Presents ideas for tools useful for teaching writing in elementary school, such as carbon paper, stick-on flags, blank books, scissors, rulers, tape, stationery, postcards, card stands, clotheslines, and Polaroid cameras. Notes on materials dos and don'ts and special writing projects are included. (SM)

Describes a very successful attempt to teach fractions to year 5 pupils based on pupils making their own fraction pack. Children decided for themselves how to make the fractional slices used in the activity using colored cardboard sheets and templates of a paper circle consisting of 24 equal slices. (Author/NB)

A pretest-posttest control group design was used to measure the effect of practical life materials (e.g., tweezers, tongs, spoons) on kindergarten children's fine motor skill development. Experimental and control group teachers reported equal amounts of fine motor activity in their classrooms; however, significant interaction effects were found…

Illustrates ways of using algebra tiles to give students a visual model of competing squares that appear in algebra as well as in higher mathematics. Such visual representations give substance to the symbolic manipulation and give students who do not learn symbolically a way of understanding the underlying concepts of completing the square. (KHR)

Describes a unit of study focusing on tessellations to show students another view of mathematics. (Author)

Presents a classroom activity in which students build and learn to use their own abacuses. Describes the lesson that combines mathematics, art, and social studies. (KHR)

Examines methods and types of estimation. Characterizes fruitful in-class estimation tasks by exploring the validity and possible extensions of "marble jar" estimation. (KHR)

Illustrates the varied mathematical reasoning involved when a geometric construction problem is solved with three different manipulative tools. (Author/NB)

Describes a study on how effective teachers use manipulatives successfully. Presents factors to recognize when manipulative-based lessons are identified and discusses ways in which the use of manipulatives can go astray. (YDS)

The article suggests that Belcastro rods, which retain the basic properties of Cuisenaire rods but allow instant identification by touch, may be useful in teaching mathematical concepts to blind children. Drawings illustrate use of the rods in teaching such concepts as addition and subtraction. (Author/DB)

Ten activities classifying buttons are presented. Additional suggestions are given for using children's literature and for how to begin. (MNS)

Describes activity boxes which can be used in early childhood classrooms to further curriculum and development goals. Activity boxes are containers filled with related objects categorized by color, shape, or material which encourage children to explore, sort, and manipulate real things. Discusses goals and lists contents for 24 activity boxes.…

This article offers teaching strategies for developing number sense for children who are blind and braille users. Suggestions focus on developing number meanings, exploring number relationships with manipulatives, understanding the relative magnitude of numbers, developing intuitions about the relative effect of operating on numbers, and…

Reviews research on the use of sociodramatic play in developing preschool literacy skills, outlines the development of play centers which can be used to facilitate literacy development, and offers practical suggestions for acquiring the materials needed for the construction of such centers in preschool classrooms and facilities. (MDM)

Shows various methods of folding and cutting 4-, 5-, 6-, 7-, 9-, and 11-pointed stars. Discusses the geometry underlying each method. (MKR/SW)