Lesson 26: Abacus plus 4 practice
Level 3, Small Friends Pond. Plus 4 with and without the small friend. Can you get five in a row?
What your child does, card by card
Plus 4 practice. Practice day! PlayBuddy opens the lesson: “Practice time. Let's get quicker and better.”
2 + 4: add 5, take 1 back: the abacus makes 2, 7 and 6 by itself, a green ring on each bead just before it moves, and the hands copy. 5 is 1 too many. So 1 bead goes back. On your hand: thumb out, one finger in.
Watch me: 4, 9 and 8 appear on the beads one move at a time, each bead ringed in green before it goes. 0 + 4: four beads free. Push! 4 + 4: none free. The friend!
The pointer finger does both, on a real abacus. Top bead down, then one bottom bead down. One finger does both. Below, one drawn right hand lights the pointer finger as the beads go. Next it is your child’s turn to work out 2 + 4 and 4 + 4; a green ring marks each bead, and the finger’s name sits by the hand. Add 5, take 1 back, one finger.
Plus 4, five in a row: a mission of 8 tasks with a count of right answers in a row, with the best kept. Your child must work out 1 + 4, 0 + 4, 3 + 4, 5 + 4, 2 + 4, 4 + 4, 1 + 4 and 3 + 4.
Copy me: the hand in the lower window shows 8, 5 and 7, one at a time, and your child makes the same number on the beads.
Then the beads hide and the sums 2 + 4, 4 + 4 and 1 + 4 are done in the head, the answer shown on the fingers.
You're ready! Plus 4, with the friend when you need it.
What this lesson trains
16 answers in about five minutes. The tasks take 23 bead moves in all: 11 with a top bead and 12 with bottom beads. Nothing goes past 9. Then 3 quick looks in your head. The friend rules here: +4 = +5 −1, used in 8 of 10 sums.
The first thing your child does: work out 2 + 4 and 4 + 4.
Fingers and hands
Below the abacus the drawn hands show zero and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 here, finger for bead.
+4 on the fingers: the thumb opens and one finger closes (+5 −1).
In Copy me the hand leads with 8, 5 and 7 and your child turns each into beads.
On “The pointer finger does both”, the pointer finger pulls bottom beads down and moves the top bead.
What PlayBuddy and PlayType say
PlayBuddy: “Five is one too many. So one bead goes back!”
PlayType: “Not enough beads. Ask the small friend.”
Stars
With 1 or fewer slips across the 16 answers your child earns three stars; 4 or fewer, two.