Math Manipulatives

thingiverse

To ensure our youngest students build a solid foundation in number sense and computation, it is vital to link the concrete (manipulatives) and the abstract (equations). This project uses thematic manipulatives and work mats to build math skills through “math talk”, and then encourages the students to conceptualize, and even help design, their own manipulatives, increasing ownership over the process of learning. How I Designed This I created the example manipulatives on Tinkercad, and the work mats on Google Slides using non-copyrighted images. Standards CCSS Overview and Background I use 3D printing in my classroom as way to show students as young as five years old that we can solve everyday problems right here at school. This lesson is a terrific way to model the design process for your class while creating manipulatives they will put to use during a math center. Objectives: Students will practice number sense and arithmetic skills specific to your grade level. Students will gain knowledge in 3D design and desktop fabrication. Skills Learned (Standards): CCSS Math (Kindergarten): K.CC.A.1, K.CC.A.2, K.CC.A.3, K.CC.B.4, K.CC.B.5, K.OA.A.1, K.OA.A.2, K.OA.A.3, K.OA.A.4, K.OA.A.5 Lesson Plan and Activity Introduce your math center one day with a story in which the characters and setting are those featured as 3-D printed manipulatives to be used on the related work mat. After a few days, introduce another character and setting for math center, again related to the manipulatives and work mat printed. Although target math skills will vary based on grade level and time of year, "math talks" with work mats and manipulatives can cover number sense, addition/subtraction, composing/decomposing numbers, or place value. Want to support the concepts further? Print one of my Ten Frames: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:727768 for use on the work mat! Have students select a favorite story read in class to serve as inspiration for a new set of manipulatives. Using the design tool of your choice (I prefer Tinkercad due to it's ease of use and my limited design savvy), create one or more new manipulatives whole group based on student input. Create an accompanying work mat, but know a blank piece of construction paper will also do. For instance, after finding a dead bee on the sidewalk and examining it under a digital microscope, my class became obsessed with bees, leading us to design and print bee counters to work with on a bee hive work mat. Extension idea- Encourage families to visit Tinkercad at home to create their own manipulatives based on favorite books read. Shared designs can be shown to the class on a display monitor, or better yet, printed for use in the classroom! Suggested Math Activities: Here are three activities to try throughout the year with your kindergarten students using the counters, mats and (optional) ten frame. Early in the Year: Students roll a 10-sided die, read the number and then count that many counters into the mat. Extension- Have students write the number independently on a separate piece of paper. Mid-Year: Provide students number 0-9. After drawing a card, the student reads the number and moves that many counters to the mat. They tell their partner/group how many more are needed to get to ten and the other students give them a thumbs up or thumbs if they agree or disagree. Additional counters are added to the mat until ten is reached, counting as they go. End of Year: Students use a 6-sided die to perform addition problems, counting out that many counters with each roll. After checking the sum by counting, complete equations are written. Duration of Lesson 3-5 sessions Preparation The math components are simply part of the existing curriculum, so no special student preparation is needed. For the design aspect students needn't have prior experience since design will be done whole group, led by the instructor. Rubric and Assessment Students will likely show an increased interest in using math manipulatives they have lent a hand in designing, which is a powerful result! References If you want a refresher on the benefits of using manipulatives when teaching children math concepts, here is a brief discussion on the topic, including additional references: https://www.hand2mind.com/pdf/learning_place/research_math_manips.pdf