Farrar Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I'm looking for something really short and succinct but fairly comprehensive, doesn't need to have exercises. I'm hoping to find something free - maybe something vintage or an online resource I could use. This is for a creative math project I'm trying to put together for ds, who is starting 6th grade and needing to do some outside the box review of basic concepts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 There's a vintage basic arithmetic text on Don Potter's website that is like a distilled-down version of Ray's arithmetic; if that style is helpful, this book will be a million times quicker to sift through. Description: http://www.donpotter.net/education_pages/math.html The book: https://books.google.com/books?id=BtZHAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=first+lessons+in+arithmetic+jones+brothers&source=bl&ots=gO8kRIUZcI&sig=f0asBNyjZ_FKk31oWOGWVjfzGj4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PI90UIfSPOqU2QXK6oC4BQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=first%20lessons%20in%20arithmetic%20jones%20brothers&f=false 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Wow. I looked up the author (WIlliam J. Milne) and found a treasure trove, including a bio on him (wikipedia) and more vintage math books. Plane Geometry 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I saw this book at Barnes and Noble yesterday. There are no exercises. http://www.amazon.com/Master-Math-Basic-Pre-Algebra/dp/159863982X 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Maximum Math by Kathryn Stout? You can get PDFs from the author's website. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Mastering Essential Math Skills? Not vintage but goes over all of arithmetic and does include exercises. And online videos. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 Hm... none of these are quite right and I really don't want to spend money if possible. This ds is more verbal and I feel like he needs a hook for math right now. He's struggling with math in a weird way... Anyway, I thought maybe focusing on the why would be useful for him. I think he gets it, but I had an idea for him to do a sort of silly project where he's a survivor of a zombie apocalypse and all that's left of math is the remains of an elementary guide and he has to rewrite all the missing explanations and examples for why it all works the way it does. So I want to find something where basic numbers, arithmetic, and maybe measurement are all explained pretty succinctly with examples. And then I'm going to rip out bits of it to be the fragments of what's left and he has to turn it each fragment into something that makes sense. I guess I could create something, but that sounds like way more work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Hm... none of these are quite right and I really don't want to spend money if possible. This ds is more verbal and I feel like he needs a hook for math right now. He's struggling with math in a weird way... Anyway, I thought maybe focusing on the why would be useful for him. I think he gets it, but I had an idea for him to do a sort of silly project where he's a survivor of a zombie apocalypse and all that's left of math is the remains of an elementary guide and he has to rewrite all the missing explanations and examples for why it all works the way it does. So I want to find something where basic numbers, arithmetic, and maybe measurement are all explained pretty succinctly with examples. And then I'm going to rip out bits of it to be the fragments of what's left and he has to turn it each fragment into something that makes sense. I guess I could create something, but that sounds like way more work. Ah. I misunderstood the object but now I get it. I found this at Amazon. The author says he was trying to use a zombie apocalypse survival model to get his kid interested in math...click on the "Read More" under the blurb. http://www.amazon.com/Math-Zombie-Apocalypse-For-Book-ebook/dp/B00F316AUK 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 Ah. I misunderstood the object but now I get it. I found this at Amazon. The author says he was trying to use a zombie apocalypse survival model to get his kid interested in math...click on the "Read More" under the blurb. http://www.amazon.com/Math-Zombie-Apocalypse-For-Book-ebook/dp/B00F316AUK Still not quite what I had in mind, but that's hilarious! I might need to get it for him anyway! :D 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Still not quite what I had in mind, but that's hilarious! I might need to get it for him anyway! :D I decided we need it here, too! LOL! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 99 cents and displays perfectly on my phone. Nice! Thanks! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnMomof7 Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I bought one too... Because...zombies. :D 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Funny. My kids have no interest in zombies, however, almost an aversion. It will serve them in the apocalypse, I guess. Farrar, want me to send you my copy of Kitchen Table Math? I'm never going to use that three volume, chrome-coated brick. I mean, I love the books, but don't have the kung-fu powers to pull it offers, and my youngest is half-way through Miquon at this point. PM me if interested, it would be free for you. If not, can you print or some MM pages on cardstock, rip some up, singe a few edges, splatter some with food colored white glue and flutter them down the stairs? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I bought the zombie math book too for DS8...the hive is going to send this book climbing up the Kindle sales charts! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Funny. My kids have no interest in zombies, however, almost an aversion. It will serve them in the apocalypse, I guess. Farrar, want me to send you my copy of Kitchen Table Math? I'm never going to use that three volume, chrome-coated brick. I mean, I love the books, but don't have the kung-fu powers to pull it offers, and my youngest is half-way through Miquon at this point. PM me if interested, it would be free for you. If not, can you print or some MM pages on cardstock, rip some up, singe a few edges, splatter some with food colored white glue and flutter them down the stairs? I used to have KTM! But no, more like the MM pages... I'm going to go dig back through my digital archives for the old ones, I guess... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Math on the level might work, but $300.00 is too much for this project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Yeah, I think I'm not going beyond a couple of dollars. ;) I really don't need a teaching guide, like KTC or MOTL. I wanted something that's more like a short summary of elementary math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 What about something like this math reference pamphlet? You could photocopy and physical tear off or burn parts. It might be beyond 6th grade in some areas but you could leave that intact. There is also parts 2 & 3. I've enjoyed this series for actual useful reference personally as well, so you might get more use out of it after the zombies are defeated and civilization is reborn ;) http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/142320395X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1437984257&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=math+reference&dpPl=1&dpID=514RpbYea4L&ref=plSrch ETA: There are ones for 6th grade: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1423217683/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=0B5K8R0EFQCWTAG26P29#immersive-view_1437984584848 5th grade:http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1423217675/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=07ZSJYK9X6TF6PH578N3 4th grade:http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1423221583/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_21?ie=UTF8&refRID=15AMHTED3HZABK8KJQRR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I haven't seen the math one of these books, but the English one has some nice summaries of grammar, punctuation, etc. There are penny copies on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Need-About-Homework-Evertything/dp/0590493590/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1438001539&sr=1-1&keywords=Everything+you+need+to+know+about+math 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsplaymath Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 How about "Problems Without Figures"? A whole book of word problems without numbers, to stimulate thinking and discussion. http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/pdf/2008/10/problemswithoutfigures.pdfI keep meaning to transcribe and modernize this public-domain gem, but haven't gotten around to it yet. You can take a similar approach to word problems from any source, just leaving out the numbers. Another good approach is to leave the numbers in, but omit the question -- let kids tell you what questions *they* would ask. Or combine the two: Give *part* of the problem setup, and ask what the kids notice or wonder. Then add the rest of the problem setup (but not the problem question), and see which of the kids' questions they can answer. What additional information would they need to answer the others? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 How about "Problems Without Figures"? A whole book of word problems without numbers, to stimulate thinking and discussion. http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/pdf/2008/10/problemswithoutfigures.pdfI keep meaning to transcribe and modernize this public-domain gem, but haven't gotten around to it yet. You can take a similar approach to word problems from any source, just leaving out the numbers. Another good approach is to leave the numbers in, but omit the question -- let kids tell you what questions *they* would ask. Or combine the two: Give *part* of the problem setup, and ask what the kids notice or wonder. Then add the rest of the problem setup (but not the problem question), and see which of the kids' questions they can answer. What additional information would they need to answer the others? That is the coolest book! I pulled together random things last night to build the zombie math for him. But we're totally going to use that too. That's excellent. Maybe I'll transcribe it. It's excellent! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 How about "Problems Without Figures"? A whole book of word problems without numbers, to stimulate thinking and discussion. http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/pdf/2008/10/problemswithoutfigures.pdfI keep meaning to transcribe and modernize this public-domain gem, but haven't gotten around to it yet. You can take a similar approach to word problems from any source, just leaving out the numbers. This is awesome! Thanks! Farrar, look on Google Books for School Arithmetics by George Wentworth and David Eugene Smith. There are three volumes. Longer than what you want but free! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 How about "Problems Without Figures"? A whole book of word problems without numbers, to stimulate thinking and discussion. http://www.schoolinfosystem.org/pdf/2008/10/problemswithoutfigures.pdfI keep meaning to transcribe and modernize this public-domain gem, but haven't gotten around to it yet. You can take a similar approach to word problems from any source, just leaving out the numbers. Another good approach is to leave the numbers in, but omit the question -- let kids tell you what questions *they* would ask. Or combine the two: Give *part* of the problem setup, and ask what the kids notice or wonder. Then add the rest of the problem setup (but not the problem question), and see which of the kids' questions they can answer. What additional information would they need to answer the others? So... I OCR'ed the first half of that and have cleaned most of it up so I can print it off and use it with ds. It is both excellent and hilariously out of date. People in 1909 still thought about everything in terms of agriculture. And everyone was expected to know a lot about horses. And apparently there is a measurement called a "gill" which was smaller than a quart but which I've never heard of in my entire life. I'm considering just doing an autoreplace of "apples" for "smart phones." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 So updating this is sort of fun, even if it stopped me from finishing my zombie math program for tonight. Tell me what you think. One of the questions is: A coin was found bearing the inscription 420 B.C. How old was it? Do we think it's a trick question or an error? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Do we think it's a trick question or an error? Oh, it's just plain awesome! :lol: I vote trick question if the rest of the writing is witty, hilarious error if not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 Oh, it's just plain awesome! :lol: I vote trick question if the rest of the writing is witty, hilarious error if not. Well-written, but definitely not witty. It's one of the ones I changed. I made it: Carbon dating shows a comb from Egypt is from 1960 B.C.E. How old is it? But I might put that one in there as well just for funsies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nansk Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Well-written, but definitely not witty. It's one of the ones I changed. I made it: Carbon dating shows a comb from Egypt is from 1960 B.C.E. How old is it? But this becomes a problem with numbers. :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 But this becomes a problem with numbers. :) Yes. Maybe about a quarter of them have actual numbers. Or, rather, most of them have numbers, but in about a quarter of them, there's actually something to solve. So it wouldn't be alone. But maybe it was meant to be a trick question. There are several that can't be solved or ones with superfluous information. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 Though now that I'm reading more of them, it is less than that - only a few of them can be "solved" with numbers. Several of them are trick questions so I think I'll leave that one. I did like it. The main thing that's a bit useless for modern kids is the vast number of problems computing acres. I barely know what an acre is. My city kids definitely don't have any need for acres in their lives. I mean, it still matters some - I may leave a couple of those in, but not most. And I have no clue what a "rod" is. I mean, I know it's an old measurement, but clearly not something necessary to life today. Or a "gill" which I had never even heard of. Other things I learned reading these - people in 1909 may have been obsessed with fences and boys all bought sleds with their pocket money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
letsplaymath Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 He does state in the intro that he put trick questions in: A few “catch problems†are put in to entrap the unwary. To stumble occasionally into a pitfall makes a pupil more watchful of his steps and gives invigorating exercise in regaining his footing. The groove runner thus learns to use his wits and see the difference between a legitimate problem and an absurdity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 ... And I have no clue what a "rod" is. I mean, I know it's an old measurement, but clearly not something necessary to life today. Or a "gill" which I had never even heard of. ,,, Many moons ago when I was a child (shortly after dinosaurs roamed the earth), I read a number of Isaac Asimov's factual books which is the reason why I've heard of rods and gills. I think it was this book that mentioned them ~ Realm of Measure: from the yardstick to the Theory of Relativity Your math project sounds like a lot of fun. I hope that your son enjoys your efforts! Regards, Kareni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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