I am looking to teach place value and its pattern (multiply by ten every time you move to the left, divide as you move to the right)... I need to make it hands on and am not sure how to do it, as you can only show from ones to tens to hundreds. Beyond that it's too big...I immediately thought of a slight of hand that I have used with my students to teach place value: the Transmogrifier invented by Calvin (A.K.A. Bill Watterson). It was a "machine" that Calvin invented that could vary the appearance of a thing, without altering its relationship with other things. For example, it could change Calvin into a bug, but the bug would still interact with the world as Calvin would. In other words, the Transmogrifier made Calvin's appearance variable.
Here is a video I made to explain how I have used this idea to teach place value:
I might also play them a video like this so they get an idea of the real magnitude we're trying to convey:
So remember...
And here's the link if you want to buy extra 1000 cubes. Or you and/or your group can try this flat pattern and have them build the 10 by 10 by 10 cubes.
Any thoughts?
