Day+5

=__Day 5 - Manipulative Tools __=

Today I got to work with a new partner. We played with manipulatives such as linking cubes, geo-boards, pattern blocks, and algebra tiles. I remember the Bell work to be the most interesting activity. We were asked to fold a paper into as many halves as we could - we only got 6 halves. Moreover, we used the paper folds to demonstrate how you can multiply fractions. For instance, take a 8x10 paper and fold it into half, then from the other end, fold it 4 times. This represents 1/2*1/4 which gives you 8 rectangles (precisely 1/8). It's interesting to see what you can do with one piece of paper. Linking cubes is a good manipulative to use for hands-on learners. Geo-boards can be good for geometry; moreover, the online resource can be more safe to use in comparison to the old school elastic and boards. I found it most difficult creating an activity with pattern blocks. For some reason I sat for 15 minutes not able to think of anything. Algebra tiles are a great tool to use for positive and negative number calculations, but students may find it difficult to use in certain instances (-2+5).