Category: Nonlinguistic Representations

Tite: #11 Physical Movement i.e. using body as manipulative, math concept
Time Needed: 10-15 Minutes
Room Arrangement: No Changes Needed
Materials: None
Process/Directions: While doing a math lesson, have students use their own bodies as
manipulatives. Not only can young students use their fingers to count, they can use their arms as
the hands on the clock for example.
Example of when I would use this: When younger students need a break from sitting in their
desks, or need a more concrete example of a math concept, this is a great way to help them see it
from a different perspective. Using their arms or bodies to represent fractions, hands on the
clock, or using bands stretched between students to show polygons, it helps students to see math
shapes in three dimensions and not just on paper.
Source: Every person uses their fingers to count. I was a substitute in a second grade classroom
and one of the activities was to use the students arms to show what time it was. I honestly dont
remember the teachers name. I found the geometry idea on Pinterest.
Hall, K. (2014, July 31). 5th Grade. Retrieved December 4, 2014, from
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/514958538617327101/