Description
Arrangement Styles Cards explore different arrangements of a set of objects to represent a number.
Style Descriptions:
Line Style – Objects are arranged in a straight line (note: the Style Card has a maximum width of 10 counters, so for numbers greater than 10 the remaining counters have moved onto the next line. Children should arrange them in one long line).
Fives Style – Objects remain in a line but are separated into fives.
Tens Frame Style – Objects remain in fives, but two fives are placed underneath each other to make the arrangement of ten.
Number Frame Style – Objects remain in tens, but the arrangement of the remaining objects is in twos from the left (note: this is the arrangement that the Numicon shapes from Oxford University Press use).
Twos Style – Objects move away from the tens arrangement and are arranged into twos. Children should arrange in line of twos.
Free Style – Objects arranged in an pattern of choice. This could be in a dice arrangement (as on the video) or a pattern arrangement like the one on the style cards. The choice is yours!
Random Style – The objects are scattered randomly. This is a very useful arrangement to explore! You can find out how many objects there are in the Random Style Card above by partitioning the image into smaller groups … e.g. 8 at the top, 5 bottom left, 4 bottom right! Different people will subitise the partitions in different ways.
Ideas for Use:
1: Trading Games – children each take an Arrangement Styles card and trade with others, exploring and comparing their cards as they go.
2: Card Creation – children turn over a card and create the image using some counters or cubes. Can they then put that number into a different style?
3: Matching and Ordering Games – children play with a partner and turn over two cards. Who can state their number first? What’s the difference between the numbers? What styles are being used? Which style do they prefer?
4: Pairs – children take it in turn to turn over two cards. If they are the same number, they win the cards.
Check out the Arrangement Styles songs on the Number Fun Portal.
