Teaching with the Number Track and Blocks

The Number Track is a concrete representation of the number line, giving children an understanding of the magnitude of “big” numbers. Children build numbers and play games on the number track, developing mental images of those numbers as they develop fluency in all operations.

The number track is used to demonstrate:

  • The place and magnitude of numbers on a number line from 0 to 100
  • The decades and the base-ten number system
  • Addition and subtraction
  • Multiplication and division

The 10-Table

The children discover the multiples of the 10-table by placing the 10-blocks in the number track, one after the other. They learn the meaning behind each multiplication fact as they state it in this game. This game is called "Stop and Go."

 

Introducing the Containing Aspect of Division: An Example

Children learn how to record and solve division examples. To discover how many times 5 goes into 15, children put 5-blocks into the number track until they reach 15. The teacher shows them where to write the answer 3 in this division algorithm.