The bank game is nearer the abstract than the bead frame as only symbols are used. Normally, 3 children work together. One child makes the calculations, the second one fetches the requisite cards from the third child, who is the banker. The three children act as control of error for each other. There is no recording made at the beginning. The players do not concentrate on partial results yet. Later, when partial results are being recorded, the cards are put back into the ‘Bank’.
Aim
To give the children practice in long multiplication. The children should be encouraged to write down on paper the sum and the partial results as they are obtained.
Point of interest
Activity involved.
Age of Interest
7-8 years.
Material
Three sets of number cards:
Set 1: White cards varying in length for each category. Units printed in green, tens printed in
blue, hundreds in red, thousands in green, tens of thousands in blue, hundreds of thousands in red, millions in green.
Set 2: Colored cards, also varying in length. Green for units, blue for tens, red for hundreds, etc. The figures are all printed in black. These are used to form the multiplicand.
Set 3: Grey cards–3 sets. Each set ranges 1-9 plus one card with 0 and one card with 00. These cards are used to form the Multiplier.
Game (Click here for a video that illustrates this work)
Select a sum for the children to work on, e.g. 3632 x 243.
Lay it out with respective cards and analyze the number.
Green 3000
Red 600 200 Grey
Blue 30 40 Grey
Green 2 3 Grey
To multiply by 3, move the 3 over beside the units of the multiplicand.
3000
600
30
2 3
Ask the second child to fetch 6 (2 x 3) from the banker, which is then put down near at hand.
Next, move 3 beside the 30 (30 x 3).
3000
600
30 3
The product of 90 is fetched from the banker, and so on, until you have finished x3. Now the multiplier is 40=10×4. When multiplying with tens we add a nought and then multiply. (The child must be very familiar with the recurrence of zero, and also he will have worked with the Flat Bead Frame.)
The following are the stages when multiplying by tens:
| a) 3000 | b) 3000 | c) 3000 | d) 3000 | 0 x 4 | |||
| 600 | 600 | 600 | 0 x 4 | 600 | |||
| 30 | 30 | 0 x 4 | 30 | 30 | |||
| 2 | 0 x 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
When multiplying by hundreds:
| a) 3000 | b) 3000 | c) 3000 | d) 3000 | 00 x 2 | |||
| 600 | 600 | 600 | 00 x 2 | 600 | |||
| 30 | 30 | 00 x 2 | 30 | 30 | |||
| 2 | 00 x 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Finally, put all the product cards together and add. Bring to a conclusion. We had
3632
multiplied by 243 x
and our product is 882576
When doing the sum, the child may need, for example, 2,000, but she already has used that card, so she hands the 2,000 card to the banker saying she wants another 2,000 more, so the banker will give her 4,000.
Partial Results: See notes on the bank game.