This Montessori Math lesson composition of quantities comes after the Overview of Golden Beads. The goal is to practice what was just introduced in the Overview.
So, children will review the quantities and language of the decimal system. With this practice, place value will be emphasized for the child, reinforcing the concept.
Composition of Quantities Lesson
Request that the child finishes the bead layout so that you can show him something new, Composition of Quantities.
Ask that the child goes to his layout and gets a specific quantity of units. Make sure the units are on the right side of the tray in their dish.
Ask him to tell you what he has brought and to count them into your hand. Then, have him return the units to the proper place in his layout.
When he returns, ask him to retrieve another quantity. Keep in that you must always check the quantities, always ask the child to tell you what he has brought to you, and always ask the child to count the quantity.
The sequence should go as follows: units, tens, hundreds, and thousands. Make sure the child practices many times and with random quantities.
The child should practice random quantities of units and tens, hundreds and tens, hundreds and thousands, all three, and then all four categories.
Give the child quantities with zero in each of the three places.
Variations & Extensions
- The child can retrieve quantities from the bank
- Children can work together to request quantities and record those quantities
