they're adding, not multiplying (is this okay?)

[Lucy the Valiant]

My twin daughters are 8, learning to multiply (Singapore 3A right now), but - they ADD. Not multiply. They understand the concept, and I fully realize they just need review work to memorize the multiplication facts, but - when do I push that?

 

For instance, when they see 7 x 4, they add 7 + 7 in their heads, and then add 14 + 14.

 

Is that normal? Will it go away with time / practice of the multiplication tables?

[StephanieZ]

IMHO, this is not a problem at all. Mathematically, they are doing exactly the right thing. Multiplying IS repeated addition. They are using their brains. This is GOOD! Nice!

 

However . . . Yes, you DO want them to memorize those facts NOW ASAP, as having to work them out in their heads with repeated addition will get REALLY tiresome when they are doing 123 x 12, etc.

 

If you don't do it already, take 5-10 min a day to drill facts with games and/or flashcards or worksheets. I always did this at a separate time during the day. With twins, you are in the perfect place to use games such as found in Peggy Kaye's Games for Math book. There is no reason drill needs to be tedious, although having a simple thing like triangular flashcards or wrap-its on hand for drill when you don't have time to do a game is handy.

 

I always looked a few lessons ahead (10 lessons or so) to see what math facts were coming up, and drilled them on those facts the week(s) prior to getting to them in SM. So, if x7 facts were coming up, we'd do x7 drills, worksheets, wrap-its, games, etc for that week (plus some review of prior sets of facts).

 

HTH

[texasmama]

IMHO, this is not a problem at all. Mathematically, they are doing exactly the right thing. Multiplying IS repeated addition. They are using their brains. This is GOOD! Nice!

 

However . . . Yes, you DO want them to memorize those facts NOW ASAP, as having to work them out in their heads with repeated addition will get REALLY tiresome when they are doing 123 x 12, etc.

 

If you don't do it already, take 5-10 min a day to drill facts with games and/or flashcards or worksheets. I always did this at a separate time during the day. With twins, you are in the perfect place to use games such as found in Peggy Kaye's Games for Math book. There is no reason drill needs to be tedious, although having a simple thing like triangular flashcards or wrap-its on hand for drill when you don't have time to do a game is handy.

 

I always looked a few lessons ahead (10 lessons or so) to see what math facts were coming up, and drilled them on those facts the week(s) prior to getting to them in SM. So, if x7 facts were coming up, we'd do x7 drills, worksheets, wrap-its, games, etc for that week (plus some review of prior sets of facts).

 

HTH

 

:iagree: Both of my boys started multiplying by adding repeatedly.

[Lucy the Valiant]

OK, so just go forward with memorizing the tables, right?

 

Thanks, ladies! (I'm a high school English teacher - this elementary math stuff is all new! LOL)

[melissel]

Yes, just go forward. This is the way multiplication happens at first. The more they do it, the quicker the multiplication facts are learned, and soon they come surprisingly easily. (We've just come out the other end of this process :tongue_smilie:)

[Perogi]

My dd in 3A right now is also going the route of adding/skip counting. We're working on drilling the multiplication facts but they're not all memorized yet. I do feel like 3A is moving quickly and we're going to have to stop soon and make sure the facts are memorized before moving forward.

[KarenNC]

The adding works, but in our case it slows my daughter down consistently. We did Singapore through 4A and have switched over to Saxon (for multiple reasons, but not that Singapore isn't a good program, btw). I didn't stress memorizing the math facts in Singapore because I figured she would get it with repetition and she found the drill boring. She hasn't really gotten it and it shows markedly in her testing in the math fluency area on the WJIII. The tester commented this past year that she was adding instead of multiplying (this was in 5th grade). As I see it, she's simply not been absolutely required to memorize because she can add fairly quickly---quickly enough for problem sets but not for testing. We are now working with a website called xtramath.com to get her speed up and head for automatic recall because I don't want it slowing her down for more complex problems. The tester recommended Quarter Mile Math, which looks good, but xtramath.com is free.:)

 

So, I wouldn't be too worried right now, but would add in targeted timed practice (as another poster suggested) to get the memorization process going a bit faster. Singapore just doesn't address that area.

[Lucy the Valiant]

OK, they actually *LOVE* to memorize things, so I will introduce that maybe this week (I have a theory about it being a twin thing, but I'm not totally sure on that, LOL).

 

When I was in school, I just memorized EVERYTHING, and to this day don't have a really foundational concept of mathematics (I know the rules and can add / multiply / etc., but - I know that I don't know WHY, if that makes sense).

 

I guess they are learning the "why" first and then need the memorization as follow-up (uhh, should I have bought the teacher's guide, ya think? LOL).

[StephanieZ]

OK, they actually *LOVE* to memorize things, so I will introduce that maybe this week (I have a theory about it being a twin thing, but I'm not totally sure on that, LOL).

 

When I was in school, I just memorized EVERYTHING, and to this day don't have a really foundational concept of mathematics (I know the rules and can add / multiply / etc., but - I know that I don't know WHY, if that makes sense).

 

I guess they are learning the "why" first and then need the memorization as follow-up (uhh, should I have bought the teacher's guide, ya think? LOL).

 

You are doing fine. I never used the Teacher guides, but justvfollowed the lead of the texts, with the addition of a few daily minutes of drill. Just add in drill and all will be well.

[KarenNC]

OK, they actually *LOVE* to memorize things, so I will introduce that maybe this week (I have a theory about it being a twin thing, but I'm not totally sure on that, LOL).

 

When I was in school, I just memorized EVERYTHING, and to this day don't have a really foundational concept of mathematics (I know the rules and can add / multiply / etc., but - I know that I don't know WHY, if that makes sense).

 

I guess they are learning the "why" first and then need the memorization as follow-up (uhh, should I have bought the teacher's guide, ya think? LOL).

 

Honestly, I had the guides Earlybird-2B in US edition and 3A-4A in Standards, and I don't recall them stressing (or really mentioning) memorizing the facts, though I may have ignored it because I didn't want to fight that battle at the time.;) For us, Singapore itself was a major battle, which is why we finally switched. I have seen countless threads here over the years about this one aspect of Singapore and discussions about math fact drill being handled as a separate subject, basically, in the Singapore educational system. You are not alone.:)