MA 2.01Golden Bead Quantities: Unit, Ten, Hundred, Thousand
The child holds and counts a golden unit bead, ten bar, hundred square, and thousand cube and learns their names.
Presentation
- 1
Place the unit bead in the child's palm: 'This is one unit.'
- 2
Hand the child a ten bar: 'This is one ten.' Have the child count the beads on it to ten.
- 3
Lay ten unit beads beside the ten bar to show they are the same length.
- 4
Show the hundred square. Lay ten ten bars on it, counting: 'ten tens make one hundred'.
- 5
Show the thousand cube. Stack ten hundred squares beside it, counting: 'ten hundreds make one thousand'.
- 6
Three-period lesson. Period 1: 'This is a unit… a ten… a hundred… a thousand.' Period 2: 'Hand me the hundred', 'Put the ten on your palm.' Period 3: 'What is this?'
- 7
Let the child hold the cube and then the unit to feel the difference.
- 8
Return the pieces to the tray in order from unit to thousand.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Child fetches a named quantity of one category from the bank on a tray ('Bring me four tens').
- Child fetches quantities of two or three categories at once ('two hundreds and five units').
- Child counts one category from one to nine, then says what ten of them make.
Control of error
The material shows each equivalence directly: ten units match a ten bar in length, ten bars cover a hundred square, and ten squares stack to the height of the cube.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Names each category when shown in random order
- Brings a requested quantity of any category from the bank without error
- Shows by counting that ten of one category equal one of the next
Guide note
Say 'one unit, one ten, one hundred, one thousand' so the name and quantity stay together. Always carry beads on a tray; the thousand cube is heavy for a young child and unit beads roll.