REKENREK

A Resource for Teachers

A Tool for Children
Sekilas Pandang
Dalam sesi ini kita akan menguji Rekenrek,
benda yg ringkas, tapi berkuasa untuk membina
kemahiran berfikir dan merangsang pemahaman
Matematik.
Khususnya , kita akan melihat
Rasional penggunaan Rekenrek
Rekenrek dalam Matematik
Aktiviti Rekenrek yang boleh meningkatkan kemahiran
berfikir murid;kefahaman dan kepakaran menambah
dan menolak nombor berdasarkan sistem asas
sepuluh.


Pengenalan
Solve th.
As you come up with the answer, be aware of the
strategy that you used to determine the answer.
Most likely, your brain will make adjustments on
these numbers very quickly, and you will use an
informal strategy to find the result. Of course,
some of you will know these by rote
memorization as well.

8 + 7 = ?
What mental adjustments did you make as you
solved this problem?
Double 8, subtract 1? (8 + 8 = 16; 16 - 1 = 15)
Double 7, add 1? (7 + 7 = 14; 14 + 1 = 15)
Make 10, add 5? (8 + 2 = 10; 10 + 5 = 15)
Make 10 another way? (7 + 3 = 10)
Other strategies?

Next problem
5 + 8 = ?
What mental adjustments did you make as you
solved this problem?
Make 10, add 3? (5 + 5 = 10; 10 + 3 = 13)
Make 10 another way? (8 + 2 = 10; 10 + 3 = 13)
Use another fact? (If 8 + 4 = 12, then 8 + 5 = 13)
Other strategies?


Next problem

9 + 7 = ?
What mental adjustments did you make as you
solved this problem?
Make 10, add 6? (9 + 1 = 10; 10 + 6 = 16)
Other strategies?
Questions
If we use these strategies as adults, do we teach
them explicitly to young children?
Should we?
If so how?
With the Rekenrek
The Rekenrek is a powerful tool that helps children
subitize (see inside numbers), develop cardinality
(one-to-one correspondence), work flexibly with
numbers by using decomposition (part-part-whole)
strategies, anchors of 5 and 10, and informal
strategies s.a. doubling, halving, one/two more, and
one/two less.
What is the Rekenrek?
Developed by Adri Treffers
The rekenrek combines key features of other
manipulative models like counters, the number
line, and base-10 models.
It is comprised of two strings of 10 beads each,
strategically broken into groups of five.
The rekenrek therefore entices students to think
in groups of 5 and 10.
The structure of the rekenrek offers visual pictures
for young learners, encouraging them to see
numbers within other numbers to see groups of
5 and 10.
For example
Visual Model
With the rekenrek, young learners learn quickly
to see the number 7 in two distinct parts: One
group of 5, and 2 more.
A group of 10
3 more

Similarly, 13 is seen as one group of 10
(5 red and 5 black), and three more.
5 2
Constructing a Rekenrek
What do we need?
A small cardboard rectangle
String
20 beads

Tie a knot at the end of each string.
Slip the ends of the string through the slits on the
cardboard so that the beads are on the front of
the cardboard, and the knot of the string is on the
back side.

Constructing a Rekenrek
Flash Attack
Objectives
To help students begin to subitize -- to see a
collections of objects as one quantity rather than
individual beads
To help students develop visual anchors around 5
and 10
To help students make associations between
various quantities. For example, consider the way a
pupil might make the connection between 7 and 10.
I know there are ten beads in each row. There
were three beads left in the start position. So
there must be 7 in the row because 10 - 3 = 7.
Examples
Time two secs (so they do not have time to count each bead
individually)
Push over beads and ask How many? and ask for
explanations.
Listen for I knew there were reds, and /less one
more (encourage this identification of 5 reds/ ten beads as
central to the solution)
Expand to two rows. Ask How many beads are there in the
top row? The bottom row? Altogether? (Reasoning)
Look for patterns as they determine the quantities being
flashed (how they know without counting each bead)
Basic Combinations 0-10
Modeling the activity:
Use both rows to keep the addends clearly visible
Suggested sequence (begin with 5 on the top row)
Lets make 8. I start with 5. How many more?
Lets make 9. I start with 6. How many more?
Lets make 6. I start with 5. How many more?
Lets make 6 again. I start with 3. How many more?
E.g., Build on previous relationship. Use doubles.
Listen to the thinking/explanations of students.

Expand to Combinations of 10-20
Activity:
Extend to Subtraction

Basic Combinations 0-10
Lesson Objectives
Relational View of Equality
One of the strengths of the rekenrek is its connections to
other forms of mathematical reasoning. For example,
equality.
Our children are only used to seeing problems like
4 + 5 = ? 6 + 3 = ?
Part-Part-Whole relationships
Missing Addend problems
Continue to build informal strategies and means for
combining numbers
Doubles
Objectives
Help students visualize doubles (e.g., 4+4; 6+6)
Help students use doubles in computation
The visualization is key:






1+1=2 2+2=4 3+3=6 4+4=8
Developing Understanding of the Doubles

Ask students what they notice about these visualizations.
They might see them as vertical groups of two as two
horizontal lines of the same number of beads even
numbers etc.
As students are ready, teachers should include the doubles
between 6 and 10, following a similar teaching strategy. In
this case, students should know to use their knowledge of a
double of 5 (two groups of 5 red beads = 10) to compute
related doubles.



7 + 7 = 14


Seen as, perhaps
2 groups of 5, plus 4
Almost a Double

Students should use their understanding of
doubles to successfully work with near doubles,
e.g., 7 + 8

Students can begin to recognize the difference
between even numbers (even numbers can be
represented as a pair of equal numbers) and odd
numbers (paired numbers plus one).
Near Doubles
1 2+1 = 3 4+1 = 5 6+1 = 7 8+1 = 9
2 + 1 3 + 2 4 + 3 5+ 4
Use a pencil
to separate
Near Doubles: Developing Ideas
Develop this idea by doing several additional
examples with the Rekenrek. Ask pupils to use the
Rekenrek to prove whether or not the following are
true.
Have students visually identify each component of
these statements:

Does 6 + 7 = 12 + 1?
Does 3 + 2 = 4 + 1?
Does 4 + 5 = 8 + 1?
Does 8 + 9 = 16 + 1?

Part-Part-Whole

To develop an understanding of part-part-whole
relationships in number problems involving
addition and subtraction.
To develop a relational understanding of the
equal sign.
To develop confidence and comfort with
missing addend problems.

Developing Ideas
Push some beads to the left. Cover the remaining beads.
Ask students: How many beads do you see on the top row?




Ask: How many beads are covered (top row)?
Listen for answers like the following:
5 and 1 more is 6. I counted up to 10 7, 8, 9, 10.
4 are covered.
I know that 6 + 4 = 10. I see 6, so 4 more.
I know that there are 5 red and 5 white on each row. I only see one
white, so there must be 4 more.
Next move to both rows of beads.
Cover
Remaining
Beads
Show the Sum: How many ways?
Get two numbers (maybe from the rolling of two dice)..
Teacher: The dice turned up 9 and 6. What is the sum?

Get students to share their strategies for calculating the sum.

Eg.: I moved 5 red and 4 white on the top to show 9. Since I
know 5 plus 1 is 6, on the bottom I moved all 5 red beads and
one more white one. They all add up to 15.
(Record the number sentences to represent each students
strategy)
Automaticity:
Math Facts
Objectives in Learning the Math Facts

Quick recall, yes. But with understanding, and with a
strategy!

To develop fluency with the addition number facts through 20.
To reinforce anchoring on 10 and using doubles as helpful strategies
to complete the math facts through 20.
Students can model the number facts on one row of the rekenrek
(like 5 + 4), or model facts using both rows (which they have to do
when the number get larger, e.g., 8 + 7)


To promote automaticity, it is important to use
the Rekenrek to visually represent the number
facts for children.
It is important to reinforce the various strategies
that the pupils used.
With other number facts, other compensation strategies
should be encouraged. E.g: 8 + 4 = 12
While some students might see doubles, it is more likely
in this instance that pupils will anchor on 10 by mentally
sliding two additional beads to the leaft on the top row,
and then compensating on the bottom row by removing
two beads.
Tens or Ones
Draw one of the number cards.
Ask them to build the number on their rekenrek
Next draw from the second container (the Take
Away Tens and Run Away Ones cards)
Perform the action and look for different
strategies and invite student sharing.

Lets try
The Rekenrek and a Relational
View of Equality
Take, for example, the = sign

What belongs in the box?

8 + 4 = + 5
How do children often answer this problem?
Discuss in pairs
(Activity)
8 + 4 = + 5
3 research studies used this exact problem
No more than 10% of US students in grades 1-6 in
these 3 studies put the correct number (7) in the box.
In one of the studies, not one 6th grader out of 145 put
a 7 in the box.
The most common responses?
12 and 17
Why?
Students are led to believe through basic fact
exercises that the problem is on the left side, and the
answer comes after the = sign.
Rekenrek use in K-3 mitigates this misconception