Math Buffet
Using Manipulatives for Deeper Understanding (Virtual Tour)
Stage of Literacy Development:
Stage 1: Beginning LiteracyStage 2: Consolidation / Fluency
Ages:
6-10
Grade Range:
1st 2nd 3rd 4thFood Groups:
Primary: Knowledge Building, Classroom Tips
Transcript
This is where we keep all of the classroom math manipulatives. I like to call it our buffet of math manipulatives, where students can come up at any point during a lesson and help themselves to whatever they think they might need. It's really important that students understand that this is just another learning tool. I try to have a math manipulative that matches with one of each of our five strands in math. Therefore, they can see that you can use a math manipulative for basically any type of problem solving. So often students think that the only way to get the answer is to do it in their head and that's not always a realistic thing. So having a math manipulative often helps them get over the hump of solving the problem. Anything from jewels to stars to rocks to pennies, anything that might capture students' interest and really help them solve a problem.
Related References
Activity Objective
The goal of Math Buffet: Using Manipulatives for Deeper Understanding (Virtual Tour) is to provide students with hands-on tools during math instruction to help them solve problems accurately in all strands of math.
Quick Tips
Additional Comments:
- Keep materials located on shelves that are at the students' levels.
- Demonstrating how to use materials throughout the year is important for students to understand when and how they can use math manipulatives and other materials during independent and group work.
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