Multiplication with the Golden Beads

This is the first year that I have had the freedom to present the math curriculum just as I was trained to teach it. In the past, I have co-taught and had to follow along with the way senior teachers felt things should be presented. That was no problem, of course, but it has been lovely to be able to follow the child - and follow my albums this year.

Today was officially the first time, in 6 years in the classroom, that I was actually able to do multiplication with the golden beads. I think it was even more exciting for me than for the children. Naturally, I took some photos.


Above is the "Operations Table," where each child has brought the quantity 1,321. We always cover it with purple velvet, as that is obviously the only type of material appropriate for use with the golden beads. Unfortunately, I do not have multiple sets of small number cards (or even one set) at my school. So, I used paper to write the multiplicand for each child. Of course, it is paper that the children are familiar with and have used for writing quantities with the golden beads, and it is color-coded. You can't see it terribly clearly here.


Above, the children have put all of their quantities together to find the product, 3,963, and they have brought the appropriate large number cards.


Above, you can scarcely see, but one of the children has written the final problem of the morning and the language "Taking the same number multiple times is called multiplication."