Expedition Number 93 Tracing: a Clever Three-by-Thirty-One Count
Continue from the expedition lesson on sheet 93 with all 100 worksheets in one $8 PDF.
Sheet 93 shows the large reference, six practice lines and the ten-cell strip in context.
Full-page preview of NINETY-THREE from the clean collection, with 5 numeral models per row and the original page frame.
A school expedition prepares three sets of thirty-one paper flags. Petra puts the groups on three tables and checks the count for the whole trip. She notices one flag left over at the end of each table's full tens. Give the checker Number 93 Tracing. Ask where 93 appears in the printed run and what it says in words. When the report is ready, let the child test the numeral on one dotted model. There is room to revisit that stroke later.
From the expedition story to a label of 93
Three groups of thirty-one make ninety-three. Nine full tens account for ninety flags. The three single flags account for the right digit. Reversing the order gives thirty-nine, a much smaller count.
Put 9 complete tens in a tray and set 3 singles alongside. Arrange two digit cards above the tray. Ask the helper to point to 9 when talking about full groups, and to 3 when talking about pieces left outside them.
Keep a draft sign face down until a second person has counted the expedition arrangement. Then turn it over and hear both ways of explaining 93. One explanation can follow the order in which the materials arrived; the other can start with their final grouped form.
Two ways to run the expedition lesson
Family version. Lay out three cards marked THIRTY and set one flag drawing by each. Gather the single pieces and ask the child to explain the 93 sign.
Classroom version. Have three children describe one table each. Let a fourth compare the total to a deliberately reversed 39 card before labeling the supplies.
Before switching roles, ask: Which number would fit if a single flag were added to each of the three tables? A child who can move the pieces but cannot yet explain the answer can show the action first. Give the next person a chance to describe what moved and what stayed fixed.
Build an expedition supply report
Give each team a bag of three labeled strips and a single paper flag. Have a young quartermaster draw a line under each team count, then prepare a separate sign for the whole trip. The loose flags will be easy to miss when each is held by a different team, so send one collector to bring them together.
Let one team hand its loose flag to another team, leaving the full strips where they are. Have the quartermaster check both team counts without changing the total sign. On a second round take a flag away from the trip altogether. Ask which version can still use 93 and what action made the other version different.
Help the expedition recorder after the first try
| What you notice with 93 | A small cue | Follow up at the expedition table |
|---|---|---|
| An incomplete expedition sign | Read the 93 sign while touching the count that each written position describes. | Give the materials to a partner who can rebuild the full count of 93. |
| A crowded copy of 93 | Put a fingertip between the first model and 3 to point out the breathing room. | Make one new copy on scratch paper and compare its spacing with the dotted guide. |
| The label stops before NINETY-THREE | Use the large printed name to rehearse the missing part as one chunk. | Match the complete word to the 93 card without pointing to the objects. |
| The shaded 93 gives away the answer | Mask only the shaded cell and show a neighboring figure. | Tell which direction to move from the visible value to reach 93. |
Take only one cue from this table for each visit to the 93 worksheet. A child who explains the amount accurately may still find a stroke difficult. Give that child a different way to report the count, such as finding the right card, before offering the pencil again.
Number 93 Tracing with one change at a time
For this practice, trace the upper loop of 9 and give the two curves of 3 room to turn. Put a plain piece of paper over the rows below the chosen model so the next movements stay in view. Let the learner take one breath between studying the guide and drawing the new 93.
Compare the result with the model instead of counting how many marks were completed. Check the opening shape near 9, the distance to the next part and how much room the remaining digits use. Say what helped the expedition label read clearly when held upright.
The sheet offers 5 copies per numeral row across four rows. Use a different row for each return if that helps the learner see progress. A child can leave several examples untouched and use one later to try a different grip or paper angle.
Let a partner read the NINETY-THREE sign
At the start of the reading turn, follow THREE through the final two Es and say NINETY-THREE as a whole. The worksheet has two word rows in capital letters. Use one for following the printed name at speaking speed, and use the other for a slower pencil turn if the learner is ready.
Put a separate sign marked 93 next to a card with NINETY-THREE. One person can quietly choose the card they are going to read. The listener holds up its match and explains why both can stand beside the same expedition display. Swap the cards before giving the next turn.
What the large 93 shows the recorder
Study the outline of 93 before following any dots. Draw a wide copy in the air and let a partner point to the first mark. Turn the sketch into a expedition label only once the recorder can read it aloud without looking at the small writing guides.
Cover the outline with a strip of paper, leaving the written name visible. Say ninety-three, then slide the strip away and check what that label looks like as a numeral. Ask whether the two boxes can be read in either order and still report the same count.
Look for 93 between 91 and 100
Say the first value, 91, as the finger touches the first cell. Keep each number word on its own square until reaching position 3. Stop above 93 rather than after it, and tell a partner how to find that position when the shading is hidden.
Step left to the printed 92. The printed 94 is one space right of 93. Connect each change to moving just one object. Let the learner speak the result before touching the next card. When the strip runs out, a separate card can keep the count going without writing on the worksheet.
To test sequence separately from writing, cover the 93 square with paper and leave the nearest printed value visible. Invite the child to name the missing cell from that clue. Bring back the uncovered strip to check rather than asking the child to copy the answer.
An independent check for the next 93 visit
Set out the expedition materials in a different arrangement but keep the total unchanged. Hand the child a correct 93 sign and another marked 92. Ask for a check that would convince a partner who did not watch the rearranging.
Switch from a written answer to a spoken one partway through. The learner can explain how the digits in 93 are ordered, then read ninety-three back to the listener. If the words come easily but the count does not, return to the materials before filling more lines.
Keep the small success visible: set aside one readable numeral, one sensible explanation or one accurate sequence step. At the next visit, start by asking how the learner found it. Have the child pick a fresh model only after describing what they want to see in their own 93.
Tell a late team what the flag sign means
Give a late arrival only the expedition’s combined sign, without showing them the separate bags. Ask the learner to tell them what the sign counts and what it cannot tell them by itself. Then show the equal team groups and let a partner check the smaller count for one bag. Pretend a fourth bag holds equipment but no flags. Add it to the table and ask whether the sign for flags has changed. This makes the counting question explicit before the learner traces a copy of the number. Finish by having the late arrival point to the correct number word to confirm that they read the report.
Choose a second activity after the expedition count
Try ten paths for pencil control for a shorter turn with earlier values, the 1–10 beginner tracing sheets for a change of pace, or short practice with single digits as a different challenge. Ask which activity would help the 93 recorder most, and name one thing to watch while doing it.
The NAEYC family play articles offer ideas for taking turns. PBS KIDS Learn & Grow has early math activities for a day when the expedition learner would rather count, move or talk.
Print the 93 sheet for another visit
Download the original free PDF for 93, or sign in with an eligible membership to get the version without site branding. For either copy choose US Letter in portrait. Check that the outer rule and the bottom number strip both fit before making copies for a group.
Test the printed NINETY-THREE rows on one sheet. If the guide dots are too light to follow, use the printer’s normal setting. The existing $8 collection contains this worksheet on page 93, and its page list continues in numerical order from 1 through 100.
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