Skip Counting by 5s, 10s, and 100s

Learning how to skip counting by 5s, 10s, and 100s is a second grade, Common Core math skill: 2.NBT.2. Below we show two videos that demonstrate this standard. Then, we provide a breakdown of the specific steps in the videos to help you teach your class.

Prior Learnings

Your students should be familiar with the first grade skill of counting up to 120 starting from any number below 120 (1.NBT.1), this skill helps them understand greater or less than values. The second grade skill is also closely linked to the first grade skill of understanding place values (ones and tens) in two-digit numbers (1.NBT.2).

Future Learnings

Comparing large numbers as greater than, less than, and equal to will help your students understand future concepts in third grade. In third grade, your students will learn how to interpret the products of whole numbers (i.e. 8 x 3 is the same as 8 groups of 3 objects each) (3.OA.1). They will also learn to use multiplication and division within 100 while solving word problems in situations that involve “equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities” (3.OA.3).

Common Core Standard: 2.NBT.2 - Count within 1000; skip count by 5s, 10s, and 100s

Students who understand this principle can:

1. Count on a 100 chart and number line, explaining any patterns and count to 1000 by counting by 5s, 10s, and 100's. 
2. Identify (written or verbally) missing numbers in a “skip counting pattern.”
3. Describe any “place value patterns” when skip counting.

2 Videos to Help You Teach Common Core Standard: 2.NBT.2 

Below we provide and breakdown two videos to help you teach your students this standard.

Video 1: Skip Counting Bows, Blocks, Balls and More

‍The video teaches students how to count groups of objects by skip counting. The video explains that skip counting is counting by any number other than 1.

For example, you can skip count by 2s: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and so on.

The video then presents a group of bows and sorts them into groups of 5 so your students can count them by 5’s. 

1. There are 5 bows in the first group.
2. There are 5 bows in the next group.
   a. 5 plus 5 is 10.
3. Your students can count on from 10 to see how many 5 more bows would be.
   a. The video counts each bow in the next group starting from 10 ending with 15.
   b. 10 plus 5 more bows is 15.
4. 15 plus 5 more is 20.
5. There is a pattern. The digit in the ones place alternates between 5 and 0.
6. Using that pattern, your students can see the last group equal 25.
   a. There are 25 bows. 
   

The next set of examples demonstrate how students can use skip counting by 5s, 10, and 100s to identify how many individual pieces there are.

1. First, there is a group of unifix cubes in groups of 5.
   a. After skip counting, there are 50 cubes.
2. Second, there is a group of plates with 10 cookies each.
   a. Skip counting by 10s entails adding 10 each time.
   b. The digit in the tens place changes, but the digit in the ones stays the same.
   c. After skip counting, there are 120 cookies.
3. Third, there is a group of boxes with 100 balls in each.
   a. Skip counting by 100 allows students to determine the number of balls.
   b. After skip counting, there are 700 balls.

Video 2: Skip Counting Oranges, Cakes, and Other Objects

Boddle begins by explaining how to count by 5s. A good trick to help your students remember how to count by 5s is that the last digit of each count alternates between 5 and 0.

The first two examples demonstrate how to count by 5s.

1. The first example presents a set of plates with 5 oranges on each.
   a. After skip counting, there are 35 oranges.
   a. Once again, there is an alternating pattern between 5 and 0.
2. The second example presents a group of tables with 5 cakes each.
   a. After skip counting, there are 20 cakes. 
   

The next set of examples show your students how to count by 10s. This time, the last digit will stay 0, or the same. Only the first digit will change.

1. The first example shows stacks of coins in groups of 10.
   a. After skip counting, there are 40 coins.
   b. Notice that the first digits are 1, 2, 3, and 4. It is like counting by 1s, except you add a 0 at the end.
2. The second example shows dominoes with 10 dots each.
   a. After skip counting, there are 80 dots.
   

The last example demonstrates how to count by 100s. It is very similar to counting by 10s, but instead of having one zero at the end, there will be two. 

1. The example shows sheets of papers, stacked by 100s.
   a. After skip counting, there are 500 papers.
2. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are the first digits. Two zeros (00) are simply added to the end.

Want more practice?

Give your students additional standards-aligned practice with Boddle Learning. Boddle includes questions related to Comparing and Measuring Lengths plus rewarding coins and games for your students to keep them engaged. Click here to sign up for Boddle Learning and create your first assignment today.

*Information on standards is gathered from The New Mexico Public Education Department's New Mexico Instructional Scope for Mathematics and the Common Core website.