Next, draw lines or marks of some sort at the 10 positions of the base ten circle. Note that you will want to practice this before doing it in front of the children, since the tendency is to create the 12 positions of our standard clock. For the base ten system, there is a blank space where there would be the three for the clock. It is a good idea for you to familiarize yourself with the circle in general before you start teaching. This will inspire a lot of ideas for your work with your particular students.
There are a number of questions you can ask before and during the time you are adding the numbers to the base ten circle. “How many numbers are on the circle?” “Where is the zero?” “Where is the five?” No need to correct them if they get it wrong. Start to develop a habit of asking questions and not immediately giving a response. You may also just nod no matter what they say. This helps for the students to break their dependence on you telling them whether it is right or wrong. They will correct themselves and each other as they learn more. It is amazing to watch how they will take control of their own learning when you let them. Start filling in the numbers and allow the group to help you to know which number goes where. Place the tick-mark and ask, “What number goes here?” Continue with just pointing to the spot and letting them call out the answer. The basic base ten circle with the numbers filled in will look like the following image on the left. |
Say “six”, move the marker to 6.
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Say “twelve”, move the marker to 2.
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Say “eighteen”, move the marker to 8.
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Say “twenty-four”, move the marker to 4.
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Say “thirty”, move the marker to 0.
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