Learning fractions is easier with a physical manipulative. The INTOOBA Construction Kit has rods of varying measurement making it an ideal tool for learning fractions visually.

Logical thinking, the process of moving sequentially from one thought to another in order to reach a conclusion or solve a problem, is an essential skill. Teaching this complicated process to young students can be challenging. However, using the INTOOBA Construction Kit, students can construct physical models and see an explanation of how logical thinking works.
 
Exercise: teacher assigns values to the rods and connectors. Students are asked to logically establish what is missing in the figure and what they need to complete the construction. They are asked to give values to what they see, what is missing, and what a completed piece would be worth. Students are asked to complete the model, and share their thinking process with the group.
 
Students use logic to establish what is missing, and then use their hands to solve the challenge.
 

Two very important concepts in mathematics are measurement and value.
 
The INTOOBA Construction Kit is a very valuable classroom tool as it caters both to measurement, and the concept of value.
 
Measurement
 
Measurement is important as it gives students an idea of how long, big, or wide something is. When we learn to measure something small such as a desk or a room, we establish a way to relate one object to another. For example, a desk is smaller than a room. If we are able to measure the length and width of a room, we can eventually move on to measuring the length of a road or the size of a lake.
 
Using the INTOOBA Construction Kit, students can measure a classroom, a hallway, or the whole school! Students can learn about scale, and make a scale drawing of the classroom.
 
Here is a second grade use for the INTOOBA Construction Kit where students have to figure out how many rods of varying lengths fit into the desired inch totals.



















Value
 
When we want to teach cost, money, or resource constraints, we can establish the concept of value by assigning a dollar value to the different color rods and connectors. Let students know they are building a bridge, and let them construct and tally the total cost of the bridge.

Students construct a pyramid using the INTOOBA Construction Kit. Then they make a small square out of rods and connectors. Placing the square in the pyramid, students estimate how many squares the pyramid can hold. Making the problem more complex, smaller items can be placed in the square. Then, estimate how many smaller items there are in the pyramid!
 

Estimation in mathematics is a crucial skill applied to almost all topics through high school. It is vital for students to be able to estimate what an outcome should be in order to check if a solution is feasible.
 
Here, second grade students learn estimation using the INTOOBA Construction Kit:
 
STEPS:
 
1. In order to teach estimation individually, each student was asked to make a small individual construction. The teachers assigned values to the rods and connectors. Students were asked to estimate the value of their construction, and then actually calculate the value of their work.

2. Upon completion of this exercise, students assembled their individual constructions in the center of the circle. Students were formed into small groups, and then they were then asked to estimate the total value of the accumulation in their groups. Group estimates were collected and a class total was obtained by averaging the group estimates. Teachers and students then broke apart the pile and lined up components for easy adding to find actual total value.