Parts and Wholes - Bar Model Trays for Manipulatives

thingiverse

This project offers hands-on tools for helping students decode word problems that involve parts and wholes. For instance, if you have a total of seven apples with me, and I have three, how many must you have? To help tactile and visual learners, these trays enable us to translate problems and find solutions while developing a habit of breaking word problems down into manageable chunks. These trays can be projected using a document projector and are useful for differentiating instruction for students who struggle with specific topics. The smaller trays say "part," while the larger tray says "whole," "total," "altogether," or "100%," to reinforce the vocabulary we aim to teach our students. These trays can be used to help students better understand math or demonstrate a math concept with a #MathProject. Print Settings Printer Brand: MakerBot Printer: MakerBot Replicator (5th Generation) Rafts: Yes Supports: No Notes: Take advantage of color families to reinforce the concept that parts combine to make the whole and vice versa. For the example set, I used a yellow "Part" and a red "Part" to form the orange "Whole." Likewise, you could use yellow and blue "parts" to make a green "Whole," or switch up vocabulary words and use the "total" tray or "100% tray with different color combinations. How I Designed This I created these sorting trays on #OnShape. I included a blank tray that you can modify in #TinkerCAD to add your own vocabulary words if you choose. You can also modify the files directly in OnShape by accessing the project here. Standards CCSS Overview and Background While developing fluency in mathematical operations, students may struggle with seeing those same operations in different settings. Part of the challenge with mathematics as an academic subject lies in the ability or inability to visualize the question at hand. By providing a consistent demonstration of parts combining to make a whole (or a whole losing a part to have a remainder), teachers can scaffold students into handling word problems and algebraic operations independently. Lesson Plan and Activity To provide a consistent example for students, the trays should be used routinely when dealing with relevant problems. When enough students have mastered the standards, they can be used as reinforcement or for differentiation. If your students are comfortable and familiar with using this method from 3 + ___ = 10, reintroducing the trays for 3x + 4 = 10 can help introduce newer algebraic relationships. Rubric and Assessment Summatively, students can be assessed on their ability to correctly solve word problems. Formatively, they can also be scored on their ability to translate word problems correctly into parts and wholes - developing a model that they can solve. References http://e2math.weebly.com/models-to-support-thinking/bar-models-singapore-math-algebraic-thinking http://www.mnstem.org/parts-and-wholes-bar-models-worksheets/