Start time: 8:30 a.m.
End time: 3 p.m.
(Doors open at 8 a.m.)
Free
Description
Registration opens in September 2025.
Join us for the second annual Michigan Regional Abacus Bee: Math in Motion! The Abacus Bee is a math competition for students who are blind or low vision in grades 3-12. Competitors will participate in multiple competition sessions and hands-on activities to learn how math is incorporated into everyday tasks. There will also be activities for parents and siblings to join in the fun!
Competitors will have an opportunity to win prizes and possibly earn a spot in the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) Abacus Bee National Competition!
This program is sponsored by APH and the Michigan Department of Education Resource for Blind/Low Vision (MDE RBLV) in collaboration with Gratiot Isabella Regional Educational Service District (GIRESD).
Placement Exam
Registrants will be sent a placement exam to determine their competition level. Rover-level competitors are encouraged to participate in the regional competition but will not be eligible for the national competition. Students may use any type of abacus, mental math, finger math, counting cubes, or other manipulatives. Calculators, paper and pencil methods, and other written computations are not allowed.
Audience
This event is for students in grades 3-12 who are blind/low vision.
Preparing Your Student(s)
Have your student practice calculating math problems using an abacus, either on their own, with a family member, or with their teacher for the visually impaired. During the competition, students may use any type of abacus, mental math, finger math, counting cubes, or other manipulatives. An abacus is not required. Calculators, paper and pencil, or other written computations are not allowed.
Participants should be able to:
- read math problems in large print or braille (type of problem depends on student level); record their answers in print or braille
- write or braille their first/last name, category name, and round at the top of each page
- write or braille an itemized list (problem letters a, b, c, d, etc.) and answer next to the problem letter
- listen to a string of numbers and operations for the dictation round and mentally calculate the answer or solve on the abacus and record their answers in the same manner as above
Resources for Teachers and Parents
Sharing from the Florida Instructional Materials Center for the Visually Impaired:
- Check out APH’s Access Academy for abacus webinars on multiplication and division.
- Sign up for "The Abacus: A Million Manipulatives in Your Pocket" course in the APH Hive.
- Download the free Practice2Master Abacus app through the App Store or Google Play store.
Accessibility Accommodations
It is important for participants to request accessibility accommodations at least three weeks prior to the event. Outside agencies our office contracts with to provide accommodations cannot guarantee services if requests are made in less than three weeks.