Stage 4 extended: jottings
Once children are familiar with using dienes apparatus, they should quickly move to recording their workings using jottings. This gives children the ability to find the answer without using apparatus bridging the link between concrete and abstract representations. This method is shown below:
Please note the same vocabulary “start with the units/ones”, “partition” and “regroup” applies for the jottings method. Also the jottings are always recording underneath each other which supports preparation for the column method.
When approaching word problems, the bar model provides a strong visual representation to support addition in the context of real world problems. Each number within the problem is represented by a bar, showing the unknown total as a blank bar. This is also reinforced through the use of Cuisenaire rods to mirror the bar model. Jottings can then be made to support finding the total.
