Happy February! It was wonderful to see many of you observing our afternoon class and at the looking ahead meeting for kindergarten. I hope you enjoyed some of our extended day lessons both as an observer and as a participant.
One of the most exciting series of lessons that the kindergarten children often work with is the Golden Bead Material, also known as The Bank Game. The Bank uses concrete material to introduce the decimal system concepts of units, tens, hundreds and thousands. The decimal cards represent the concepts numerically. Through this material we can experience zero as a place holder, and the processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
The decimal system is at the very foundation of mathematics. But large quantities like hundreds and thousands are difficult to imagine. The Bank makes this easy by using three dimensional representations which clearly show the relationship between each place value. The child can then use these concrete examples to have a complete picture of the numerical system and create large numbers. Using these quantities for the four operations gives the child a clear picture of why and how addition, subtraction, multiplication and division actually work. It also makes visualizing borrowing and exchanging within the operations much more concrete. We present addition as an operation where small quantities come together to make a larger quantity. Subtraction is presented as taking away a smaller quantity from a larger one, leaving a small quantity. Multiplication is adding the same quantity many times. And division involves sharing a large quantity equally.
As they continue to practice the four operations, they encounter all the basic math facts repeatedly within each problem. It then becomes relatively easy to memorize the essential math facts (like times tables) because the concept behind them has been internalized.
Whether or not you have had the opportunity to observe and experience these lessons, student conferences are a great time to discuss what your child is working on in our classroom. Conferences are on March 10th & 11th. You can sign up on iVolunteer.
Stay Warm and Safe…
Archana