Using Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews to Decompose Numbers
Being a licensed in both Math and ELA, I like to find ways to integrate both subjects into the same lesson. My favorite way to do this is by using picture books as they are highly engaging for students. They have the ability to unlock kids’ imagination and help them create connections. When I read Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews I realized it’s a perfect book for a math lesson!
If you want more fun math/STEM lessons based on picture books, be sure to subscribe!
Pin It!
Don’t you hate it when you see a good lesson, but you’ve already taught that concept this year! Pin it to your Pinterest board, so you can find it next year! Here’s a sample of my Pinterest Board!
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
Donald Crews’s Ten Black Dots is the perfect for book to use in a preschool or kindergarten math classroom or a homeschool setting. It’s a very simple, high contrast counting book. The author uses the dots to make pictures. The dots appear as train wheels; the heads of army soldiers; or coins in a piggy bank. And because they are so big, they can be easily counted. The other helpful thing that Crews does is that on some of his spreads, he groups his dots which lends itself to representing addition situations.
Standards
This lesson aligns to the following Ohio and the Common Core Math and ELA Standards:
Math
Understand addition as putting together and adding to, and understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from.
- K.OA.1 Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.
- K.OA.2 Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem.
- K.OA.3 Decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more than one way, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g., 5 = 2 + 3 and 5 = 4 + 1).
ELA
- RI.K.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
- RI.K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
- SL.K.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
- SL.K.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
The Activity
Part 1
Read Ten Black Dots with your students. Have them count along with you. For examples where the dots are split into groups, such as when there are three dots in each hand or when there are different wheels on the train, draw a picture on the board and represent the situation with an addition equation.
Part 2
Give students a piece of paper that is folded in half. Unfold the paper. Put a plus side on the fold line and an equal side either towards the right or towards the left of the paper. (Note: To prevent future misconceptions about equivalence, it’s essential to vary the position of the equal sign. For example, if you want students to add 3 and 7. Sometimes you should have them to write the equation as 10 = 7 + 3 and at other times you should use 7 + 3 = 10. )
Have students roll a 10-sided number cube. Tell students that this is their total number of dots for the activity. If they are able to write, you can have them write it on the back of the paper.
Give each student a dot marker. Then tell students they are going to use their dot marker to paint the number of dots that they rolled onto their paper and turn it into a picture. However, here is the catch. They have to put some dots on each side. They can’t have all the dots on the same side.
If students are able, you can have them fill in their equation. If students are unable to write numerals yet, go around the classroom and have them describe their equation orally and then model writing the equation for them.
Have the students present their pictures to the class. This will help them with their speaking and listening ELA standards and pave the way for math talks in the future.
Conclusion
I love finding ways to activate student’s imagination in the math classroom. It makes learning more fun for everyone including me. Subscribe to my blog for more fun math and STEM activities that can be delivered straight to your inbox! That way you won’t miss a thing!
Here are some other activities I have written so far that you might be interested in:
- Winnie the Pooh Day: Incorporating Literacy with STEM
- Numberblocks and Math Mondays: Making Math Fun for Toddlers
- Enhance Learning with Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons: Math & ELA Connections
- Engaging Math Lesson: Zero Zebras and Infinity
- Our 16 Favorite Picture Books about Giants
- Ten Flashing Fireflies |A Cross-Curricular STEM Unit on Fireflies for Math, ELA, Science, and Music
- Interactive Math and ELA Lesson using Ten in a Hurry by Lo Cole
Ladder and Friends Learn to Pray
Are you looking for a way to disciple your young son or grandson? Are you having a difficult time finding Christian resources that target young boys? If so, I have the perfect book for you: Ladder and Friends Learn to Pray!
Many of the Christian resources I found for young children had cute little kids and cuddly animals. This was not appealing at all to my son; he wanted trucks and wheel and trains! So, I scoured Amazon looking for Christian books aimed at young boys, but I couldn’t find anything. Therefore, I decided to write my own. It should be available Spring/Summer 2026. Join my pre-order mailing list today to get the latest updates about when the book will be available. (Note: There is NO financial obligation at this time!)
Follow and Share!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media! Be sure to pin this post!
