*Please note-unless you want the equations to be on your cards permanently -do not use a Sharpie-use a Vis-a-Vis wet-erase marker. I accidentally grabbed the wrong pen for the photo op. You will need a few bags of marbles, or [like I chose] those glass gems from the dollar store. I will need to snag a couple more for the higher level mult./division problems-but 2 are a good start. I found the Post-It note look alike room decor thingies at a Dollar Tree. But since you never know if you can find them or not-just choose something you feel your child will enjoy, which has a surface large enough to write out the equations. Laminate as many as you think you'll need, so that you can reuse them over and over again. Pre-fill your target multiples or divisibles in the Ziplocks. I was able to get enough bags made for 2,3,4,5,6,and7 X7 before running shy of the gems. The beauty is that I can reuse the stuff to create a new set at any time.
The object is to have the appropriate amount of gems in a Ziplock bag. They then move the gems into groups per the card's instructions. So for the multiplication-the bag has 14 gems. The rule is the child is to group them according to the number listed first (so 2 sets of 7) then the next one (7 groups of 2). They can then add up the sets to get the answer. I think I will have the boy use a reg. sheet of notebook paper, to write out the equations then the answer. For whatever reason, he seems to not be "getting" why one would multiply or divide-it eludes him. Being that he is a visual/tactile learner-this little project will hopefully "show" him the why/reason/results.
For Example:
Now I could have easily done this with a multitude of items [I did use matchbox cars with my oldest son], but knowing this particular student will easily get side tracked-that is not going to work. And if I didn't have them in bags-they'd end up all over the house being used for various things such as a track outline for his cars. This way-they are contained. That is also helpful for those with little ones around-not that they couldn't open the bag, but it is somewhat corralled. I wouldn't suggest having the student do more than 5 at a time-to avoid over load. Also-I think doing just multiplication or division is better than mixing it up which would also prevent confusion. I do think they suggested writing it out like, "Separate these into 5 sets of 2" or something like that-but with the little cards-there is no way I can scribble that on it.
UPDATE: Found this in the book, Math Wise: Over 100 Hands-On Activities that Promote Real Math Understanding by Jim Overholt and Laurie Kincheloe. Pages 109-111, labeled "Ziplock Division".
Love this idea. I am going to try and incorporate into my classroom.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I just started homeschooling and my daughter has been struggling with multiplication. I think this multi-sensory approach will really help her and I know it'll help my son who is hearing impaired and benefits from multiple sensory approaches to learning.
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