Montessori Activity: Creating Different Combinations of 10 with Colored Bead Stairs (Part 2)

 

AGE: From 6 years (after the child has been introduced to this activity Part 1)

OBJECTIVE(S):

1. To provide your child a sensorial experience of addition by making 10s with different combinations of numbers from the colored bead stair:

a. Understand that a 10 can be made out of 2 or more bead bars.
b. See that the colored bead bars making a ten is the same length as the 10 bar.
c. See the different patterns made by the bead bars.

2. To prepare your child for the Montessori Positive Snake Game.

3. To train the creativity of your child in coming up with different combinations of 10

MATERIALS:

1. 1 set of Decanomial Bead Bars - a box with 10 compartments containing 55 of each colored bead bars from 1-10.

2. 1 mat. 

PRESENTATION: 

1. Place a golden 10-bar vertically on the mat and count it.

2. Make it into a game and take turns to make different combinations of 10. For example, let your child choose a colored bead bar from the box. If he picks a 7-bar, place it next to the 10-bar and count 7.

3. Ask, "What other color bead bar(s) can we combine to make 10?" Let him choose the remaining colored bead stair(s) to make 10, i.e. he may choose 3-bar.

4. Place the color bead bars side-by-side against the 10-bar and count them to verify the answer.

5.  Let him try out all the different combinations of 10 that he could come up with.

6. Ask, "Are you sure you have gotten ALL combinations possible? Shall we try a systematic way of combining them to ensure that?"

7. Show him the systematic way of getting all the combinations of 10s by:

7a. starting with combining blue 9-bar and 1-bar. It gives 1 combination.

7b. Show him the different combinations of 10s with brown 8-bars - it gives 2 combinations.

7c. Show him the different combinations of 10s with white 7-bars - it gives 3 combinations.

7d. Show him the different combinations of 10s with purple 6-bars - it gives 5 combinations.

7e. Show him the different combinations of 10s with light blue 5-bars - it gives 7 combinations.

7f. Show him the different combinations of 10s with yellow 4-bars - it gives 9 combinations.

7g. Show him the different combinations of 10s with pink 3-bars - it gives 8 combinations.

7h. Show him the different combinations of 10s with green 2-bars - it gives 5 combinations.

7i. Show him the different combinations of 10s with red 1-bars - it gives 1 combination.

8. Show your child that you have obtained all complete 40 combinations. Notice that we ran out of red 1-bars, so we use unit golden beads instead.

REFERENCES:

Shu-Chen Jenny Yen’s On-line Montessori Albums http://faculty.fullerton.edu/syen/mts/math/_link.htm
 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Our Little FECS (6Y1M28D) has lately been very interested in making these different combinations of 10. I thought of a systematic way of showing him how to get all the combinations. Before I showed him combinations of each number, he first guessed how many combinations it would get. He guessed 6-7 combinations for 5-bars, and got it correct. He guessed 11 combinations for 4 bars, which was incorrect. It was fun making guesses and verifying the answer by placing all the beads. This activity can be played without seeing Part 1 lesson plan, but you can find Part 1 lesson plan here.

1. Place a golden 10-bar vertically on the mat and count it.

2. Make it into a game and take turns to make different combinations of 10. For example, let your child choose a colored bead bar from the box. If he picks a 7-bar, place it next to the 10-bar and count 7.

3. Ask, "What other color bead bar(s) can we combine to make 10?" Let him choose the remaining colored bead stair(s) to make 10, i.e. he may choose 3-bar.

4. Place the color bead bars side-by-side against the 10-bar and count them to verify the answer.

5.  Let him try out all the different combinations of 10 that he could come up with.

6. Ask, "Are you sure you have gotten ALL combinations possible? Shall we try a systematic way of combining them to ensure that?"

6. Ask, "Are you sure you have gotten ALL combinations possible? Shall we try a systematic way of combining them to ensure that?"

7a. Show him the systematic way of getting all the combinations of 10s by starting with combining blue 9-bar and 1-bar. It gives 1 combination.

7b. Show him the different combinations of 10s with brown 8-bars - it gives 2 combinations.

7c. Show him the different combinations of 10s with white 7-bars - it gives 3 combinations.

7d. Show him the different combinations of 10s with purple 6-bars - it gives 5 combinations.

7e. Show him the different combinations of 10s with light blue 5-bars - it gives 7 combinations.

7f. Show him the different combinations of 10s with yellow 4-bars - it gives 9 combinations.

7g. Show him the different combinations of 10s with pink 3-bars - it gives 8 combinations. 

7h. Show him the different combinations of 10s with green 2-bars - it gives 5 combinations.

7i. Show him the different combinations of 10s with red 1-bars - it gives 1 combination.

Here are the completed 40 possible combinations :-) Notice that we did not have sufficient red 1-bars, so we substituted with unit golden beads instead.

The Decanomial Bead Box is available from Amazon: