November 2014 -_Topic of the Month: Manipulatives

The effective use of manipulatives can help students connect ideas and
integrate their knowledge so that they can gain a deep understanding of
mathematical concepts. Research on the Benefits of Manipulatives, 2009
Website of the Month

Book of the Month

http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_
assets/mathematics/ebook_assets/vmf/
VMF-Interface.html

Each ring of the

doorbell brings more
friends to share the
delicious cookies Ma
has made. This
terrific and
suspenseful picture book about
friendship, sharing, and cookies can
also be used to introduce basic math
concepts to young children, such as
fractions. Give your child cookie
manipulatives and pause while reading
the story to have them figure out how
to regroup the cookies as more people
arrive at the house.

This website provides students access

to virtual
manipulatives. You
are able to pick the
appropriate grade
and choose from a
large selection of
virtual manipulatives including coloured
tiles, fraction circles, spinners and
base-ten blocks. This website is an
excellent resource for students to
experiment with a wide variety of
manipulatives while having fun at the
same time!

Challenge
Find the answer to the challenge and you can win a prize!! Cut out the problem
and attach to your solution. Hand your answer in to your teacher for your chance
to win! (deadline: Monday, November 17th, 2014)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kindergarten
1.Go on a scavenger
hunt of your home to

Primary (K to 3
students only)

Junior (Grade 4 to
6 students only)
A large square is
made of 16

Question (K to 6
students)
In your own words, define

find different
materials you could
use as
manipulatives.
2.Count to ten using
the different
manipulatives you
found.

Using base ten

blocks, show the
number 589 in as
many different ways
as possible. Try out
the website above if
you do not have
access to base ten
blocks at home!

congruent squares.
Use toothpicks to recreate this
square.
How many
total
squares of different
sizes are there?

what manipulatives are.

____________________
____________________
____________________.
What are some household
manipulatives you found
at home?
___________________
_______________________.

Math for Families

What are Manipulatives?
In the majority of classrooms today, manipulatives are being used by
teachers to help students learn mathematics. Manipulatives are
concrete materials used as teaching tools that allow students to engage
in a hands-on approach to mathematics. Almost anything can be used as
a manipulative including blocks, shapes, spinners and even folded or cut
paper. Research has found that manipulatives can be very effective
tools and can be used in all strands of mathematics. When students are able to
manipulate objects, they are working towards understanding mathematical
concepts and processes. Although the use of manipulatives can be extremely
helpful for young children, it is crucial that they are used correctly. Rather than
simply moving the manipulatives around, children need to understand the
mathematical concept being taught. It is also important that the manipulatives
are appropriate for the grade level of the student and are selected to meet the
goals or objectives of each specific mathematical
program.

Manipulatives at School
Manipulatives your child may be using in the classroom include base-ten blocks,
two-coloured counters, fraction strips, beans, geometric solids and many more!
Using manipulatives at school to help teach mathematical concepts has many
benefits:
>provides problem solving tools for students to represent their
thinking and explore all possible solutions to a problem
>allows students to connect mathematical ideas to physical objects
>provides concrete materials to help students understand a concept which is
confusing or difficult to grasp
>make learning math easy and fun!

Manipulatives at Home
There are a variety of manipulatives found in the home which can be used to help
your child with math problems. These include pasta, coffee beans, buttons, pop
corn kernels, bottle caps etc. Together with your child you can create a list of manipulatives in your
home which your child can use while working on math problems.

How can I support my child with manipulatives?

>Ensure that your child has access to household manipulatives while working on math problems
at home.
>Ask your child to show their thinking using manipulatives.
>On your next visit to your childs classroom, ask your child to show you the manipulatives
found in the classroom and explain how they use them for math.