The Montessori Pythagoras Board is a tool used in Elementary classes for students learning their multiplication facts or times tables.
In Montessori students learn through a hands on approach. Students first touch materials and manipulate numbers and then are led to abstract.
The Pythagoras board is a good tool to use after students have used the multiplication bead board, multiplication with bead bars and multiplication finger charts.
I have been using the Pythagoras board lately in my class of 10-13 year olds.
This activity facilitates group work because it takes up so much room and because children like asking others for help so that they can complete the row.
In this task card, students have to put all the products on the board that are more than 30.
HOW TO INTRODUCE THE PYTHAGORAS BOARD
- Layout the tiles.
- You may wish to make a connection to the bead bars and use these to show how these connect to the pythagoras board.
- Layout the tiles and say that these are the products for different times tables or multiplication facts.
- Pick a times table and find the products for it.
Some children may like to fill in the whole board. I provide a control or answer chart for children to use for this purpose.
EXTENDING THE PYTHAGORAS BOARD
I have made a set of task cards to help extend the use of the pythagoras board.
I have divided the set into two further sets.
Set 1 Learning Goals
Sequential understanding of times tables
Understanding the commutative property of multiplication
Set 2 Learning Goals
Finding patterns in times tables and between different times tables
You can get the task cards here
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