Montessori Dynamic Subtraction with the Golden Beads Lesson Activity

Montessori Dynamic Subtraction with the Golden Beads

A bank of Golden Beads

A set of large number cards

Three sets of small number cards

A felt lined tray for each child

3 tables – one for the beads (bank)

one for the cards

One floor mat

To teach the child about subtraction in the concrete form.

To teach the child the term “subtraction”.

To show the child how to change when doing subtraction.

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1. Begin the work cycle. This is a group exercise.
2. One child is put in charge of the bank.
3. Give each child in the group a felt – lined tray.
4. The Montessori Directress makes up a number, such as 1432 with the large number cards and places it on the bottom right hand corner of the child’s tray.
5. The child goes to the bank and collects the corresponding amount of beads.
6. The Montessori Directress then shows the child how to lay out his beads on the top left hand side of the mat and the cards to the right of that.
7. The Montessori Directress makes up another number, such as 1114 in small number cards, for the second child. The child is told that this is the number we will “take away” from the larger number, and that he is not required to collect any beads.
8. The second child brings his tray to the mat and the Montessori Directress tells the child that she will show him how to take away the number on the tray from the number on the mat.
9. Tell the child to start with the units and to take away the units and place them onto his tray.[/DAP]
10. However, the child finds that there are not enough units to take away from and so he is required to go to the bank and to exchange a ten-bead bar for 10 single units.
11. When the units are replaced on the operations mat, the child sees that there are now enough units to take away from.
12. He places 4 unit beads on his tray.
13. He does the same with the tens, hundreds and thousands, changing at the bank when necessary.
14. The small number cards are removed from the tray and placed below the large number cards.
15. The tray is placed to one side.
16. The Montessori Directress then explains that if we count the beads left on the mat we will have the answer to the subtraction sum.
17. The child counts, starting with the units, then tens, 100’s and 1000’s.
18. The child collects and places the corresponding small number cards below the beads at every stage.
19. The Montessori Directress re-states the sum. She also says that we did “subtraction” – that is, we started with a big amount and now we only have a small amount of beads left.
20. End the work cycle.