Montessori Digital Studio

Number Rods (Teacher's Guide)

Purpose

The Number Rods give the child a first clear, linear experience of quantity from 1-10. Each rod represents a whole quantity that can be touched, counted, compared, and named - building one-to-one correspondence, stable number sequence, and the understanding that each number name matches a distinct amount. This work prepares the child for later connections to numerals and for early operations by making quantity visible and physical.

What's Included

A set of ten rods increasing in equal increments: the first is 10 cm and each rod increases by 10 cm up to 100 cm. Each rod is divided into 10 cm segments that alternate red and blue, creating a clear track for counting while keeping the quantity concrete and easy to discriminate.

Key Language

• "This is one."
• "One, two... This is two."
• "Let's count together."
• "Show me five." / "What is this?"
• "___ is longer than five." / "___ is shorter than five."
• (Later) "Nine plus one equals ten." / "Ten take away one leaves nine."

Presentation Notes

Invite the child to carry the rods to a rug and build them in graded order with the left ends aligned. Count each rod by touching one segment at a time from left to right, then glide your hand along the whole rod and name it as a complete quantity ("This is six"). Keep words minimal, movements precise, and repeat only as much as the child needs to internalize the sequence. Best practice: return to "one" often and use it to "measure" longer rods when the child is ready to explore relationships.

Control of Error

The child can self-correct visually: the graded lengths, aligned ends, and alternating segments make mistakes in order, alignment, or counting obvious.

Observe For

Readiness: the child can count with one-to-one correspondence and sustain attention through several rods. Mastery: the child counts smoothly, names quantities accurately, and can find a requested rod. Common errors: skipping segments, double-touching, losing the left-to-right direction, or mixing up number names - slow the tempo, reduce the number of rods, and re-model exact touching.

Extensions

• Build and name rods out of order (child fetches by quantity).
• Compare: "Which is longer/shorter?"
• Measure with the "one" rod: "How many ones make eight?"
• Simple equations with rods (compose/decompose to 10).

Readiness

Typically 4-6 years, depending on the child; prerequisite is reliable rote counting and basic one-to-one correspondence.