She reminds the children that we can exchange the 1000 bead cube for ten 100-bead squares making twelve 100 bead squares.
The 100 bead squares are then shared, as well as the 10 bead bars and finally the one-unit bead.
However, the unit can not be given to one child and not another, so we call this the remainder and that this is still part of the answer. A small number card is placed below it.
The Montessori Directress asks each child to collect and place the corresponding small number cards below the beads on their trays.
The children discover that they each have the same numbers.
The answer to their sum is therefore 411 remainder 1.
The Montessori Directress explains that the answer is what we see on each child’s tray and each child received 411 but that we only need to write it once, so 411 is the answer.
The Montessori Directress restates the sum, emphasising the point that we started with a large amount and we shared the beads evenly amongst the children and we call this “dividing”.
