MTS Math 8.1 Bead Cabinet

Shu-Chen Yen's On-Line Montessori Albums

MATH DEVELOPMENT ALBUM

8.1 BEAD CABINET LINEAR COUNTING- SKIP COUNTING

MATERIALS:

1. A large wooden frame or cabinet on which the chains, cubes and squares of the numbers 1 through 10 are wept. Across the top is a long shelf on which the cubes rest, starting with the 1000 cube on the left and ending with the 1 on the right. Under this shelf are hooks on which the long chains hang. The 1000 chain is hung on the left, then the chain of 9's, 8's, etc. to the 1 on the right. On the right side are ten shelves beginning with a small one at the top for the 1, each shelf increasing in size to the bottom shelf which is as long as the width of the cabinet. These hold the squares for each number and the square chain of each number.

2. Each chain is made of a group of square chains fastened together. Each segment is divided by a large loop or circle on which the chain hangs from the hooks. Each long chain has a corresponding square chain, the number of squares that correspond to the number, such as the long chain of 5 Would contain 125 beads, each square would consist of 25 beads or bars of 5 fastened together. The square chain of 5 contains 25 beads. There are 5 squares of 5 bars.

3. The bead material is color-coded to match the small bead stair, that is 1-red, 2-green, 3-pink, 4- yellow, 5-light blue, 6-lavender, 7-white, 8-brown, 9-dark blue, 10-gold.

4. Sets of tags in the same colors as the beads. Each set of tags is numbered according to the number and the multiple of the number of the corresponding bead bar. Such as 2 would be in green and the tags would be numbered 2,4,6,8. The tags for the square of the number would be slightly larger and the cube even larger. Such as 5, 10, 15, 20 would be of one size in light blue, 25, 50, 75, 100 would be slightly larger and 125 would be the largest.

5. A counter of cardboard or plastic notched to fit between bead bars.

PREPARATION:

Invite the child who has worked with the Linear counting to do this. Review how to carry a long chain, how to lay out the tags on a small rug or mat. The 5 chain should follow the 10.