Arrange the cards and rods on the floor mat in a mixed up order. The rods should all be parallel to each other, but not in sequence. The cards should be lined up in the lower right hand corner of the mat. All the cards should be positioned so that the child sees the numbers right side up.
Introduce the rods and numbers. Select a rod and hold it up, asking, "Who knows how much this is?" When the child answers four, for example, ask him to count it out and find the number that matches the rod--the numeral card with a four on it.
Match the rod and the correct card with the child. Hold the rod and the card together, saying, "This is the way we write four, and this is four, so let's put them together." Lay the rod on the floor with the numeral touching the far right end.
Continue the exercise until all of the rods and numeral cards are matched together. At this point, you can either request that the child line them up in order or, if they are less familiar with the lesson, just leave the rods and cards on the floor as they are. The most important thing is for the student to begin to associate the number of segments, a physical quantity, with the written number on the numeral cards.
Keep the rods and numeral cards in a place where the student can easily access them. Encourage her to use them regularly to count and match the numbers to the rods.