MATH SLAT BOOK FROM ANCIENT CHINA

Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord
Independent Educator
U. S. A.
 

Materials per Student
Making the Book
Variations
Suggested Readings

(Editor’s note: This article is reprinted with the author's permission from Multicultural Books To Make And Share published by the author in 2004.  The book is available at http://www.makingbooks.com/bookmulticultural.html.)

One of the primary functions of early books in many cultures was mathematics. Books were used to keep records of property owned and traded, business transactions, and tributes offered to kings and emperors. One historical example is an inventory of weapons from 93 to 95 CE during the Han Dynasty. The entire inventory contains seventy-seven wooden strips, each nine inches high and one-half inch wide. [paragraph 1]

This project uses China’s earliest book form, the slat book to make study guides for multiplication tables or other math exercises. While the idea of how to put this book together is simple, the assembly can be tricky because the knots must be tied tightly against the slats to keep the book together. I make these books with students in third grade and higher. It works best when the students work in pairs, with one student holding the slats while the other ties. For younger students, lots of adult assistance would be needed.  [paragraph 2]

Materials per Student

10-12 tongue depressors or cover stock, 3/4" x 6" or large
2 pieces of yarn, 40" long
Tools
Marker or pencil
White glue   [paragraph 3]

  Making the Book

1. Fold each piece of yarn in half. 
    

2. Insert a slat in the fold of one piece of yarn, so that the yarn is about 1 1/2" from the left-hand end of the slat. Tie a single knot, making sure that the knot is at the bottom of the slat. Pull on the yarn so that the knot is tight against the slat. The yarn should grip enough to stay in place while you tie a second knot, making a double knot. 
    

3. Using the same procedure, tie the second piece of yarn around the slat, about 1 1/2" from the right-hand end of the slat.  

   
    

4. Insert the next slat between the pieces of yarn and tie double knots. You may find it easier if the slat you are tying is close to the edge of the table or desk. Because the slat tends to move while you are tying the knot, you may want to have a partner hold the slat or weight it down with a book. 
    

5. Repeat until all the slats are tied together. 
    

6. Write in the numbers. This is particularly useful for multiplication tables but can be used for addition, subtraction, and division as well. The yarn divides the slat into sections. 5 x 5 = can go in the center section; 25 can go in the right section. Five rows of 5 dots, to correspond to 5 x 5, can go in the left section. The rows of dots work well for the smaller numbers but are difficult to fit for the larger numbers. 
    

7. Since the yarn stretches with time, I like to anchor it with glue. Squeeze white glue from the bottle under the yarn and press lightly on the yarn to make sure it sticks. It will dry clear so don’t worry if it seeps out from under the yarn. If you are particular, you can put the glue on the back side. Let it dry flat before you move it.
    

8. To close the book: Either fold the slats like an accordion or roll the slats like a scroll. Any extra yarn can be wrapped around the book. 
    

9. To use for studying: Students can use the books to test themselves by holding their thumbs over the answers.  [paragraph 4]  

Variations

For visual interest, paint the slats with different color tempera or acrylic paint before tying them together. Or use different color poster board strips. I have also found colored craft sticks at some craft or educational materials stores.  [paragraph 5]

Make larger size math slat books, using pieces of poster board or cardboard, to hang on the wall. There now will be room for the rows of dots. Use drawn dots, stickers, cut-paper shapes, or rubber stamps. The eraser on the end of a new pencil works well as a stamp for dots. [paragraph 6]

Collaborate on a class book. Each student writes his name on a slat and decorates it to reflect his personality and interests. Write names horizontally for a book that can hang on the wall, vertically for a book that can stand like an accordion on a table. This is an excellent beginning of the year project.   [paragraph 7]

Make name books with one letter per slat. Write a name acrostic with one line per slat. Jen: J is for joy. E is for excellence. N is for noble. [paragraph 8]

One successful project I did was a Life in the Sea book. Light blue poster board strips were tied with green yarn. Students drew pictures, wrote descriptions, and worked with rubber stamps and handmade stencils. To make the stencils, I traced pictures from books, transferred them to poster board, covered the board with clear contact paper for longevity, and cut out the stencils with an exacto knife.   [paragraph 9]

Suggested Readings

Pittman, Helena Clare. (1986). A Grain of Sand. New York: Hastings House Publishers. 

Set in fifteenth-century China, this is the story of a humble peasant who wins the hand of a princess in marriage by using math. [paragraph 10]

Pilegard, Virginia Walton & Debon, Nicolas (illustrator). (2001). The Warlord’s Beads. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company. 

Chuan’s father's job is to count the Warlord’s treasures. When he has so many to count that he loses track, Chuan saves his father by inventing a counting frame using beads and the switches the Warlord’s sons use to torment him. The counting frame was the forerunner of the abacus. [paragraph 11]

Haskins, Jim. (1987). Count Your Way Through China. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books. 

Information about China is presented through the numbers one to ten. One slightly jarring note is the illustration of “eight volumes” in which the books have Western bindings. [paragraph 12]

Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord has been teaching bookmaking in schools for fifteen years and is the author of three books for Scholastic Professional Books.  (Contact the author at skgaylord@makingbooks.com; contact the editors of EMME at emme@eastern.edu.)

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