Trading is changing a number to smaller parts into larger or smaller sets without changing the total value.
As we use the base 10 number system, trading will involve bundling sets of 10 unit types.
Understanding of trading is a critical step for a student to master addition and subtraction.
The best resource to introduce trading concepts to Place Value Twister games is to include the colour matched counters.
Variations of games that best address trading are:
Place Value Lucky Dip
Ensure that more than 9 of each counter are present in the bag
You can set the student up when they obtain 10 or more of the same coloured counter.
Challenge them as to how they can account for the excess counters.
The Twister cups only show the numbers 0-9, “so what do you do when you have more than 10?”
Place Value Bank
The main goal of this lesson is place value trading.
Students trade in their counters with the banker for higher order numbers.
This is an excellent game for back and forth between the “customer” and the “banker” to verify that correct trading has occured.
For Early Primary
It is fundamental that they grasp the basic concept of the base 10 number system.
When counting up using the tens and units cups, they will reach the number 9 and twist again to show a zero.
“But what comes after 9?”
Teach the student that they need to change the tens cup to be a 1, which when including the 0 forms “10”. Continue to count up together, changing the tens cup after they have reached 19 and so on.