🔢 Year 1 Compare Numbers with the Same Number of Tens

This week, our Year 1 mathematicians have been building on their understanding of place value to compare numbers within 100. They’ve been exploring how the tens and ones digits work together to make a number — and how we can use this knowledge to decide which numbers are greater, less, or equal.

🧮 Building on Previous Learning

Earlier in the year, the children learned to use the words greater than, less than, and equal to, along with the symbols >, <, and =. This week, they’ve taken that learning further by comparing numbers that have the same number of tens but different numbers of ones.

For example:

• 42 and 47 both have 4 tens, but 47 is greater because it has more ones.

• 35 and 33 both have 3 tens, but 33 is fewer because it has fewer ones.

🗣️ Using Mathematical Language

We’ve been practising using the words fewer and less accurately:

• Fewer is used when talking about objects (e.g., “There are fewer cubes.”)

• Less is used when talking about values (e.g., “37 is less than 39.”)

Encouraging children to use these words correctly helps them develop clear mathematical reasoning and communication.

🧱 Hands-On Learning with Base 10

To make this concept concrete, the children used Base 10 equipment — tens rods and ones cubes — to build and compare numbers. They enjoyed physically making numbers and seeing how changing just the ones digit affects the total value. This hands-on approach helps them visualise what happens when we compare numbers with the same tens.