To gain a deep understanding of mathematical ideas, students need to be able to integrate and connect a variety of concepts in many different ways. Clements (1999) calls this type of understanding "Integrated-Concrete" knowledge. The effective use of manipulatives can help students connect ideas and integrate their knowledge so that they gain a deep understanding of mathematical concepts.
The Dragon Crafters listened to the book, Sir Cumference and All the King's Tens: A Math Adventure. We then became "bean counters" to determine how many guests were attending our feast. The students brainstormed many ways we could count all of the beans. We discussed the pros and cons of each suggestion. After much discussion, the students agreed that we should count 10 beans into small cups; collect 10 cups and combine them into a tray; collect 10 trays and combine them into a bowl. We were then able to count our beans by thousands (bowl), hundreds (tray), tens (cups) and ones (single beans). Our total number of beans was 5,604!
The Dragon Crafters were then introduced to Base Ten blocks. Base Ten blocks provide hands-on ways to learn place value, number concepts, operations, measurement, and much more! They help students physically represent what they’re learning so they can develop a deeper understanding of the meaning of each concept. By building number combinations with Base Ten blocks, students ease into the concept of regrouping or trading and can see the logical development of each operation.
The second graders used the skills they have gained in place value to open their own "Place Value Sandwich Shop." Each student had the chance to be both a customer and a sandwich maker.
No comments:
Post a Comment