gevs4him Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 What would you do for math, if your ds 8 just does not seem to memorize math facts? He can skip count, do money, time etc. He just does not have his facts mastered ~ he likes to use the number line with every problem. When I put him where he can not use it he takes forever trying to figure the answer. He should be able to snap right off 6+4 or 7+7 ~ you get the jest. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EppieJ Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 (edited) Have you tried different ways of helping him memorize such as reciting while jumping on a trampoline, or running flashcards with him? Maybe write them on large papers, lay them out on the floor and have him recite them as he jumps to each page? Have him write them on a white board? Or use sidewalk chalk outside? I'm just throwing out ideas. Do you know what learning style he tends toward? Maybe he needs to hear them rather than just see them. There are computer games that could help (I'm thinking specifically of JumpStart) and there are online games that could help as well (if he likes that sort of thing). For multiplication drill there's a great game called Timez Attack. I'll see if I can find a couple links to post for you. Good luck! http://www.bigbrainz.com/ (this is Timez Attack - I just went to the website. looks like they're creating games for all four basic operations! There is a for purchase version of the game, but there is also a free version. Covers the same stuff just doesn't have all "worlds".) http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm http://www.twinsisters.com/ (audio education cds) Edited February 8, 2011 by EppieJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I would conveniently lose the number line and have him do flash cards every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 You just keep working with him every day. Find different ways to help him cement his facts. There are tons of different board games that are fun, like Sum Swamp, or Math Dice, to name a few. Flash cards, Addition the Fun Way, and online games are also helpful. Not all kids have immediate recall, and take a few seconds to come up with the answer. Some kids just need lots and lots of time and repetition to cement the facts, but will get there with a lot of patience and perseverance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wilhelm Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Math It! It worked wonders on my kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 We're doing timed math drills as my 8yo is still struggling with this. We've gone back to the 1st grade ones, and are working on from there. We're using these: http://www.tlsbooks.com/timedmathdrillworksheets.htm The worksheets say 1-3 minutes, but I've been giving my DC 5 minutes. DD finished yesterday in 3.5 and I was so excited (and DS had only 2 left)! There's definitely been an improvement with both of them, and we started just over a week ago. They also like them because they only take 5 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Drill, drill, and more drill. I completely believe we should teach the why behind the math, but the fact remains that most mistakes kids make in upper-level math are simple arithmetic mistakes. If they have their math facts memorized, they can focus on the operations, not the arithmetic. So what can you do with a boy? If your ds is anything like my almost 8yo ds, he dislikes writing. Try flash cards every day. Those seem to help my ds. Computer games are a great way to practice math facts. I am considering some of these as well. EppieJ and PaintedLady listed some great resources. What about math fact songs? (It is early and I do not have enough caffeine in my system, so I cannot recall the actual name of the item of which I am thinking.) I've started to go over math facts at the beginning of the day. For example, my ds is learning multiplication facts, so we will go over our 7s table, like 7x1=1, 7x2=14, etc., then 1x7=7...... We chant them like we chant our Latin. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 We tried a lot of things and the Abeka speed drill book seemed to work the best. It isn't much work at all but it is consistent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 one idea: since he likes the number line so much, try having him take the small step of visualizing the number line in his head. Have him write it out to make sure it's there in his head. Then have him visualize the number line in his head to add. Then practice, practice, practice. FWIW, to the extent I see a number line in my head, it is *vertical*, with the lower numbers at the bottom, and bigger numbers going up. Maybe try making a vertical number line on paper, use that for a bit, and then have him use the vertical number line in his head to add. And then of course practice practice practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootsnwings Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I would conveniently lose the number line and have him do flash cards every day. :iagree: At some point the number line needs to become mental. It's a GREAT learning tool but he can't take it to college with him!! :tongue_smilie: Drop the # line and drill with him. There are TONS of fun math games online that do nothing but Drill. Check out Math-u-see too, the games for drilling on their website are free. http://www.mathusee.com/e-sources/drill-page/ HTH!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gevs4him Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 one idea: since he likes the number line so much, try having him take the small step of visualizing the number line in his head. Have him write it out to make sure it's there in his head. Then have him visualize the number line in his head to add. Then practice, practice, practice. FWIW, to the extent I see a number line in my head, it is *vertical*, with the lower numbers at the bottom, and bigger numbers going up. Maybe try making a vertical number line on paper, use that for a bit, and then have him use the vertical number line in his head to add. And then of course practice practice practice. Thank you ~ this is not something I thought of :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2boys030507 Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 We stopped gong forward in math to get my oldest son's facts down faster. I found an addition and subtraction workbook at our local bookstore. This was his seat work. Then he would do Three Minute Math, he has loved being able to raise against the clock and himself, and he knows that he is done in 3 minutes for each function and it is on the computer. We also play 7 Ate 9. He loves this game and asks for it when we play games outside of school too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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