How do you use Rightstart place value cards?

[lgliser]

They seem great and I printed out a free version of them online so I have them, but I'm curious how exactly you use them?  I have just one simple idea.  Can anyone share specific examples?

[school17777]

I use them and I don't even use Rightstart. I bought the game set and it came with an al abacus. I switch to using the al abacus instead of counters and thus using the place cards made sense. Dd counts by tens on the abacus, then we pull out that ten card. (Say 20). Then she counts the ones. (Say 3). The 3 would cover the 0 on the 20, so dd knows this 23. We just started using the al abacus and place cards near the end of the year, but I felt it was helping her recognize say 23 on the abacus without having to use the cards.

[Year Round Mom]

We do those ideas!  :iagree:

 

To teach which place value each card represents, when you introduce the cards, you point to the 0 on the tens cards and say "ten" (one syllable). Take a hundreds card and point to the two zeroes, saying "hun-dred", one zero for each syllable. Take a thousands card and say "th-ou-sand" for the three zeroes. (A little awkward, but it works!)

 

Have DC also take turns picking up a card and reading it by pointing to the digits. 200 would be "two (point) hun (point) dred (point)"

 

I was also thinking that having either base-ten cards or those 100-tiles and 1000-cubes would work well in conjunction with the abacus. The tiles and cubes can be printed on card stock, cut out, and folded. 

 

When you say a number to DC, they can 1. find the correct place-value cards to create the number, then 2. build the correct number with the tiles, cubes, and abacus or with just the base-ten cards.

 

Then you can build a number with the manipulatives and have DC 1. find the correct place-value cards, then 2. read the number out loud.

 

Oh and wait! You can also use the second side of the abacus (if you have one), too! So you can use the abacus to do numbers higher than 100.

 

If you don't have these manipulatives or similar ones, then maybe you could bring them out when you're doing your regular math lessons and pause to build the numbers you're working with. When you're introducing the cards, RS suggests using dates that are meaningful to the family, like birth years or street address. They are fantastic on their own!!!