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Free Daily Starters · Elementary

Free Daily Starters Elementary Grades 3–5 · 4–6 minutes

Missing Array Tiles

Time Management · Rank the Four

Print it

One page for the student and one for the teacher, with the answer and what a strong response looks like. Print either or both.

A group math table shows tiles, grid paper, pencils, and a duck eraser in a tray.

Oscar starts the array station at the group table during maths rotation. The group needs 12 square tiles to build one model. The tray holds 10 tiles and 1 rubber duck eraser. The teacher says groups may trade bins or draw neat arrays. Oscar can leave the table once, so the choice matters. The other group members pause with pencils ready.

Rank the actions from 1 to 4, with 1 done soonest.

  1. Ask the nearest group to trade for 2 square tiles.
  2. Count the tiles in the tray and name the missing amount.
  3. Use the rubber duck eraser as the missing tile.
  4. Draw the array on grid paper as a backup plan.

Think about it: What makes counting the supplies first a better start than guessing?

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