Use the book 10 Black Dots to inspire activities to work on composing 10 and number sense. Be creative with small world play and a free writing prompt.
I bought the book 10 Black Dots (Affiliate link) by Donald Crews over the summer, and I was so excited to use it in the classroom! It is perfect to learn how to decompose 10 and I used it to inspire some learning opportunities.
10 Black Dots Small World Play
I started by reading the book with our class and counting the dots on each of the pages. Then I set up a small world play center where students could create their own images using black dots. I cut some circles out of felt, and also put out 10 black gems. Added in some other loose parts and let students explore and create.
Love all their awesomely creative ideas: teddy bears, people, family at the movie theater, gardens!
They got a chance to use the materials in any way that they wanted. There was: gems, popsicle sticks, wood numbers, peg people, buttons, and small dowels.
10 Black Dots Class Book
The next week, we made a class book together. Every student got a chance to create their own image using black dots. We cut out a whole lot of black dots out of construction paper and let them create whatever they wanted.
I put them together into a book so that students can look through it whenever they want! They love seeing themselves as authors and illustrators.
If you would like to create your own class book, I am offering it as a freebie! I made it in two versions. The PDF is not editable so you would have to write in your class name, the Word document can be edited to add your name and the date to it.
10 Black Dots Class Book – Word Version
10 Black Dots Class Book – PDF Version
more Math Activities
If you are looking for more math books to read to your students, take a look at my Math Books blog post. I also have a post that will give you ideas for working on How to Practice Making Ten.
Need more daily inspiration for your classroom? Make sure you are following me here, on Facebook and on Instagram!