Virtual Manipulatives-Count the Money gr.3-5

Count the money for grades 3-5 is a very good to help kids learn how to count money. This manupulative is very clear and the best thing that I like about it is the fact that it is not timed. Being a special education teacher I know that my students would feel pressured to be timed to solve a problem. In addition, this game corrects you by telling you if you solved the problem correctly. It also gives you three options to count money such as, how much money, pay exact amount, and make a dollar. These three different strategies are very beneficial for every day life. In the section pay exact amount if the student placed too much or too little money they will be notified as to what mistake they made. I believe this manipulative is very useful.

4 Towers Assignment

I tested the 4 tower lesson on a 5th general education grade student. The studetn was given a total 100 blocks (50 in black and 50 in purple). He was then given the instructions to create different combinations of 4 tower blocks, mixing the colors but not repeating the patterns. He began by creating all different types and then moved on to creating the opposites of each of the original one he created. He created 8 pairs with a total of 16. He still continued to look and was not sure if he had created the total amount that he could. He finally asked me if he was required to use all the block he was given. I really enjoyed watching the way he created these towers. I felt as though he was very comfortable until he reached 16 and then began to double guess himself. He had all the pairs together and then started to see if he can create a grid. He realized he couldn't so he paired them up and said he was finished.