10 Times Tables

The ten times tables can be illustrated with ten penny pieces and a one pound coin; or wooden ten rods and a wooden hundred square from the base ten set made to show each unit as a 1 centimetre cube. The hand signs for the Eastwood Symbol Maths cards give an easy body and movement presentation. They are also used to accompany the Base Ten Number Stories.
Base Ten Number Stories
The symbol number system can be introduced as a finger painting activity inspired by a number story. If the story is told in a natural outdoor environment a suitable collection of sticks and stones can be collected by the listeners prior to the interactive story time.
The author has used her own stories to share the foundations of our ‘Base Ten’ number system. When presenting these stories the author has used mime and signing. She also introduced her own way of signing numbers which she also used to help scaffold the stages of learning between counting as a practical hands on experience and abstract aspects of numeracy associated with written numbers.
The number signing is presented as individual fingers for the units and an appropriate number of claps for the tens. (Ten fingers coming together representing one clap for each ten). A hundred is represented by clasped hands with alternate fingers intertwined. [The clasped hands have caught ten claps. Each finger within the clasped hand position can be raised in turn as the tens numbers are counted 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100. This activity has a strong link with brain neurology and those that can raise each of the individual fingers of each hand alternately while counting in tens will gain co-ordinate independent finger control and improve integration within the brain.]

11 Times Tables

• The 11 times table can be presented using the wooden one centimetre hundreds, tens and units blocks.
The repetition of one in both the ten’s and the unit’s column presents a powerful yet simple illustration of place value when the tens rods and units are placed in vertical columns.

All the above illustrations of the ten times tables can also be used for the eleven times tables in that the illustrative presentation of tens is accompanied with the same number of units when presenting the eleven times tables. The eleven times tables are also offer a good introduction to working with a base ten abacus.

12 Times Tables

• Twelve eggs in a dozen box of eggs.
The twelve times table can also be illustrated using ten one dozen egg boxes and a system of marking up the groups of ten. The illustration below presents 3×12=36

Alternatively the ten egg box lids can be placed over the eggs in tens leaving the twelve size boxes seen underneath the lids. The tens and unit values for each multiplication can be clearly seen from above as shown in the examples below that illustrates two times twelve as two tens and four extra units not covered by the two ten size lids. Below the three lower trays of the 12 size egg boxes illustrate the answer 36 when the ten size egg box lids are placed over the 12 size trays below.
Topic and project based activities can be based on the twelve months of the year and/or the twelve astrological signs of the Zodiac.