Montessori Static Addition with the Golden Beads Lesson Activity

Montessori Static Addition with 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

2 tables – one for the beads (bank)

one for the cards

One floor mat (the operations mat)

To teach the child about addition in the concrete form.

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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 with the small 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 for the second child and the same procedure is followed. 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 but below the previous child’s number cards and beads.
8. The trays are set aside and the children gather around the mat.
9. The Montessori Directress then tells the children that she is going to add the numbers on the mat, starting with the units.[/DAP]
10. One child brings down the units from the top of the mat, places them all together, and counts them.
11. The child collects and places the corresponding large number cards below the beads.
12. The second child brings down the tens, counts them and places the corresponding number cards below them.
13. The hundreds and thousands are brought down and counted and labelled as before.
14. When all the beads are counted and all the corresponding quantities in number cards have been places below them, the cards are then overlapped.
15. The large overlapped cards are then placed below the small number cards, which have remained on the right hand side of the mat.
16. The Montessori Directress then recaps, saying “We started with 1431 beads and added 1232 and now we have a larger number, 2663.”
17. Always restate the sum, pointing out to the children that two numbers were added together to make one large number. This is reflected in the size of the cards.
18. End the work cycle.