Sum-Vantes Poultry Farm: A Manipulative Drill Package for Addition

Abstract

Foundational mathematical operations like addition are crucial for early learners, but most existing interventions target middle or upper primary learners. There remains a significant research gap in the localized development of manipulative tools for Grade 1 students. This study aimed to develop and validate a Manipulative Drill Package (MDP) to enhance the addition performance of Grade 1 learners at Cervantes Central School. Using a developmental research design guided by the Successive Approximation Model (SAM), the study identified that students struggle significantly with solving problems involving sums up to 100 without regrouping, which served as the primary basis for the MDP's content. The resulting MDP features concrete, interactive, and engaging materials such as counters and visual aids designed to target identified learning gaps. Validation results from experts indicated that the MDP is a valid instructional tool, receiving high ratings for content quality, format, presentation, and organization based on the LRMDS evaluation checklist. The study concludes that the developed MDP is an innovative and valid instructional material capable of improving learner engagement and strengthening foundational arithmetic skills. It is recommended that Grade 1 mathematics teachers utilize this package to enhance student performance and engagement, while future researchers may use the study’s methodologies as a reference for developing additional numeracy-focused instructional tools.