Yup: Day 2, and we’re still on Page 1. You are supposed to use this page for a few different things. We have coloured in the dots, we have used rods & tally marks to represent the dots. I think we just may be ready for Page 2.
This is totally different from the way I learned math. Very manipulatives-based, and that’s why I chose it.
Naomi was easily able to “show me a rod that is the same as two red rods,” and even “three red rods.” She’s beginning to grasp the “number” values of each rod. She built her own staircase “valley” (two staircases with the small ends together) and we climbed down, up, and then slid down a slide she made off to the side.
The wooden tray to use the rods is homemade – it’s a dollar store wooden box with 1cm gridlines printed on photo paper, then trimmed & glued into the bottom of the box. The rods don’t line up exactly, but it’s good enough.
When I saw your picture of the rods, I had to smile. In Hebrew, they're called בדידים (bedidim). They were introduced in Israel in the 1970's and were still in use across the country when we made aliyah 12 years ago.
ReplyDeleteHowever, about ten years ago, TPTB decided to do away with the system, and now, AFAIK, no school uses the bedidim anymore.
My personal opinion is that - like anything else - they're great for some kids and not so good for others.
(We still have our set, and some of our kids have used them to help understand their math homework.)
Funny! The texts ARE old - from the 1960s and 1970s, as you say, but they are enjoying a major resurgence among homeschoolers. Manipulatives of all kinds DO work well for many, if not most kids, especially if the teacher understands and teaches them well.
ReplyDeleteIMO, math is taught very badly most of the time - disjointed and nonsensically - so whatever we can do that is different from the "typical" approach is a good thing. :-)