I've been doing a lot of thinking and reading and creating this summer (and thus, no blogging), but I'm quite proud of the activity I made today. :)
"A" just started 4th grade, and her mom mentioned to me that she didn't do well on a multiplication assessment. Because my best friend has been studying Montessori methods - and I have been studying from her - I knew that A's confusion is likely the result of abstract instruction, without a starting point of tactile exploration. (Translated? Don't ask a kid to think about concepts until they've experienced those concepts with their hands and senses first.)
The Montessori method teaches that concepts of addition and multiplication should be presented at the same time - after all, they are two sides of the same coin. Thinking about how to catch A up with addition AND get her on-track with multiplication made me realize the truth of this theory.
I was really proud of A's attitude while she did this work; she did a great job staying focused and making the mental leaps necessary to GET it. Always does a teacher's heart good to see that!
To make this activity, I used an old piece of 12x12 scrapbooking patterned cardstock and a Sharpie. Those "tiles" you see are face-down Bananagram letter tiles. No sense re-inventing the wheel when I already have stuff around the house that works!
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