Representing numbers using the F-L-U model

Why the F-L-U model?

The FLU model incorporates the cardinality of numbers and helps visualize the ‘size’ of numbers. Units are represented as single blocks, tens as a collection of 10 single blocks and a hundred as a collection of 10 longs or 100 single blocks.

Both physical and digital versions of the model are available. The model can be replicated physically with just a sheet of cardboard/sheet of paper as well.

The F-L-U model also help to understand addition and subtraction better as the ‘why’ behind carry-over/borrowing/regrouping when working with larger numbers can be explained as the ‘putting together’ or ‘taking apart’ of the units, longs and flats when necessary.

Objective:

• To understand/reinforce the base-10 structure of the number system using the FLU model
• To recall the concepts of bidi(units), hattu(tens), nuru(hundreds)
• To learn how numbers can be represented using the FLU model and correlate the representation to the H-T-U representation

Materials:

Geogebra files, projector.(https://www.geogebra.org/m/wwwmtx4p)

Process:

Demonstration:

1. Ask students if they are familiar with the concept of place value and to explain what they understand of it using some examples
2. Take a few example numbers and discuss the nooru-hattu-biDi representation
3. Next, project the Geogebra file and demonstrate the representation of numbers using the F-L-U model and explain how it corresponds to the nooru-hattu-biDi representation
4. Start with single digit numbers and then take up numbers >10 represented just using the unit blocks. Use the ‘put together’ option to show how 10 unit blocks can be grouped to form a long or a ‘rod’.
5. Ask for students to give some numbers <100, come to the screen and explain how it should be represented
6. Next take up numbers having more than 10 rods/longs and explain how the ‘put together’ option can be used again to group them into a ‘flat’
7. Reiterate that whenever there is more than 10 of a kind (small blocks/rods) they must be grouped together and exchanged for a rod/flat
8. Make sure to take up examples such as X0, X0X, X00 (X = 1-9)
9. After having demonstrated number representation using the Geogebra tool, use the blackboard to show how the representation can be done similarly on paper using dots for units, standing lines for rods and squares for hundreds. Demonstrate the same examples on the board.

Student practice:

1. In an order, ask each child to sequentially call out numbers from 1 – 6. Repeat until all children have called out a number. Tell the children to remember the number they called out
2. On the board, make 6 columns and in each column, write down numbers from single digit upto 3 digit numbers
3. Ask the children to look at the numbers in the column that corresponds to the number they called out and represent them using the F-L-U model in their books.
4. Once they are done with their column, they can move on to other columns and practice representing those numbers
5. Once students have attained a level of comfort representing numerals in the FLU model, assign practice problems where they need to do it in reverse, i.e., decode numbers represented in FLU format and write their numeral representation
6. The same columns used previously can be replaced with numbers in FLU format and students asked to write the numerals

Incorporating inclusive strategies:

1. Once the columns are assigned and children start working on their own, facilitators can check with students who need additional help and spend time with them to repeat instructions/ demonstration/ explanation as necessary
2. Additional numbers can be given for practice/homework