Montessori Activity: Stamp Game - Static Division (Without Exchanging and Without Remainder)

AGE: 5.5 years (after the child is familiar with the Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication Stamp Game)

OBJECTIVE(S):

To illustrate the concept of division in a concrete and easy to understand way.

MATERIALS:

1. Stamp Game
2. Division worksheet
3. Pencil and eraser
4. 1 mat (optional)

PRESENTATION:

1. Read the question i.e. 4824 ÷ 2 = ?

2. Explain that 4824 is called the dividend and it represents the total number of apples to be shared.

3. Explain that 2 is called the divisor and it represents the number of people to share the apples equally.

4. Explain that you are trying to find out how many apples each person will get, and the answer to this is called the quotient.

5. Arrange 4 unit stamps, 2 ten stamps, 8 hundred stamps and 4 thousand stamps each in a vertical line representing 4824 "apples" in this case.

6. Place 2 skittles side-by-side on the desk representing the divisor/people i.e. 2 in this case.

7. Share the 4 thousand stamps, 8 hundred stamps, 2 ten stamps and 4 unit stamps equally among the 2 skittles by placing each thousand stamp one at a time under each skittle until no thousand stamps are left, followed by the hundred stamps, ten stamps and unit stamps in the same manner, until no stamps are left.

8.  Ask your child to count the stamps under each skittle and your child should answer 2412. Explain that this is the quotient and it means that each person will get 2412 apples.

9. Ask your child to repeat saying the question, count and write the answer 2412 on the paper i.e. 4824 ÷ 2 = 2412.

10. Invite your child to try the next question, this time have a problem with 3 divisor/people sharing the apples i.e. 396 ÷ 3 = ?

TIPS:

Start with an easy question first i.e. 8 ÷ 2.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION:

Static Division
http://youtu.be/CYHMRLpsOs0

Long Division (With exchanging, but without remainder)
http://youtu.be/fCDNoyBMHnk

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Our Little FECS was intrigued by the skittles of the stamp game. He thought that we could play chess with it. He asked to try out the activity with the skittles. I thought that it was too early to present the division stamp game, which makes use of the skittles. I have so far only presented the addition stamp game and the multiplication board. I have not presented the multiplication stamp game to him, nor the division board. Nevertheless by his insistence, I decided to give it a try and demonstrated the division stamp game.

He (5Y10M19D) tried this for the first time today 24 Jan 2015. I presented the simplest division first - 8 ÷ 2 = 4 and to my surprise, before I started presenting it with the stamps and the skittles, he blah out the answer 4. We simply verify his answer with the presentation after that. I tried the next few questions 6 ÷ 2 and 9 ÷ 3, and he was able to say out the answer mentally without using the stamp game. He was able to solve all the questions. He got answer to 24 ÷ 2 wrong, saying that it is 14, instead of 12. But we used the stamp game to show that the answer was 14. We went on through the whole worksheet, and finishing off with division with thousand place value without remainder. I am not sure where he learned it from. It said it was from me, but I haven't introduce to him yet. His kindergarten only taught them numbers 1-10. So I think it could be the iPad app on division that he has been playing with that gave him his foundation for division - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/montessori-mathemagics-dynamic/id870703884?mt=8

It also seemed there is a growth spurt with regards to Maths for kids between 5 to 6 years old. Just one year ago, he would be struggling to even get the place value correct and struggling to count 1-100. What a difference one year has made, and I didn't think that I have done much to really help him. It perhaps shows that when the child's mind is developed and ready, it will be easy for the child to learn and thus would be the time to present him with these various arithmetic concepts. I will be introducing the division board to him next.

Substituting with LEGO

If you don't have this Montessori materials, not to worry, you can use LEGO man and LEGO - see here:

http://www.montessorialbum.com/montessori/index.php?title=Division_Board

REFERENCES:
http://www.montessorialbum.com/montessori/index.php?title=Division_With_the_Stamp_Game

http://homeschoolingsonshine.blogspot.dk/2015/03/long-division-with-regrouping.html

The stamp game is available from Amazon:

1. Read the question i.e. 4824 ÷ 2 = ?
2. Explain that 4824 is called the dividend and it represents the total number of "apples" to be shared.
3. Explain that 2 is called the divisor and it represents the number of "people" to share the apples equally.
4. Explain that you are trying to find out how many apples each person will get, and the answer to this is called the quotient. 

5. Arrange 4 unit stamps, 2 ten stamps, 8 hundred stamps and 4 thousand stamps each in a vertical line representing 4824 "apples" in this case.
6. Place 2 skittles side-by-side on the desk representing the divisor/people i.e. 2 in this case.

7. Share the 4 thousand stamps, 8 hundred stamps, 2 ten stamps and 4 unit stamps equally among the 2 skittles by placing each thousand stamp one at a time under each skittle until no thousand stamps are left, followed by the hundred stamps, ten stamps and unit stamps in the same manner, until no stamps are left.

8.  Ask your child to count the stamps under each skittle and your child should answer 2412. Explain that this is the quotient and it means that each person will get 2412 apples.

9. Ask your child to repeat saying the question, count and write the answer 2412 on the paper i.e. 4824 ÷ 2 = 2412.
10. Invite your child to try the next question.