Description

Number Rack allows students to develop strong addition and subtraction skills. Using 5 and 10 as anchors for counting, adding and subtracting is clearly more effective than counting by ones. It shows students a visual representation of number relationships. Also teaching them to develop addition and subtraction strategies such as doubles plus or minus one, making tens, and compensation.

These strategies will lead to automatically of basic facts. A simple example: students will have to calculate 7 8. This is shown on the number rack by pushing 7 beads on the top row to the left and 8 beads on the bottom row to the left. Students now have different options to calculate this problem, creating problem solving skills while they do so. The first 5 beads on each row will be red, which will be used as anchors for the calculations. Students can solve this problem like 5 2 and 5 3, because they can clearly visualise the 2 sets of 5. Another option is doubles plus one, in this case 7 7 and 1. Or they start with combining the two sets of 5 and add the rest value: 10 2 3. Number racks are just an effective tool for subtraction strategies as they are for addition.

The quick visualisation of the problem they have to solve will help students in developing operation skills from an early age. You can even start introducing the number rack in Kindergarten. By keeping it simple, you can cover up the bottom row of beads by folding a piece of paper over these beads. When your students are ready for the next step, you can introduce the bottom row of beads for calculations up to 20.

Counting frame (2 rails) up to 20, with wooden beads in red and white (colour change after 5 beads). Beads are 20mm.