My Six Bricks Number Line

Six Bricks Education has just published the definitive Six Bricks Number Line to 10.

The number line is large, at 660mm long X 180mm wide. Absolutely superb for reams of active, hands-on number investigations by children working in pairs. The intervals accommodate a full Duplo 2x4 8 stud LEGO brick. It is printed on durable gloss laminate card and folds in the centre for ease of storage when not in use.

This is the essential number line for every pre-school, reception year and teachers of infants everywhere. It will be the most used and hardest working number line in any classroom!

You should consider a number line per pair of students to facilitate collaborative problem solving e.g. if you have 24 students, perhaps purchase 12 number lines.

There is also a FREE to use software tool for the interactive whiteboard which helps teacher direct and model mathematical concepts for the children, while they concretely works the bricks and number line at their tables.

This number line is ideal for children learning and exploring numbers to 10.

We know that a number line is a versatile and powerful visual tool to help students understand numbers.

It is ideally used in pairs, with children working collaboratively together as they explore numbers, communicate and problem solve.

The number line even contains 6 graded sets of problems for the children to write down and solve using their bricks.

What can you do with your Six Bricks number line to 10?

The Blank Side:

• The Forwards Number Count Sequence – children lay down their bricks 1 by 1 along the number line and say the number as they go – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ……etc.
• The Backwards Number Count Sequence – children lay down all their bricks 1 by 1 along the number line and say the number as they go – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. There are 10 bricks. Now take off the bricks 1 by 1 and say the numbers as you go back or down the number line: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 …….etc.
• As the children count up and down the number line, point out the number intervals. We start at ‘0’, next is ‘1’, then ‘2’, followed by ‘3’ …… etc.
• Adding two sets and finding the total, maximum of 5 e.g. 2+1. The children place 2 bricks on the number line and that builds to 2. They then add 1 more to find that 2+1 together makes 3. Record the answer: 2+1=3
• Adding three sets and finding the total, maximum of 5 e.g. 1+2+1. The children place 1 brick on the number line, then adds 2 more to make 3, plus 1 more brings the total to 4. Record the answer: 1+2+1=4
• Adding two sets with totals to 10
• Adding three sets with totals to 10
• Adding doubles to 10
• Adding two, three and four addends together, including ‘0’.
• Counting on
• Finding the missing part of the set

The Bricks Side:

• All of the above activities
• In what position is the red brick? In what position is the dark blue brick?
• Which is the third brick?
• What is three more than yellow?
• Count back 4 from 10. What is the number? How will we record it?