My students need Rekenreks to support their mathematical thinking in Addition and Subtraction, seeing the relationship between numbers and how to break them apart.
Solve the problem 8+7. Can you solve it another way? How about another way? Students today have to learn more than just basic facts. Learning focuses on strategies and developing an understanding of numbers.
I teach resilient, wonderful, 2nd grade students in a low income, high poverty school.
Despite the great challenges several of our students face - poverty, limited language, and limited exposure to experiences - they have an excitement for learning and school is a wonderful place to be. In addition to their struggles, many of our students come from homes that speak English as a second language.
My Project
I am requesting Rekenreks, which are also known as bead racks. Rekenreks provide visual support for composing and decomposing numbers. At our school, we have found Rekenreks to be very valuable in helping students develop strategies to solve various problems. With the push of the Common Core standards and a need for more problem solving, the Rekenrek supports strategy development, which leads to proficiency in fact fluency.
For example, have you ever thought about how many ways there are to solve a problem, such as 8+7? Think about the problem. How many ways can you come up with? What about 7+7 is 14 and 1 more is 15? Or, 8+8 is 16 and 1 less is 15. How about breaking up the 7 into a 5 and 2. So, 8+2 is 10 and 5 more is 15. Developing these strategies helps lead the development for students to work with a variety of numbers and strategies, and the Rekenrek does just that.
Composing and decomposing, is an essential part of understanding numbers.
This understanding affects every student, whether in Kindergarten or 5th grade. It leads to strategy development and conceptual understanding for place value, multiplication, and more. With your help, we can get this valuable tool into more hands at our school. Thank you for considering this project!
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Davis and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.