Trade ten for one
Give partners a pile of base ten blocks and a trading mat. Every time they collect ten unit cubes, they must trade them in for one rod, and ten rods for a flat. Saying "I traded ten ones for one ten!" out loud is the exact thinking kids need later for regrouping.
Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
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