tens and ones, and the teen numbers are 1 ten and some ones.1.NBT.4Add within 100 using tens and ones.

Practice K.NBT.1

Addition Worksheet GeneratorFree ToolSums of 10 plus a one-digit number, so every answer is a teen number: 10 + 3, 10 + 7, 10 + 9. Have students draw the ten frame beside each one.10 plus onesWithin 20Answer key
Make a Worksheet

Quick Check

  1. Show 16 as ten ones and some more ones. Write the equation.
  2. A ten frame is full and there are 2 more counters beside it. What number is that?
  3. Ava has 10 red beads and 9 blue beads. How many beads does she have, and how do you know without counting them all?

K.NBT.1: Other Names

K.NBT.1K.NBT.A.1CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.NBT.A.1

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.