169

The Decimal Checkerboard

Introduction to the Decimal Checkerboard Materials: 49 squares of felt measuring 7.5 cm: 12 green, 9 blue, 7 red, 9 light blue, 7 pink and 5 light green Presentation: 1. Lay a green felt square centered on the table stating that it represents the unit and the unit is king. 2. Ask what you get if you take it ten times (10s), and place a blue square to its left. 3. Ask what you get if you divide by ten (tenths), and place a light blue square to the right of the green. 4. Continue alternating between multiplication and division to 1000. 5. Have the child repeat vertically, multiplying up and dividing down starting at the green unit square. 6. Explain that we now have the the unit and its kingdom, but what about the open areas? 7. Ask what we get if we multiply 10 by 10. Put a red square between the blue ones. Repeat with the other open spaces. Note the pattern, especially 10 x 1/10, 100 x 1/100, etc. 8. Acknowledge that we have some categories laid out. Ask the child if there are any more. 9. The child may draw the decimal board on graph paper, including more categories.

Copyright 2009 | Jonathan Feagle www.FreeMontessori.org

170

Introduction to the Decimal Checkerboard

Complete by filling in the rest

Copyright 2009 | Jonathan Feagle www.FreeMontessori.org

171 The Decimal Checkerboard Materials: The decimal checkerboard, the bead bars 1 - 9, the gray and white number cards 1 10, pencils, and paper Presentation: Passage One: Introduction 1. Place a single bead on each square, ask the child what the value of each bead is in its place and what operation is used to get to the next square. 2. Point out that the board is a combination of the regular checker board and the decimal board. 3. Have the child read the categories in diagonals and slide the beads in each category together to the lower right. 4. Have the child exchange the beads for bars and read the resulting number (1,234,567.654321).

Copyright 2009 | Jonathan Feagle www.FreeMontessori.org

172 Passage Two: Multiplication 1. Propose the problem: 0.427 x 32. 2. Show how to set the cards on the board; the multiplier should be placed so that units times units will give units. (gray multipliers on the left vertically and white multiplicand cards placed on the line between the digits of the multiplier). 3. Multiply by the units of the multiplier (turn the tens card over), proceeding in the same manner as on the regular checkerboard. 4. Multiply by the tens (turn the units card over). 5. Combine the beads diagonally along the bottom and left of the board. Exchange as necessary and read the answer. 6. Repeat with other problems. You may propose a whole number problem to demonstrate that it can be done on this board.

Passage Three: Multiplication writing partial products 1. Propose the problem 0.523 x 24. Write it vertically. Set up the board as in Passage Two. 2. Multiply the units and write the partial product. Repeat with the tens. Encourage the child to carry in his head. 3. Add the partial products on paper. Combine and exchange on the board. Compare the answers.

Copyright 2009 | Jonathan Feagle www.FreeMontessori.org

173 Passage Four: Multiplying on paper 1. Have the child propose a problem. Have her multiply it as though it was composed of whole numbers on paper, ignoring the decimal points. 2. Have the child estimate where the decimal point should go when she has finished. 3. Check your answer by working the problem on the board.

For General Reference

This shows 98.756 x 32.814

Copyright 2009 | Jonathan Feagle www.FreeMontessori.org

174 The Effects of Multiplication by Powers of Ten Materials: Decimal board, hierarchical cubes, one rack of each color from the racks and cubes, paper and pencils Presentation: 1. Propose the problem: 23 x 10. Write it down. Have the child work it out by placing 23 beads ten times on the decimal board. 2. Exchange beads until you have a readable answer. Ask the child what occurs when you multiply by ten and write it down (all the units become tens and tens hundreds, etc., and you add a zero to the end of the number). 3. Compare the written answer to the one on the board. Have the child clear the board and propose a second problem: 2.3 x 10. 4. To solve this problem, we just add a zero, right? Write answer as 2.30. 5. Have the child work it out on the decimal board. Compare the answers. Wonder aloud What is going on? 6. Propose another problem: 0.23 x 10. Ask the child what she thinks the answer will be. Work the problem on the board. 7. When this problem does not work, propose the following: 0.023 x 10. Proceed as above. 8. Talk through what happened: in the first problem, we took the number ten times, and digit moved over a place and the zero filled in for the missing units. 9. Ask the child if she can explain what happened. Talk through this and the others, concentrating on how multiplying by ten moves the decimal place over once to the right. 10. State the rule: When multiplying by ten you move the decimal point one place to the right in the number. When we said just add a zero we werent quite right. 11. Propose the problem: 0.42 x 100. Ask the child what she thinks the answer will be. 12. Talk through the hundredths becoming units and the tenths becoming tens (decimal point moves two spaces to the right). 13. Note that when multiplying by a hundred, the decimal point moves two spaces to the right. Continue with 1,000. 14. Coach the child to state a rule. When multiplying by a factor of ten, move the decimal point as many places to the right as there zeros in the multiplier.

Copyright 2009 | Jonathan Feagle www.FreeMontessori.org

175 The Effects of Division by Powers of Ten Materials: Pencils and paper, possibly the decimal board, beads, cubes, and skittles Presentation: 1. Ask the child what he thinks will happen when we divide a number by ten. Write the problems: 100 10; 10 10; 1 10. 2. Talk the child through the first problem, reminding him of the order of the golden bead material, guiding him to the answers. 3. 4. 5. 6. Ask what happened to the decimal point (it moved one place to the left). Repeat with the other problems, showing how units become tenths, tenths, hundredths, etc. Check answers by sharing the appropriate beads and cubes to 10 skittles. Coach the child to state a rule. When dividing by a factor of ten, move the decimal point as many places to the left as there zeros in the divisor.

Copyright 2009 | Jonathan Feagle www.FreeMontessori.org

176 The Relative Size of Terms When Multiplying Numbers Introduction: The purpose of this lesson is to bring to the childs attention the relative sizes of the multiplicand, multiplier, and product. A further purpose is to enable them to answer the question Does this answer make sense? This lesson may not be necessary; the child may intuit its content. Materials: Pencils and paper Presentation: Passage One: Fractions Less Than One Times Whole or Mixed Numbers Greater Than One. 1. Propose a few examples, have the child write them down:

0.25 x 4 = 1;

0.5 x 6 = 3;

0.21 x 2 = 0.42

2. Ask the child if, while looking at the multiplied numbers and product, they see any relationships. 3. Help the child to see that all the answers are larger than the multiplicand. Ask the child why this is so (the multiplicand is taken some number of times greater then one). 4. Help the child to see that the answer is smaller than the multiplier (because multiplicand is less than one). Passage Two: Decimal Fractions Less Than One Times Decimal Fractions Less Than One 1. Propose a few examples, have the child write them down:

0.25 x 0.2 = 0.05;

0.3 x 0.6 = 0.18; 0.4 x 0.8 = 0.32

2. Help the child to see that the products are smaller than both the multiplicand and multiplier (because you are taking a part of a part). 3. To demonstrate the point, refer to graph paper work.

Passage Three: Whole Number or Mixed Fractions Times the Same 1. Propose a few examples, have the child write them down:

3.5 x 1.5 = 5.25;

6.68 x 4.1 = 27.388;

3 x 27 = 81

2. Help the child to see that the products are larger than both the multiplicand and multiplier. 3. Lead child to see that the whole number of the answer is approximately the product of the whole numbers of the problem.

Copyright 2009 | Jonathan Feagle www.FreeMontessori.org