Math Fingers

Fingers Free soft
copies of Fingers by
e-mail  m
ayfieldga@bellsouth.
net  By
lynn 

     I designed
these fingers to
help students in
grades k-3 and
Special Education
learn to add,
subtract, and
multiply numbers
from 1 to 20. 
Example for
addition: 7 + 5 =,
the student places
his left finger or
pencil eraser on the
7 and then moves his
finger or pencil
five places to the
10; follow the arrow
to the 11; and then
counts to 12.  For
subtraction, the
same way: 15 - 8 =,
the student places
his finger on the
fifteen and counts
back eight places to
the 11; follows the
arrow to the 10 and
then finishes
counting at seven. 
You may have to help
some students learn
to count correctly
by helping them
jumping to the next
number before
starting the count;
some students tend
to count one from
the beginning
number.  I like this
system over just
teaching facts to
students for it
shows students the
number line that can
now be used to see
higher addition and
subtraction such as
27 + 5 or 35 –
8.  I like this
because even as
adults when we add
up large numbers, we
visualize the number
line to see how to
add up larger
numbers.  Also, some
MOD/TMH students may
tend to move their
fingers from one
level to another at
first before
reaching the end. 
You can use line
draw to make a
horizontal line
between the numbers
if you get this type
of problem.

          I like
these for second
grade and yes, some
third graders who
are developing
carrying and
borrowing skills
while still not sure
of the math.  This
helps in relieving
some of the mental
work for those
students.

          I use
mental math to teach
multiplication to
regular education
students.  However,
I make use of these
fingers when
teaching Special Ed.
students.  I find
these students,
using my fingers,
are able to grasp
multiplication more
easily.  An example
of teaching this
would be, say 5 X 7
=  the student
begins counting from
one to seven.  He
then places a seven
on his paper.  He
counts up another
seven, only this
time he counts from
one (counting from
one - 8, 9, 10, 11,
12, 13, 14).  He
writes down the 14
next to the 7.  He
repeats this process
until reaching seven
and the final
answer, 35.  I
usually teach my
students to use the
large numbers first
when using fingers.


          I drew
these out the best I
could using
Microsoft free draw.
 Try to keep the
fingers even.  Note
that I have placed
the top numbers to
the right of each
finger and the
bottom numbers to
the left.  This
helps keep students
from going to the
wrong number when
following the
arrowed line.  If
you use these
fingers on the
screen, you may have
to cut out the
written area and
expand the drawing
to get a full page.

          I like
these fingers
because they can be
copied and
distributed easily
and.  The students
can take them home
with them.  I
especially like not
having to use
counting chips
because the chips
tend to become
scattered and lost. 
Also, students using
counting chips many
times lose count and
have to start over
or worse, guess when
forgetting.  Site
has stories
http://learn
ingtheory.homestead.
com/Theory.html