Miquon as a supplement for Singapore, esp help with math facts

[Trilliumlady]

Here I am again, posting about math!

I have a third grader finishing standards 2B and a first grader in between 1b and 2a. Third grader esp it seems has hard time remembering math facts. We have been doing xtra math since start of school year but I just haven't seen the improvement in either of them with recall that I guess I would have imagined. Also, after having recently listened to Andrew Peduwa speak on the increased mental learning and recall that results from pen and paper vs screen I am thinking a lot about cutting screens for learning!

Would miquon be a good supplement to help with this? I looked at my sisters book and she seemed to think it might be a good fit. Would I just start with level orange for both of them? What else should I know about starting these as it would e brand new. I would get the lab annotations book for sure.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

If you just want a supplement, I'd probably get the cuisinaire rods and use the videos at EducationUnboxed.com.  We simply kept the rod box on the table during math lessons.  Mainpulating them over and over is what got my kids to know their math facts.  

 

You can use a 5 rod or a 10 rod as a sort of reference rod, so that, f.ex. 4+2 is obviously the same as 5+1, that sort of thing.  Using a ten rod helps with "making ten" for the higher facts, i.e., 7+6, held up as rods next to a ten, shows pretty clearly that the 6 will split into 3 and 3, making a 10 and a 3, so 13.  Doing this visually, over and over with the rods, meant we never had to do any kind of addition or subtraction drills on paper.  My kids did enjoy the app XGerms Addition (free) once they were proficient, just because it's a fun app.  

[Calizzy]

We use and love miquon, but I would say that it doesn't really emphasise times tables. We supplement with flash cards, orally reciting multiples of each number, and printed out multiplication tables. I don't really think there is an easy way to memorise times tables, you just have to do them over and over and over.

[fralala]

We're just finishing SM2-- when you say your third grader has a hard time remembering math facts, what do you mean? Multiplication and division? Addition and subtraction? All of the above?

 

I haven't used MIquon, so I can't speak as to whether it would be a useful supplement, but I'd think that copying down the math facts on pen and paper, or making their own flashcards, would be just as effective. Playing games (offline) is often even more effective, because it's enjoyable.  With Singapore, some people complain that not enough time is spent on memorizing facts, but with my own kids who use it successfully I have observed that sometimes the inability to come up with quick computations is actually a conceptual issue. (Multiplication, for instance, seems such a simple and intuitive topic, but I've found during review that my child could not quickly produce the answer to 8x4 even if I told her what 7x4 was. That is not a problem with her memory; it is a problem of inadequate understanding and ability to visualize the problem, and one that I could fix simply by going back in the book and doing a better job of presenting the lesson.)

[Jess4879]

If you just want a supplement, I'd probably get the cuisinaire rods and use the videos at EducationUnboxed.com.  We simply kept the rod box on the table during math lessons.  Mainpulating them over and over is what got my kids to know their math facts.  

 

You can use a 5 rod or a 10 rod as a sort of reference rod, so that, f.ex. 4+2 is obviously the same as 5+1, that sort of thing.  Using a ten rod helps with "making ten" for the higher facts, i.e., 7+6, held up as rods next to a ten, shows pretty clearly that the 6 will split into 3 and 3, making a 10 and a 3, so 13.  Doing this visually, over and over with the rods, meant we never had to do any kind of addition or subtraction drills on paper.  My kids did enjoy the app XGerms Addition (free) once they were proficient, just because it's a fun app.  

 

This is what worked for my son too - we use the MUS blocks, but same idea.  We also play lots of games with dice, dominos, etc.

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

We use and love miquon, but I would say that it doesn't really emphasise times tables. We supplement with flash cards, orally reciting multiples of each number, and printed out multiplication tables. I don't really think there is an easy way to memorise times tables, you just have to do them over and over and over.

 

I no longer teach memorization of multiplication facts.  I'm now teaching fast calculation methods, and I'm seeing much fewer errors.  This only works if your kids have a good mental math base, but I've found it is working so well for my kids.  It is also how I do my own multiplication- never learned the tables and have a STEM degree.  

 

x2 :  needs to be memorized, but these should already be memorized from the doubles addition facts

x3 :  also probably should just be memorized, which should come quickly with regular use.  The fast calc is double and add another copy, or skip count by the other number three times.

x4 : double and double again

x5 : x10, then cut in half

x6 : Either x5 then add another copy, or x3 then double

x7 : memorize 7x7=49, use an alternate trick for everything else or calculate that nx7 is the same as nx5+nx2

x8 : x4, then double again

x9 : the digit sum trick

 

I group these, so we worked on x2 and x4 for a while, then added in x8 facts.  When the kids had gotten the hang of the tricks, we'd review these, then concentrate on x10 and x5.  Then x3 and x6.  Then x9.  Then choosing which trick to use for which problem.  

 

This probably sounds crazy compared to memorization, but we are having way more success this way.  My 2nd grader can figure out any multiplication problem now, so it's just a matter of gaining speed.  

[Farrar]

I agree with what is being said here. Miquon emphasizes understanding the numbers and the facts, which can be better than memorization, but it absolutely does not emphasize memorization. It can be a great supplement... but it might not be what the OP is looking for.

 

I think if the goal is memorization, the nicest supplement for it is the Right Start Card Games - there are a lot of games in there that require kids to use the math over and over and that helps drill it in a fun way.

[Trilliumlady]

I guess that instead of as much focus on memorization, I should state I want them to "get" the why and how behind number manipulation. This is what I feel is lacking, and what I thought miquon might help with. I will check out unboxed website, too.

If I did start my kids with this, I was thinking starting in orange would be best, no?

 

I can't figure out how to quote people, but in answer to the above question....

The addition and subtraction actually might be the biggest stumbling point as they have skip counting down well for the others.

[SamanthaCarter]

I have a second grader in the same situation. I do understand, because I had a really hard time memorizing my times tables at that age and realize that I eventually figured out Monica's method up there on my own. I don't want Dd to have to struggle through the embarrassment like I did of not having them down pat. Following...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Farrar]

You could start with Orange... though for a third grader, I think it would be okay to start with Red. I wouldn't start after that though. Some of the fraction concepts (and IMHO, fractions are the thing Miquon teaches best) really have their roots in Red.

 

I second Monica's suggestion to just get a bucket of rods and do all the Education Unboxed videos though. Miquon is pretty cheap, but that would be even cheaper, and it would be more flexible for an older learner as well.

[kristin0713]

I could not wrap my head around Miquon and I agree that it will not help master facts. We also do Singapore but I do think that memorizing multiplication facts is very helpful. My kids learned them all very quickly (through 10) using the Big Brainz / Timez Attack app. I only wish it went up to 12's.

[nixpix5]

You could also try "Addition Facts That Stick" and "Subtraction Facts That Stick" along with some of the math games from RightStart. There is also a couple of great multiplication games you can get on Amazon one is called Speed! and I believe it was created by a homeschool mom and the other is a board game that may or may not be sold anymore but it is called "Pet Me". It is cute and my daughter loved it.

 

I found Singspore to be wonderful for conceptual understanding but not great with the drill necessary to really memorize facts. We have seen that with our DD. Our twins who are a year younger have mastered their facts effortlessly because one is doing Rightstart and the other Math U See. I have needed to supplement for DD.