Numeration of the Decimal System

Exercise 5: "The Bird's Eye View"

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MATERIAL:

• 45 golden bead units
• 45 ten bars
• 45 hundred squares
• 1 thousand cube
• A set of large number cards to 1000
• A felt lined tray
• A large green felt mat

PURPOSE:

To give the child practice in arranging the quantities and numerals

To enable the child to see the number system laid out with quantities and their corresponding numerals

AGE:

4 and 1/2 to 5 1/2 years

EXERCISE:

The teacher sits beside the child and places the numeral "1" at the upper right of the mat.  She asks the child to place one golden bead to the right of the card.  The teacher puts the numeral "2" under the numeral "1" and asks the child to put two golden beads to the right of it.  The child is shown how to arrange the beads in a vertical line so that as units are added, they begin to ressemble the ten bar.  The child continues alone, placing the numerals and corresponding quantities to "9".

 

The teacher then shows the child how to arrange the ten cards to the left of, and parallel to the unit cards, putting the correct number of ten bars beside each.  The child is shown to place the ten bars vertically, forming rectangles which approach the size of the hundred square.  The tens are arranged to 90.

 

Next, the teacher shows the child to arrange the hundred cards to the left of, and parallel to the ten cards, and also to place the correct number of hundred squares beside each.  The hundred squares are placed on top of each other to form cuboids which get nearer and nearer to the size of the thousand cube.

 

When the child has placed the cards and quantities to 900, the teacher shows her to put the "1000" card to the left of the "100" card and place the thousand cube beside it.

 

The child does the exercise as often as she likes.