base 10 (Dienes) blocks

helpful images of place value relationships

















10 little cubes ('peas') in the stick ('chip')

10 chips in the square ('waffle')

10 waffles in the BIG cube

it's better to hold them up
if you can - one of each will do

how many peas in a waffle?
how many chips in a BIG cube?
etc.

if the chip is 1
what are the rest? (pointing, or holding them up)

what if the BIG cube is 1?
what if the waffle is 5?
what if the BIG cube is 37?
what if the chip is 4.6?
etc. etc. etc.

a powerpoint
















Zoltan P Dienes advocated the use of such manipulatives for the teaching of place value