Learning Resources Brights! Base Ten Manual

Base Ten Blocks establish concepts related to the base ten number system. Each
component is a multiple of the next larger component by a factor of 10. Use these
blocks to help students understand place value in written numerals, make models
of all operations with whole numbers and decimals, and demonstrate geometric
concepts of area, volume, and metric measurement. The following examples show
some effective ways to use the blocks in your classroom.
Place Value
To reinforce place value, have students try to solve the following example
problems.
Example:
"Build a tower using one cube, 11 flats, 15 rods, and 13 units. Now, build a same-
size tower using as few pieces as possible." Instruct students to regroup ten
smaller pieces for one piece of the next size: 2 cubes, 2 flats, 6 rods, 3 units.
After solving the example problem, students should build and record base ten
numerals, such as the following example:
1358 may be expressed as:
Students should also have an understanding of the following equivalences:
10 units are equivalent to 1 rod
10 rods are equivalent to 1 flat
10 flats are equivalent to 1 cube
Th H T O
1 3 5 8
LER 3551/3552
Ages Grades
6 + 1 +