Saturday, November 23, 2013

Math Periods and New Materials

According to Gettman, Link is in Period Five for his math works.  I'm separating the works into the threads that MBT uses: linear counting, operations, memorization, fractions, and story problems/equation formats.  I'm also using MBH which is organized similarly to MBT's threads.

So in period five that includes the following works:
Linear Counting
Formation of Complex Numbers (with cards)
Introduction to Teens
Introduction to Tens
Counting - 100 and 1,000 Chains, 100 Board and skip counting

Operations
Collective Exercises (Addition, Subtraction and Multiplication)
Stamps (Addition, Subtraction and Multiplication)
Dots

Fractions
Concept and Quantity

In period six that will include:
Operations
Collective Exercises (Division)
Stamps (Division)

Memorization
Addition and Subtraction Snake Games
Addition and Subtraction Strip Boards
Multiplication Tables
Multiplication Bead Board
Finger Charts

Fractions
Advanced work with Fractions

Period seven:
Memorization
Unit Division Board
Division Charts
Small Bead Frame
Hierarchical Material
Large Bead Frame
Now I just have to figure out what materials I need to purchase to get through these three periods.

Period Five
Already have golden bead material, teen and ten boards, stamps.
Need Counting chains, 100 Board and fraction material.

Period Six
Snake games
Addition and Subtraction Strip Boards
Multiplication Tables
Multiplication Bead Board
Fraction material

Period Seven
Division Board
Division Charts
Small and Large Bead Frames


Hmm.  I just configured what MBT says is the minimum bead material, but I'm not exactly sure what those things are used for.  I'm assuming that the first three items in the list will cover counting chains and snake games.  It just seems like a lot for just those works, but I know they have extensions as well.

Here is what I'm looking at from IFIT for $596, free shipping. (If I just do Periods five and six, its $510, so I might as well get Period Seven while I'm at it.)

ITEM  DESCRIPTION
QTY
EACH
TOTAL
Decanomial Bead Bar Box
USD80.00
USD80.00
Elementary Negative Snake Game
USD53.00
USD53.00
Complete Bead Material Only
USD260.00
USD260.00
Multiplication Working Charts
USD38.00
USD38.00
Addition Strip Board
USD18.00
USD18.00
Subtraction Strip Board
USD21.00
USD21.00
Hundred Board
USD23.00
USD23.00
Control Chart for Hundred Board
USD2.00
USD2.00
Multiplication Bead Board
USD15.00
USD15.00
Division Bead Board
USD15.00
USD15.00
Division Working Charts
USD34.00
USD34.00
Small Bead Frame
USD16.00
USD16.00
Large Bead Frame
USD21.00
USD21.00


Adena, Montessori Outlet and Alison's were all about $650, but Adena includes a cabinet.  So I could save $188 at Adena.

This does not include any of the fraction material.  It's so expensive! I'm not exactly sure what I need for fractions.  It seems like I could get away with just the metal fraction circles for $56 from Adena. ($85 from IFIT, but I hear IFIT's are better quality.)

Since I'm a little ahead of the game this time, I don't have to rush into buying anything.  I'll probably wait until the new year to do this purchase.

3 comments:

  1. I never used the control chart for my 100 board. But it's only $2 so why not, right?

    We use our bead chains A LOT. It's more than just the skip counting, but rather the concept of squaring and cubing that will play big in elementary. Don't forget, you are also getting all of the colored squares and cubes with that and you'll use those a lot in elementary too.

    The decanomial bead bar box is used for the first memorization of multiplication work. It is used a ton right from the outset of elementary as well.

    My advice is to NOT get the metal fraction circles if your budget is truly tight. As soon as you are doing mixed fractions you need more pieces than the circles provide and you will be buying:

    http://www.montessoriequipment.com/Cut-Out-Labeled-Fraction-Circles-1-to-1-10-p/m.190.1.htm

    You can do all of the fraction work with these if you want. It just won't be a slick...you won't be able to trace the triangles...you won't have them in "a circle" when you do the equivalence work. You could stick them in your Montessori protractor if you have one:

    http://www.montessoriequipment.com/product-p/m.201.1.htm

    The squares divided into triangles (fractions) could be done with a printable. I think I'm going to use them later in elementary but haven't gotten that far yet.

    I want to warn you. There is a recent thread on Playschool6 in which several people are reporting unusable materials and poor customer service from iFit. I've done business with them ten times or so with NO PROBLEM and several other say the same. However, there is a chance they have new management or new ownership or something. Someone reported beads missing off of their new bead frames and the customer service saying "you get what you pay for." Don' t know if it's true or not, but you should know.

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad to hear that there will be more use of the beads in elementary. I guess I should have figured that, I just haven't gotten to the elementary level yet :)

      I thought about getting just those cut-out labeled fraction circles, but I was a little afraid of missing the visualization of the full circle. I do like this geometric board, which is sorta like the protractor you linked. http://www.adenamontessori.us/details.php?did=1455
      It's $22 instead of $56. It's not that I mind spending the extra on the metal fractions, I'm just not sure how much more use we'd get out of them as opposed to the cut-out ones. (our metal insets are hardly ever used.) I could get the cut-out circles and the geometric board for the same price as the metal set, and I think they'd be more useful. Anyways, it sounds like maybe I've got a good list this time and I should be good until we enter elementary...? I don't know how much Adena's prices fluctuate, but I'm tempted to go ahead and order while they are cheaper than IFIT. Thanks for your input, it is always appreciated!

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    2. Well, they'll still get the visualization of the full circle if you put the cut-outs together into a full circle. I would just put some shelf liner down on a tray and lay out full circles of each kind for a while. You will use the fraction circles in elementary too, so buying the metal ones won't be a waste.

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