ipl-logo

That Elementary-Age Students Can Use To Explore Mathematical Concepts, Including The Following Prompts

1301 Words6 Pages

Math Tools Part One: Tools Explore several hands-on and virtual tools you could use in an elementary mathematics lesson and select four of each to evaluate in the following prompts. A. Evaluate four hands-on tools that elementary-age students can use to explore mathematical concepts, including the following for each tool: • one use of the tool to explore mathematical concepts • one specific benefit of using the tool to explore mathematical concepts • one specific challenge of using the tool to explore mathematical concepts Tool 1: Dice Dice should be implemented in the classroom. This manipulative is excellent for comparing numbers, making numbers, addition, and subtraction. This is a fun and engaging way to keep students attention. Dice …show more content…

Students can fully understand the concept of standard measurement when using the provided tool. The benefit of using a ruler as a tool is that students can physically hold it in their hands and gain a better understanding of the concept of measuring. Where to place the ruler, how to hold it to measure an item. What do the lines or the numbers on the ruler tell us about the item? Once the basic knowledge of how to use a ruler is known then it can be incorporated into other math content areas or across curriculum teaching. A few challenges to using a ruler are the confusion of several lines between the whole numbers. Students with visual challenges may need extra support or enlarged rulers due to the markings of the smaller numbers on the ruler. Tool 4: Plastic Colored Counters Including a hands-on tool like plastic colored counters in the classroom will help students with sorting, counting, addition, and subtraction. This tool can also be used in older grades for multiplication and division skills. The benefit is students can touch and move or manipulate counters as they work through the specified skill. A challenge to using plastic colored counters is younger students might play with the counters rather than stay focused on the task. As well as counters are small and can be easily lost. Using hands-on tools for students to explore concepts, allows teachers, parents, and other students to see what they are thinking regardless of grade …show more content…

Using the math clock will help students label clock parts, tell time, count-by numbers, and story problems involving time and fractions. The benefit of using a virtual clock is the student manipulates the clock. The students can practice multiple skills depending on the personalized level of learning. Teachers can choose if students use clocks with geared or free-moving hands. Time can also be digitally displayed while using the geared clock. This tool also allows work to be saved. Challenges for this tool are lots of choices. Students will need several lessons to learn how to utilize this tool depending on grade level. Teachers will have to be specific in what they want students to work on and how they are to facilitate with tools at the bottom of the page. Students that are struggling with this concept might become overwhelmed. The website for the virtual math clock is

Open Document