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WHAT IS IT?
The Small Bead Frame is a material students use to add, subtract, and multiply into the thousands.
Designed for children beginning Lower Elementary, the material helps children to move toward an abstract understanding of mathematical operations.
HOW DOES IT WORK? (ADDITION)
Solve the following equation: 2346 + 3452.
Notice there is a row of beads for each digit:
1 (units), 10 (tens), 100 (hundreds), and 1000 (thousands).
The color coding for units, tens, and hundreds is consistent across the majority Montessori materials.
Make “2346” using the bead frame. Slide 6 units, 4 tens, 3 hundreds, and 2 thousands to the right side.
Now add the units. In the number “3452” there are 2 units.
Add 2 units to the 6 that are already there.
How many units are there now? Count the beads and write down the answer: 8 units.
Repeat this process for the tens column: 4 + 5 = 9.
In the hundreds column: 3 + 4 = 7.
In the thousands column: 2 + 3 = 5.
2346 + 3452 = 5798.
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