Teaching Addition with LEGO® Bricks

Using LEGO® bricks to model 9 + 5 = 14

Learning addition is far more than memorizing “one plus one makes two”! After young students know about counting and cardinal numbers, they need to understand the idea of sets and putting objects together. Building models of addition with LEGO® bricks is the perfect way to show students the action of addition. The bumps on the bricks, which are called “studs,” are a great tool for using one-to-one correspondence to teach addition. Plus (pun intended!), students have fun learning with LEGO® bricks!
 
In Addition Using LEGO® Bricks, the hands-on activities using LEGO® bricks help students learn the concepts of:
• joining sets
• solving part-part-whole problems
• comparisons
• decomposing numbers
• place value 

Brick Math helps students learn addition through its integrated program. The teacher leads students through step-by-step lesson plans. Using the bricks, students create models of the math as they learn. They then draw the models they’ve created and explain how the models work. These different ways of interacting with the bricks lead to a deep understanding of addition.

There are many different ways to model with LEGO® bricks in the Brick Math curriculum, and students have the opportunity to create multiple solutions for problems instead of looking for only one right answer.

Learning math using LEGO® bricks with Brick Math is fun—for the teacher AND the students!
 
Click here for a preview of the lesson, “What Does It Mean to Add?” from Addition Using LEGO® Bricks—Teacher Edition​.

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