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Rosie

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Everything posted by Rosie

  1. I can't think of more than about 2 read alouds that my kids didn't love, so here are my favorites... Every single A.A. Milne book (including poetry) Understood Betsy The Magician's Nephew The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Gooney Bird Greene The Jesus Storybook Bible Robert E. Wells books The Llama Who Had No Pajama Twenty and Ten The Year of Miss Agnes
  2. Or Gymathtics! :lol: People would probably just think I had a lisp....
  3. Possibly. I'd like a term that clarifies an incorporation of place value (making tens, etc.), though, probably because that is the specific thing that brought my "Aha!" moment a few years ago. I suppose the word "thinking" in there may clue people in, but, then, maybe they'd be just as likely to think that recalling memorized facts is "thinking."
  4. Well, it's actually in doing these videos that I've discovered TRULY what a great resource C-rods are! We do both Miquon AND Singapore (US edition) for PreK-2nd grade levels of math. We would periodically skip things in one program or another that had already been covered in the other program. I tried to keep ahead in Miquon so they could be introduced to the topics in the discovery way and then practice it more explicitly in Singapore. Honestly, I did not use the C-rods as much as I should have with my older two. And before we started making the videos I had lent out my Miquon Orange and Red to someone for the summer and was wondering how I was going to teach my younger dd any math before September without them. Well, necessity is apparently the mother of invention, as you can see from the videos all the ideas I found or came up with! So my youngest will be taught math more organically because I now have more of a big picture of how it all flows together since I've made and organized all these videos. We'll still use Miquon and maybe Singapore, too, though I feel like I can teach the mental math stuff just fine on my own now, but I won't be as tied to it as I was with my older two. Also, I did use the C-rods to introduce concepts to the olders, but I also often just handed them the worksheets withOUT first introducing the concept with rods as they got into the 3rd-6th books. We are filling in gaps now with these videos. You can tell from watching which concepts are brand new to them and which they already know well. I didn't plan on teaching my older two all this advanced math, but Crewton Ramone's videos plus the desire to make similar ones for those who use C-rods instead of MUS blocks inspired me to go for it. I am utterly amazed at what they have learned in ONE MONTH. Seriously. Over 100 videos in one month and they've learned about squares and square roots, fractions with unlike denominators, ratios, decimals, factoring polynomials. It absolutely amazes me. I'm not sure what we'll do from here... probably continue on with what I was planning (either Singapore or MM for 3rd-5th (with CWP and BA added in!) then AoPS) but I'm assuming they will skate through because the groundwork has been laid for all these concepts. Just for reference: my 6yo is what I would call "mathy." She sees patterns and is a divergent thinker. She is advanced in math. My 8yo is bright, possibly gifted in LA areas, but is a very sequential type thinker and would not understand math this well if she were in a PS where they don't teach conceptually. She would be getting great grades but not truly understanding our decimal system or mathematical laws (that's how I was). So those are the types of kids you are watching in the videos, if that helps. They aren't math superstars by nature, but they are bright. I've begun tutoring kids who struggle greatly with math and am using the methods in these videos with them... they are UNDERSTANDING, some for the first time, what numbers mean and how they relate. We have to go slower than I do with my girls, but they are making forward progress. It's very cool to see. A little 9yo girl I tutored today said to her mom when they got home, "Math is kind of fun... and Miss Rosie teaches it so it makes sense." This is a child who struggled to count in Kindergarten, messes up the traditional add/subtract algorithm constantly, needs a chart for multiplication, most likely has dyscalculia and possibly auditory processing issues... and she's starting to GET IT. That makes me so happy! That's probably WAY more info than you actually wanted, but hopefully it was helpful. OP, sorry for highjacking your thread!!!
  5. This is kind of out of the box, but what about doing MUS and adding in Crewton Ramone videos for some different and challenging stuff? He could just mess around with it on his own 1-2 days per week. The password protected pages have a lot more stuff and are inexpensive.
  6. OK, so it's obvious we need a term other than "mental math" that encompasses the skills like making tens, adding/subtracting something that's close and then readjusting, using the commutative and distributive properties, etc. "Mental math based on a deep understanding of place value and mathematical laws" seems much too long! Any suggestions??? When I recommend to people that they teach their kids mental math, I want them to understand what I mean and not just assume I mean more drill or just doing the math in their head instead of on paper! (Literally, I used to try to do the traditional algorithm in my head because I thought that was mental math, and then I concluded that I wasn't good at mental math because I couldn't hold all that information in my working memory.)
  7. I agree with the suggestions of HOE and MM. You also might want to look into Primary Grade Challenge Math or Beast Academy for advanced students. Or the activities here and/or here would be good for supplementation for a wide variety of levels. I would separate the groups into Beginning Skills (addition/subtraction to 10 or 20, and place value), Mental Math and Multiplication/Division concepts, and Advanced Concepts (fractions, decimals, multiplying large numbers, long division, exponents, algebra) if you were to follow the videos above. Probably your largest group would be the middle one as those are absolutely foundational concepts.
  8. I just wanted to say that the above advice is REALLY good! Truly, start moving toward viewing tests as informational, not judgmental. That will probably take a while since schools are set up to view it that way. Try your hardest to forget about grade level. What's important is that kids learn the information, NOT that they be on grade level. It is a disaster to "move a child forward" to their "grade level" when they don't yet know some basics from previous "grades." That's what happens in schools because children are segregated by age, not ability... but it doesn't have to happen at home. You need a mindset change. It will take a while but just start with baby steps. Tell yourself over and over that it doesn't matter what grade the book says. It just matters that your kids learn the information. Try these videos this summer. They will help your kids understand the concepts and will also move them forward more quickly because of it. The mental math and multiplication/division is especially important.
  9. I agree with the pp about putting him wherever the placement test says to put him, and skip the stuff he knows well. You might also want to work through these videos this summer with him and retest him before school in the fall. He will probably test further along because much of what's taught in Singapore 2 (and not taught in other curricula) is mental math. Just print out some worksheets from online that are in a horizontal format (so he won't do the traditional algorithm) and work through those. You also might find these videos helpful for teaching multiplication and division. Learning the commutative and distributive properties is so important, IMO!
  10. My daughter did the same thing! Wouldn't believe the solution manual... so I had her write to Jason Batterson! LOL! He responded promptly with a great reply and she finally grudgingly gave in... but I think it was more because he's not MOM than because she thought he was right. They may need to change that problem in the next printing!
  11. Of course, the goal is that they eventually have it memorized to the point of automaticity, but if they do that by rote through drill, flashcards, etc. without the understanding first, then those facts will be forgotten eventually. (Ask a few adults around you what 7x8 is and you'll most likely find that to be true!) If they understand the mathematical properties/laws they can actually FIGURE it out when they can't seem to grab it from long term memory. Plus, using the distributive and commutative properties over and over again to figure out multiplication facts when you are just learning will build and solidify number sense. Straight memorization will NOT do that. I know this from experience! Oh, and I don't think of that as mental math "tricks." To me, tricks are ways to calculate that almost seem like magic because you DO NOT UNDERSTAND why it works. I want my kids to understand why it works!
  12. Try this - Doing it this way brings about understanding. It's not just memorizing unconnected pieces of information. The child in this video has JUST been introduced to the concept of multiplication but she discovered the distributive property on her own with the rods!
  13. Denise, thank you for your wisdom. It's helping to clarify some things for me....
  14. Hmmmm, interesting. I guess, yes, that would be one purpose. Maybe because of my specific experience, though, I see a greater purpose of mental math is developing and honing mathematical and critical thinking skills. It was such an epiphany to me when I saw how to do math the "Singapore" way that I wanted that for my kids. I didn't want them to go through their life not truly understanding the world of numbers. I feel like all through school my teachers were holding their hands over my eyes and teaching me how to navigate the "numbers world" as though I were blind, and now it's like the hands were taken away and I can actually look around and see where to go and what's around me. Maybe it's because I'm a visual learner, but that's the best description I can come up with. I don't want to put blinders on my kids by just making them memorize facts. Sure, getting around fast is important, but isn't being able to "see" even more important?
  15. This is such a clear way of explaining what I've been thinking but couldn't articulate! Thank you, Bill! I especially like the sentence I bolded above. This reminds me of another current thread. Let's Play Math said something I really liked. I don't know how to do the quote feature from another thread so I'll just put it in regular quotation marks.... "Your goal at this level is NOT for your son to memorize a series of math facts and procedures, but to develop confidence in working with numbers. In fact, if parents stress fact memorization too much, we short-circuit the child’s learning process. Once children “know†an answer, they don’t bother to think about it — but it is in the “thinking about it†stage that they build a logical foundation for understanding all numbers. - Let's Play Math" I strongly believe in the importance of not pushing memorization too early. I want my kids to have LOTS of practice in manipulating numbers and developing their mathematical reasoning skills before it becomes automatic recall. This may be more important to me than some others because my kids memorize very well so I've had to on purpose try not to give them little memorization tricks that I learned in school because I want them to use their noggins in a different way than that!
  16. See I think of it all as "making tens" (except for the doubles +1, I guess) because you are always thinking about tens... or hundred, thousands, etc.... always thinking about place value. If you add $1+$2 in the example above, you are thinking of tens/hundreds when you are rounding. Maybe there's a better term than "making tens?" Any suggestions? The term "mental math" doesn't seem like it will work since people seem to have varying definitions. I just think it's important that we all know what we mean by certain words so that when we recommend "mental math strategies" it is clear to the person what we are implying. See, I wouldn't think of that as inferior to doing mental math. The importance of mental math, IMO, is that you are UNDERSTANDING numbers and how they work together. Having to draw or see it spatially is just a different learning style. Yes, here's where the confusion comes in because, in both of the above examples, that IS doing math in your head, but you could just be relying on memorized facts without clear understanding of our decimal system. I could have done that kind of thing in school but could not have added/subtracted large numbers in my head. What Chepyl did in school sounds more like a working memory exercise to me. Of course, you do need to use your working memory when doing mental math the "making tens" way, but that's not the important skill, IMO. The understanding is more important.
  17. Absolutely wonderful advice! We want to encourage critical thinking skills in addition to math skills. This also reminds me of Marilyn Burns' math journaling ideas - probably more for older kids. Any time you have to explain what you are doing in some way, you're level of understanding will increase.
  18. When people talk about mental math I've always assumed they meant the way Singapore and Math Mammoth and RightStart and Math-U-See teach it - by making tens. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, there are video examples here - http://www.educationunboxed.com/mental_math.html) Recently, though, I've noticed on a few threads here that some people may be thinking of it as something else - something more like drilling math facts or something. One of the comments was made by someone who uses Saxon which makes me wonder if "mental math" in other programs means something totally different. So, what do you think of when you hear or say "mental math?"
  19. http://www.coolmath-games.com/ http://www.thinkingblocks.com/index.html http://www.ictgames.com/sharkNumbers/sharkNumbers_v5.html http://www.ictgames.com/save_the_whale_v4.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/place_value/play/popup.shtml http://www.crayola.com/for-educators/lesson-plans.aspx http://www.ictgames.com/spacejumps.html http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/fractionflags/fractionflags.html http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/fractionflags/ffthirds.html http://www.ictgames.com/5andabit.html http://www.youtube.com/user/Stevespanglerscience http://www.crewtonramoneshouseofmath.com/ (or just search his name on youtube) http://www.educationunboxed.com/ (These are math videos my girls and I have made!)
  20. I think it's totally fine for him to be using manipulatives at this point. Most kids will drop them on their own once they understand the concept clearly enough because it becomes more work than it's worth once they are able to do it in their heads. I've heard of a few who do not, so in that case I would slowly try to have the child do a few problems each day without the manipulatives to work up to the point of dropping them FOR THAT PARTICULAR SKILL. I emphasize that because we use manipulatives to introduce concepts all the way up to the high school level. (My kids are young, but I've taught them some algebra with manipulatives.) You can see examples of this through the link in my siggy below. You say you're not sure if he's grasping the true sense of the equation. The manipulatives are what give him the true sense of the equation. The numbers on paper are merely abstract symbols that represent real quantities. I got A's in math all through school but never truly understood it all until I started teaching my children using manipulatives and whole/part based teaching (from Singapore and Miquon). It has made a world of difference in my understanding of the subject! It is very common for kids to get stuck at the point your son is "stuck" at. This is when many people switch to Miquon exclusively for a season. That way you can keep developing number sense until his brain is developmentally ready to do the mental math. In the mean time, what I did with both my girls was to write 2-5 problems on the board each day for them to do WITH the manipulatives. That way they were still practicing the skill and I could also see when we hit the point where they could do it in their heads because they would just do it and not need the manipulatives.
  21. We have them jumbled in a big tub, but I could see how some personality types would need them organized or they'd go insane! I just like the quick clean up time. You can see how we use them to teach conceptually at www.educationunboxed.com.
  22. :iagree: with this 100%! Also, I would STRONGLY encourage you to teach him how to use the distributive property to figure out the answers to multiplication problems. I believe it is the best way to teach, learn, and practice multiplication. It builds a deep understanding - much more so than memorizing with a chart, flashcards, or computer games. Here is a video I just made that shows how it works... He will need to be able to do a bit of mental math to do this. You can find videos on that through the link in my siggy! Also, Math Mammoth is another curriculum you might want to look into. It is similar in philosophy to Singapore but has more practice. It sounds like he might be a visual-spatial learner. If so, Cuisenaire Rods or something similar would be really good to use! I wouldn't recommend Saxon for a v/s learner. I am one and that's what I was taught from in elementary/middle school. I had good memorization skills so I got good grades but I never understood what I was doing until I started teaching my daughters with Singapore and Miquon, using Cuisenaire rods and the number bonds concept. It made a world of difference!
  23. I have no hope of understanding the paper you linked, but I think this may be what you're talking about. I can do division this way... still trying to figure out how to teach it clearly to a child, though...
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