T. Hester rev. 2014

MECR/2014

Number Rods

(Red and Blue Rods)

Materials:

Ten wooden rods increasing in length from 10cm. to 100cm. (1 meter) in equal increments. The 10cm. segments are painted alternately red and blue with the number one rod in red. Rug.

Preparation:

Red Rods.

Touch Boards.

Practical Life works that develop order, concentration, coordination, independence. Sensorial works that provide experience with sets of ten.

Line time activities such as songs, fingerplays, calendar that introduce the vocabulary of 1-10.

Check that the materials are complete.

Age:3 ½ years and up.

Direct Aims:

To associate verbal number names with the appropriate quantities.

To develop concepts of number quantities (cardinal numbers) and number sequence (ordinal numbers).

Indirect Aims:

To prepare the mathematical mind.

To prepare for counting in base ten.

To prepare for the overview of the decimal system.

To develop order, concentration, coordination, and independence.

Presentation I

  1. Invite the child to bring the Number Rods to the rug and to build the stair as in the Red Rods.
  2. Bring the shortest rod to the front of the rug. Place hand on rod and say, “One.” Run hand along rod and say, “This is one.” Encourage child to do the same.
  3. Bring second rod down. Place hand on each segment while counting, “One, two.” Run hand along rod and say, “This is two.” Encourage child to do the same.
  4. Continue this process with remaining rods, eventually counting to ten.
  5. Replace materials in order, starting with the 10-rod.

Presentation II

  1. Select the first two or three rods, depending on the child. Bring to the front center of the rug.
  2. Give a Three Period Lesson with the rods.
  3. Replace rods to the shelf.
  4. Repeat another time with other rods, as necessary.

Vocabulary:

Red and Blue Rods.

Number names 1-10.

Points of Interest:

The length of the rods and the partitions that represent sequence of numbers from 1-10. Feeling the increase in length of the rods as the number increases.

Control of Error:

The colored sections of the rods.

The pattern the rods make.

The gradation in length of the rods.

Variations:

  1. Carry rods vertically.
  2. Do in another language.
  3. Pick up one end of the rod to count it.
  4. Use the one rod to count the rods. Helps the child who is not counting carefully with their hand.
  5. Invite the child to put their hand on top of your hand as you count the rods. Helps children having trouble with one to one correspondence.
  6. Count sides of the triangle. Up the red ends. Up the blue ends.
  7. Have the child use two rugs. Random the rods on one rug. Ask the child to bring a particular number rod to the empty rug. Have them count the rod to you each time they bring one. If they bring the wrong one, when they count it to you say after they count it, “Yes that is the 4 rod but we need the 3 rod.”
  8. Equals – Bring #1 rod to the end of #9 rod. #2 to the end of the #8 rod. Continue to #5. Show how the #5 rod flips over to make 10. Feel how all the combinations are equal.
  9. Alternate the rods on the shelf, red end, blue end, etc.
  10. Do addition with the rods. Show equivalency. E.g. The 2 rod and the 3 rod are the same as the 5 rod. Could add plus and = signs and read the equation.
  11. Make teens with the rods.
  12. Count the rods backwards.
  13. Two rugs. Rods on one rug. Ask for a rod. Then ask for one that is one more or one less than that rod. Could add the greater than and less than signs and read them.
  14. Doubles of Numbers – Lay one of the red/blue rods on a rug. Ask the child to find the rod that is half of it. Lay this rod under the first rod with left ends even. Turn the half over so its right end is even with the right of the first rod. E.g. 4 is the double of 2.
  15. How Many of One Number in a Number - e.g. There is one 2 in the 2 rod. There are 2 twos in the 4 rod, etc.
  16. Subtraction - How many less than 7 is 4? 3.

Extensions:

  1. Random the Red and Blue Rods on one rug and the Red Rods on another rug. Count the first Red and Blue Rod. Have the child find the Red Rod that matches.
  2. Sensorial designs – I hesitate to do this as these are meant to teach number. Can get stuck building rather than working on what the material was designed to teach. The patterns are very mathematical. Build beehive with Red Rods.

Notes: