Montessori's Subtraction Snake Game (AMI Primary Version): The Disappearing Snake!

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[@rashabakr3058]

Thank you!

[@Base10Montessori]

You're welcome!

[@primaryadventuressnow]

Thank you so much for this video! My students have been SO excited to have this lesson.

[@Base10Montessori]

Any time! I'm working on how to approach the decimal system/golden beads/the bank game this week!

[@phamlehoa7194]

I love this video.

[@Base10Montessori]

I'm so glad! I had some technical difficulties filming it, so I'm glad it worked out!

[@DMTCNigeria]

I love this

[@Base10Montessori]

Thank you!

[@Base10Montessori]

I apologize if this video is a bit rough around the edges. I did rush to get this done before I had to leave for my evening job. I can always remake it later if needed, but it may have to wait until after I get a new iphone. My iphone storage is full, so every time I try to record, it stops recording and tells me I have no storage left... and then I have to go and find things to delete so I can finish recording. I hope to be upgrading my phone soon, though! This is all a work in progress for me and I'm learning how to do things through a lot of trial and error (emphasis on the error).

[@LarMontessori]

Only so that you know, with all the "rough around the edges", it was the clearest presentation I saw of the Negative Snake Game. :)

[@Base10Montessori]

@@LarMontessori Thank you! I just saw this comment... not sure why it didn't show up in my feed. I appreciate the compliment!

[@LarMontessori]

@@Base10Montessori 🥰

[@littlebirdfriendable]

Thank you for this! What can I do if my student does the control of error and is it wrong?

[@Base10Montessori]

There are a couple reasons why the child is making a mistake, so it depends on the reason why. If the child is very young, most likely the mistake is developmental and just being patient enough to wait for the child to get more experience with the lesson is the best option. The first step is to Ask yourself if the child is making a mistake because they are not ready for the lesson - if they aren't ready for it, you can ask them to wait to get that work out again and find an alternative lesson to show them that might be more appropriate. If you know they are ready for this lesson, the question you ask yourself next is if there was something in the way you presented the lesson that could be causing the problem. For instance, was the child paying attention to the control of error portion of the lesson or was he/she distracted by the end? Sometimes these lessons get a little long and it is ok to break them into smaller lessons. For instance, you can present the main subtraction part of the lesson and have them practice that for a few weeks and then present the control of error portion of the lesson at a later date if you are finding it too much to present at once. If the child is doing the first part correctly (maybe not perfectly, but they have the right idea) then tell them for now, don't worry about checking their work. Just do the first part and add the control of error back in later. Since this lesson is for an older child (around the age of 6), they can communicate how they feel about the lesson, so you can ask, "Wow, this is such a long game. Do you want to just do the first part right now and we will add in the control of error later? Would that be easier for you? It's a really long lesson, how do you feel about making it a bit shorter for right now by just doing the first part?" It depends on the child how you want to approach it, so think about different options and reflect on where the mistake is happening and why before you choose which response is best. If the child isn't quite ready for the work, you can just be honest and be honest about having them wait to try it again. Sometimes we make mistakes and show a work too soon, so it is good to realize when we make the mistake and need to find a gentle way to ask the child to wait to get that work out again. But, if the child is older and you are confident that they are developmentally capable of understanding it and doing the control of error correctly, then there are a couple ways you can approach correcting them. My first advice is to be slow at correcting the error because it isn't about getting it right the first time through the lesson (and subtraction snake game is difficult, so be patient with their errors and give them lots of time to experience the work before deciding on a formal correction). If the mistake is only occurring in the control of error, but not in the first part of the lesson, I wouldn't worry too much. I only consider a formal correction if the child is making an error in the direct purpose of the work, which in this lesson is the experience of subtraction within different combinations of 10. There are very few times we quickly correct an error in the 3-6 age group. If they are understanding subtraction well and forming combinations of ten, then the purpose is being fulfilled and I'm not too worried about the control of error part. The goal of the work is progress, not perfection, so I never expect perfection with these works after I present them. Time and development are often what the child needs to obtain perfection - which happens only through repetition of the experience. When you do decide to correct an error, There are two main ways to correct an error directly in the Montessori philosophy. I would observe carefully and if needed you can either re-present the lesson (or just the control of error portion) or have that student work with another student who does understand the control of error. I wouldn't correct the mistake in the moment, though. Most likely this is something that will be corrected as the child continues to develop, so I wouldn't worry too much as long as they are doing the first part of the lesson correctly. The control of error can be tricky. I'd watch a few times, see where the mistake is happening. Once you pinpoint the spot where the child is making the mistake, you can decide if you want to re-present that part or if you want them to work with another student who is really good at helping others. If the child is older, like elementary age, I will tend to re-present the lesson in a group so that the child making the mistake doesn't know I'm trying to show them the lesson again (it's more of a gentle correction this way), but peer learning is probably the best way since it is more of a direct correction when it comes from a peer. But this depends on having a student who you trust to work with children in the classroom who are struggling. If you don't have a student leader who can correct others in a helpful way, then I would choose to find a gentle way to present the lesson again. I hope this helps!

[@Base10Montessori]

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[@florishechefu3988]

lovely video please why cant you subtract from a colored bead and black and white bead, wouldnt exchanging it be a little confusing for the child?

[@Base10Montessori]

This experience of positive and negative numbers, as well as the experience of exchanging, needs to have different sensorial impressions for young students. My students have never had a problem getting confused by this. In fact, I have had many students obsess over each part of this game, but students will pick up on what their guide does and feels about the lesson, so if you give the impression you don't like it or you try to skip over it, they will follow your example. I would encourage you to love each step of the process and that will spill over to the child's experience. As Montessori would say, "Have faith in the child." When you have faith in the child, you will discover that they will adapt to the material much easier than adults - and part of the reason why is that as adults, our minds are already thinking two steps ahead because we already understand the concepts like subtraction so well. But in order to value each part of this lesson, you need to approach this lesson from the mindset of a young child who is still learning this concept and still has a need for concrete sensorial impressions of math. Each function for subtraction and addition need to be represented with a different impression, and the concept of exchanging also requires a different experience. It is important that each function has a different sensorial impression so that the mind sees, feels and experiences what is happening differently with each function. Also keep in mind that one of the purposes of the snake game is to understand different combinations of ten, so we want to show all the different ways to make ten, including the exchanging. In the AMI album, this lesson is found in the section called, "Exploration and Memorization of Math Facts," so the exchanging is reinforcing the math facts they will be working on for the next several months. The black and white beads demonstrate a different way to create ten and they signal that something different is happening and we need to demonstrate that function to the child very concretely and not take that step forgranted by skipping over it just because it is easier for the adult. As an adult with a fully developed abstract mind for simple math operations, yes, skipping the exchange would be easier for us, but the young child is still developing that abstract mind. During the ages of 0-6 years old, they have a concrete mind and need to see each representation of function clearly. In addition to that, there are more snake game lessons in elementary, such as negative numbers, so each part of the snake game builds into the next variation, which is more complicated. Don't forget, "The hands are the instrument of the mind." So the more we use our hands to manipulate materials and get that concrete experience of an abstract idea, the better those ideas will solidify inside the mind. It's creating neural pathways in the brain. What we learn with our hands always gets communicated to the mind and sets the foundation for more abstract learning later in life!