1. Learning to Think Mathematically With the Rekenrek
A Resource for Teachers
A Tool for Young Children
Jeff Frykholm

2. Overview
In this seminar we will examine the Rekenrek, a simple, but powerful, manipulative to help young children develop mathematical understanding.
Specifically, we will explore…
A rationale for the Rekekrek
The mathematics of the Rekenrek
Many activities that show how the Rekenrek can improve students understanding and proficiency with addition and subtraction, number sense, and our base-10 system

3. Introduction Solve the following addition problems mentally.
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.

4. 8 + 7 = ?
What mental adjustments did you make as you solved this problem?
Double 8, subtract 1? (8 + 8 = 16; = 15)
Double 7, add 1? (7 + 7 = 14; = 15)
Make 10, add 5? (8 + 2 = 10; = 15)
Make 10 another way? (7 + 3 = 10; = 15)
Other strategies?
Next problem…

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

6. 9 + 7 = ?
What mental adjustments did you make as you solved this problem?
Make 10, add 6? (9 + 1 = 10; = 16)
Other strategies?

7. Questions… With the Rekenrek
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 see “inside” numbers (“subitize”), develop cardinality (one-to-one correspondence), and work flexibly with numbers by using decomposition strategies.

8. What is the Rekenrek?
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…

9. With the rekenrek, young learners learn quickly to “see” the number 7 in two distinct parts: One group of 5, and 2 more.
Similarly, 13 is seen as one group of 10 (5 red and 5 white), and three more.
A group of 10
3 more

10. Constructing a Rekenrek
What do we need?
A small cardboard rectangle (foam board)
String/Pipe cleaners
20 beads (10 red, 10 white)
For younger children, one string with 10 beads may be sufficient.

11. How to Make a Rekenrek
Step one: Cut 4 small slits in the cardboard

12. Step 2: String beads 20 beads 10 Red, 10 White Two strings of 10 beads
Tie a knot in the end of each string, or use pipe cleaners with snugly fitting beads.

13. Step 3: Strings on Cardboard
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.

14. Activities with the Rekenrek
Show me… 1-5; Show me 5-10
Make 10, Two Rows
Flash Attack!
Combinations,
Combinations,
Doubles
Almost a Double
Part-Part-Whole
It’s Automatic… Math Facts
The Rekenrek and the Number Line
Subtraction
Contextual Word Problems and the Rekenrek

15. An Introduction
Students should be introduced to the Rekenrek with some simple activities that help them understand how to use the model.
These activities also give teachers a chance to assess the thinking and understanding of their students.
For example:
Show me
Make 5; Make 10 (with two rows)
Emphasize completing these steps with “one push”
After students can do these exercises with ease, they are ready for other more challenging activities. The following lesson ideas are explained fully in the book.

16. 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 child might make the connection between 8 and 10.
“I know there are ten beads in each row. There were two beads left in the start position. So… there must be 8 in the row because = 8.”

17. Lesson Progression
Start with the top row only; Push over 2 beads: “How many do you see?”
Repeat: push over 4 beads; 5 beads
Now… instruct students that they have only two seconds to tell how many beads are visible.
Suggested sequence:
6, 10, 9, 7, 8, 5, 3, 4
Ready?

18. Example 1: One Second How many Red beads?

20. Example 2

22. Example 3

24. Example 4

26. Basic Combinations 0-10 (p21)
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 = ? = ?
Part-Part-Whole relationships
Missing Addend problems
Continue to build informal strategies and means for combining numbers

27. Basic Combinations 0-10 Modeling the activity:
“We are going to work together to build numbers. Let’s build the number 3. I will start. I will push two beads over on the top row. Now you do the same. Now… how many beads do you need to push over on the bottom row?”
Use both rows to keep the addends clearly visible
Suggested sequence (begin with 5 on the top row)
“Let’s make 8. I start with 5. How many more?”
“Let’s make 9. I start with 6. How many more?”
“Let’s make 6. I start with 5. How many more?”
“Let’s 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.

28. Combinations, (p. 23)
This activity works the same as the previous, but we use numbers between 10 and 20
Vary the presentation of the numbers, using context occasionally
Take advantage of this opportunity to help students develop sound understanding of the addition facts.
Examples…
“Let’s make 15. I start with 8. How many more?”
Think through the reasoning used here by the children. What strategies might they use?

29. Combinations, 10-20 (p. 23) Teaching strategies:
Use the same start number 3-4 times in a row, changing the initial push. This will establish connections between fact families.
Build informally on the doubles.
If students are counting individual beads, stop, and model groups of 5 and 10, perhaps returning to previous activities in the book.

30. Doubles (p. 25) Objectives The visualization is key:
Help students visualize doubles (e.g., 4+4; 6+6)
Help students use doubles in computation
The visualization is key:
1+1= = = =8

31. 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.
For example, consider = 14. Students are likely to see two sets of doubles. First, they will recognize that two groups of 5 red beads is 10. Next, a pair of 2’s is 4. Hence, = (5 + 5) + (2 + 2) = = 14

32. 7 + 7 = 14
Seen as, perhaps…
2 groups of 5, plus 4

33. Almost a Double Objectives of the lesson
Students should use their understanding of doubles to successfully work with “near doubles”, e.g.,
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).

34. Near Doubles… 2 + 1 3 + 2 4 + 3 5+ 4 1 2+1 = 3 4+1 = 5 6+1 = 7 8+1 = 9
= = = = 9
Use a pencil to separate

35. Near Doubles: Developing Ideas
Develop this idea by doing several additional examples with the Rekenrek. Ask students to use the Rekenrek to “prove” whether or not the following are true.
Have students visually identify each component of these statements:
Does = ?
Does = 4 + 1?
Does = 8 + 1?
Does = ?

36. Part-Part-Whole (p. 29) Objectives of the Lesson
To develop an understanding of part-part-whole relationships in number problems involving addition and subtraction.
To develop intuitive understandings about number fact relationships.
To develop a relational understanding of the equal sign.
To develop confidence and comfort with “missing addend” problems.

37. 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, are covered.”
“I know that = 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

38. It’s Automatic: 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)

41. An Activity: Subtraction
With two or three of your colleagues, create a plan for teaching subtraction with the Rekenrek
Be prepared to share your method

42. Story Problems and the Rekenrek
Examples
“Claudia had 4 apples. Robert gave her 3 more. Now how many apples does Claudia have?”
“Claudia had some apples. Robert gave her 3 more. Now she has 7 apples. How many did she have at the beginning?” (Here the Start is unknown.)
“Claudia had 4 apples. Robert gave her some more. Now she has 7 apples. How many did Robert give her?” (Here the Change is unknown.)
“Together, Claudia and Robert have 7 apples. Claudia has one more apple than Robert. How many apples do Claudia and Robert have?” (This is a Comparison problem.)

44. An Activity Select one of these problem types from CGI
Create three problems
Find the solutions to the three problems using the Rekenrek
Exchange your problems with another group. Try to solve the other group’s problems by modeling each step with the Rekenrek

45. In Summary… Ideas, Insights, Questions about the Rekenrek?
How it can be used to foster number sense?
Strengths?
Limitations?

46. The Rekenrek and a Relational View of Equality
The process of generalization can (should) begin in the primary grades
Take, for example, the = sign
What belongs in the box?
8 + 4 =
How do children often answer this problem? Discuss…

47. 8 + 4 = + 5 3 research studies used this exact problem
8 + 4 =
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

48. Rather than viewing the = sign as the button on a calculator that gives you the answer, children must view the = sign as a symbol that highlights a relationship in our number system.
For example, how do you “do” the left side of this equation? What work can you possibly do to move toward an answer?
3x + 5 = 20
We can take advantage of this “relational” idea in teaching basic facts, manipulating operations, and expressing generalizations in arithmetic at the earliest grades
For example…
9 = 8 + 1
5 x 6 = (5 x 5) + 5
(2 + 3) x 5 = (2 x 5) + (3 x 5)