Inclined platform designed to help students organize Blocks to see the connection between digits and the base ten representation of number. (ones, tens, holds up to 99 blocks) Small enough for a single student desk or can be used by pairs or groups of three students. The counter visually demonstrates the pattern of the base ten count and regrouping in addition and subtraction. When counting or adding, the Blocks are loaded to the appropriate column (tens or ones). The holders latch on to hold 0-9 of the respective size Blocks; when a tenth Block is inserted, the holder "ejects" and slides down, signaling that the ten Blocks are now one Block of the next larger place and must be moved to the next column and that column now represents zero. When subtracting, Blocks are removed from the counter. If there are not enough single Blocks to take away from the ones column, students instinctively open a Block-of-10 from the tens column to "borrow" ones. Students can choose to work left to right or right to left and decide which is more efficient. The combination of accurate visual representation of the algorithms and self-discovery guarantee understanding. |