2025 MidSchoolMath National Conference

In this session, we'll present a didactic sequence designed for Middle School students, focusing on various number bases such as base 3, 5, and 8, so you can learn how to initiate this sequence with an investigation using concrete materials, such as colored sticks, plastic pieces, or other readily available resources to equip your students with the conceptual understanding necessary for navigating these systems.

Through this hands-on exploration, students achieve several key objectives: they generalize properties of different number systems and learn to perform operations within them. This approach empowers students to transfer their understanding across diverse number systems. By varying the bases, they develop a more comprehensive grasp of the properties of operations and the functioning of mathematical algorithms. You'll leave with practical strategies and resources to replicate this sequence with your students.