1. The Abacus Miss Bruns 5 th & 6 th grade classes

2. Your are going to study the Chinese Abacus and the history behind it. You will be linking to a website that discusses the history of the abacus and how it is utilized in Asian countries.

3. After you have read about the abacus, you will link to a website that allows you to play on a computerized abacus. Take some time to explore the abacus and discover how it works.

4. Your final task for the project is to build an abacus. You will need to turn to page 41 in your student guide. Make sure that you follow the steps and feel free to ask for assistance.

5. Click here to read the history of the Chinese abacus. After you have read, click on the virtual abacus link: Chinese Culture:

6. Click here to work on a computerized abacus with your assignment from the student guide: National Library of Virtual Manipulatives

7. When you are finished, get out your math journal and write a reflection of the activity. 1.What did you learn? 2.How does an abacus compare to a calculator? 3. Would you rather have an abacus or a calculator for your next test?