Create Pattern and Base 10 Blocks in Keynote

Don’t have pattern blocks or base 10 blocks in your classroom? No problem! Create your own virtual blocks in Keynote! You can also create these in Pages and Numbers, too! Would be a great way for students to illustrate their thinking by creating a book about their knowledge of numbers or math shapes in Pages and export as an ePub!

Pattern Blocks

Create pattern blocks with shapes. Did you know the green circle in a shape means you can manipulate the shape’s sides and thickness? Explore how selecting more than one shape will allow you to subtract parts of a shape to create a new one. The other feature I absolutely love is that when you are resizing a shape, you will see words like square and radius as well as the degree of an angle. This is great hands-on math exploration!

Base 10 Blocks

Create base 10 blocks with tables in Keynote. Copy/paste to create multiples and there you have hands on math for stations or any other math work while using iPad! This isn’t just for younger students, either! Students can demonstrate their knowledge of fractions and decimals by filling in cells in the base 10 blocks.

Here’s a how-to video to get you started:

Click HERE to download the Keynote deck with all of the shapes and base 10 blocks created for you to practice!

Happy creating!

Fun with Place Value in Base Ten

Teaching kids place value can always be something that may or may not prove to be difficult. I remember teaching students to use base ten blocks as hands-on manipulative in my classroom years ago. Today, I had second and third graders create objects (houses, creatures, or people) using base ten blocks. This particular application (Number Pieces) can be accessed through a web browser or iOS device. Click here for the web link and click here for the iOS app.

I love this on either the computer or iPad because students are able to click and drag (or tap and drag) the base ten blocks to create a picture. Once their picture is complete, they count up the blocks and write the number with the pen feature. It’s always great to give students the ability to be creative in math and I was very happy with what they created. This activity allowed students to interact with base ten blocks and revisit the place value system. Another option would be giving students a list of numbers to create and have them create the numbers using the blocks and have a friend check for accuracy. It’s all the fun with base ten blocks without needing the real blocks!

Here are a few samples from my class today: