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Looking for a nice, canned program for mastering math facts.


BabyBre
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Our school is going to BEGIN daily practice with the goal of mastery next year (:hurray:), and my teacher has asked me if I know of a "canned" program they could potentially buy for all the classrooms (K-6 or 1-6). Our facts practice at home is included in our curriculum, Saxon Math, so I don't use a seperate program. I'm not sure why teachers can't just use drill sheets obtained from almost any source (as some already do), but nonetheless she asked for my help.

 

Any suggestions?

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The public school here uses xtramath.com It makes the kids start with mastering their addition facts and then their subtraction facts, then multiplication and finally division. It emails the parent or teacher how the students are doing. I've started using it with my boys this year and the reports that I get weekly tell me if they are skipping their practicing, how they are doing, and which facts they still need work on mastering.

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Mad Dog Math looks really good, it was put together by a classroom teacher and refined in the classroom.

 

I just got my hands on the mulitiplication/division set for home use, I will be doing a review of it once I've tried it a bit. They have it on cd rom, and also review drill for the computer. I didn't get the computer version because we have all Macs.

 

it looks like systematic, basic timed drills but organized already for you, with easy directions to set up the system and ways to encourage the kids. I have the home binder set, the flashcards and a timer. I'm going to start using it next week.

 

since it was designed and tested in the classroom, it might be something worth looking at.

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I would want to point out... that number lines begin at "0" and skip counting with visuals is the best (imo) way of teaching multiplication... and then showing that backwards would be ...division...

 

I never even heard of skip counting til my oldest started at the Waldorf school.

 

My sister got the cheapest, easiest and least fun method when she was in 3rd grade: write out all of the multiplication tables every night from 0x0 to 12x12.

 

We played Around the World. :D

 

I'm not sure why teachers can't just use drill sheets obtained from almost any source (as some already do), but nonetheless she asked for my help.

 

:iagree: I just made some up when I wanted some for dc.

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I would want to point out... that number lines begin at "0" and skip counting with visuals is the best (imo) way of teaching multiplication... and then showing that backwards would be ...division...

 

At least that's how we learned them :0

 

Believe me, they use visuals. And more visuals. That's the problem - they use too many "discovering" methods and literally none of the memorization. So our kids in 5th and 6th grade and of course beyond don't know their multiplication facts and are still counting on their fingers to add and counting backward to subtract. After about a decade of sending kids on to middle and then high school like this, our current principal has recognized the need for memorization of basic facts. This is truly a momentus day! So, once it's "discovered", they need to move toward memorzation for quick and accurate recall.

 

I'll check out these programs. Thanks!

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Believe me, they use visuals. And more visuals. That's the problem - they use too many "discovering" methods and literally none of the memorization. So our kids in 5th and 6th grade and of course beyond don't know their multiplication facts and are still counting on their fingers to add and counting backward to subtract. After about a decade of sending kids on to middle and then high school like this, our current principal has recognized the need for memorization of basic facts. This is truly a momentus day! So, once it's "discovered", they need to move toward memorzation for quick and accurate recall.

 

I'll check out these programs. Thanks!

:) When I started being homeschooled in 6th grade, my mom bought math flashcards and drilled me at least 2x a day for 2 weeks... Presto!! I learned them :)

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She could use the composition notebook method. I have seen this a lot, and the kids love it. We have adapted and use similar structure for our great artist studies and nature book.

 

A few pages are left blank at the beginning of the book. The children illustrate a title page on a half sheet of paper and tape to the cover. They number all of the pages in the composition book, after say the first 2 or 3 which are left for the table of contents. The teacher printed worksheets on half pieces of paper. Each paper is glued to a sheet in the composition notebook. If it is copywork, such as wriitng 2x2=4 five times, then they simply write on the lines. Each assignment is written in the table of contents with the page number where the student placed the sheet or did the work.

 

This requires some originality, but it is a low-cost solution, especially when schools struggle for money now. :)

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FASTT MATH!!!!!!!!

Hands down, the best!

 

I used this in my classroom and with my own kids. It's ONLY facts. It's an individualized computer program that adjusts to each child's mastery. You can track progress and print out worksheets (again, specific to each child) through the teacher's login, OR you can just set it up and do nothing.

In my first grade classroom I had some kids working on addition and some already mastering multiplication.

 

I 100%, without reservation, recommend this program.

 

I had a parent buy it to use at home, but it was $300 (for all of your kids). Worth it, in her opinion, since she had 4 kids she could cycle through it.

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we are using these with success too. I like how they start with the 9's instead of the 2's...with the idea that you practice the harder facts the longest instead of the other way around...and they start slow and painless...9x0 9x1 and 9x9....then they add one more fact each day...slow and steady.

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Can Fastt Math be used for homeschoolers?

 

Yes, I bought it when my son was K age and both he and my daughter have been using it ever since. He's had his math facts down for a long time now, but at this point I still have him do Fastt Math twice a week just to make sure he stays solid with them. My daughter is in 3rd grade and has just begun to cut back on the number of days she uses the program.

 

It is expensive, but I've definitely gotten my money's worth out of it. You may have to call the company if you are interested in buying it.

 

Lisa

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I don't see a "buy it" button on the site. What am I missing?

Where would I buy it from? Thanks a bunch.

 

You probably have to call the company in order to purchase since it's one of those they caters mostly to public schools. It's been so long since I bought it, I can't remember where I purchased it.

 

Lisa

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