Just Kate Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 Dd is 12 and in 7th grade. She goes to a small private school, which means that she has been doing online learning for the past few months. She typically gets all As and is self-motivated, so I have helped very little with her schoolwork (I also have a demanding job, so that is also part of the reason). A little over a week ago, she let me know that she was having trouble with math. It was basic pre-algebra, solving for x. I started helping her and realized that she does not understand adding/subtracting negative numbers at all. So I have been working with her on this and she still doesn’t understand. I have drawn number lines but she just doesn’t understand. We have moved forward and she understands how to solve for x in problems, but if there is a negative number involved, she can’t grasp that part. I’ve talked to her teacher and he is fine with me spending extra time on this, but she needs to move onto the next chapter (graphing). I really want her to understand before she moves on. Any suggestions? I would love to find some fun way to teach her. Math is not her thing and she really doesn’t enjoy it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 (edited) @wendyroo has a great visual example in this past thread: "Help with negative integers" ETA: and, videos that might help with visualizing what is going on: - Study.com: Positive & Negative Numbers in the Real World -- just under 6-min. video - Khan Academy: Intro to Negative Numbers -- 3 videos - Khan Academy: Adding & Subtracting with Negative Numbers -- 5 videos - Khan Academy: Adding Numbers with Different Signs -- 2 videos - Khan Academy: Multiplying & Dividing with Negative Numbers -- 9 videos Edited May 15, 2020 by Lori D. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 I taught them to my ds with the Positive/Negative Turnovers game from Ronit Bird's free Card Games ebook. You need an apple device to view the ebook but it will be free. We played the game and then would write on the whiteboard the equations for what we had played. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 56 minutes ago, PeterPan said: I taught them to my ds with the Positive/Negative Turnovers game from Ronit Bird's free Card Games ebook. You need an apple device to view the ebook but it will be free. We played the game and then would write on the whiteboard the equations for what we had played. I just got this book and will take a look at it. Thank you so much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 1 hour ago, Lori D. said: @wendyroo had a great visual example in this past thread: "Help with negative integers" ETA: a videos that might help with visualizing what is going on: - Study.com: Positive & Negative Numbers in the Real World -- just under 6-min. video - Khan Academy: Intro to Negative Numbers -- 3 videos - Khan Academy: Adding & Subtracting with Negative Numbers -- 5 videos - Khan Academy: Adding Numbers with Different Signs -- 2 videos - Khan Academy: Multiplying & Dividing with Negative Numbers -- 9 videos Thanks for sharing that post from Wendyroo. It is great!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 22 minutes ago, Just Kate said: Thanks for sharing that post from Wendyroo. It is great!! Sometimes even for myself if I’m thinking, “Wait...why do we add/subtract negatives this way?” I remember the hole/pile analogy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 43 minutes ago, Just Kate said: I just got this book and will take a look at it. Thank you so much! The cards she uses (which you don't have to have, but they're fun) are called Ante playing cards. I got mine on ebay and sometimes you can still find them. They're not usually too much. https://www.ebay.com/itm/163925731824?hash=item262abc29f0:g:KJIAAOSwoC9duyG1:sc:USPSFirstClass!43055!US!-1 There's a set that is new. They're $10 with shipping, which is more than I paid. Still, you might find them a nice splurge. They enable you to lay out a whole hand of numbers really easily, and they're just fun and fresh. Ronit Bird also uses mini playing cards, and goodness knows where I found them but I did. And she uses low vision playing cards that make the numbers big and the pictures small, which you can also find. But the ante are really fun, especially with the turnovers game. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted May 15, 2020 Author Share Posted May 15, 2020 10 hours ago, PeterPan said: The cards she uses (which you don't have to have, but they're fun) are called Ante playing cards. I got mine on ebay and sometimes you can still find them. They're not usually too much. https://www.ebay.com/itm/163925731824?hash=item262abc29f0:g:KJIAAOSwoC9duyG1:sc:USPSFirstClass!43055!US!-1 There's a set that is new. They're $10 with shipping, which is more than I paid. Still, you might find them a nice splurge. They enable you to lay out a whole hand of numbers really easily, and they're just fun and fresh. Ronit Bird also uses mini playing cards, and goodness knows where I found them but I did. And she uses low vision playing cards that make the numbers big and the pictures small, which you can also find. But the ante are really fun, especially with the turnovers game. If I purchase these cards, would they work with all of the games in the book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 15, 2020 Share Posted May 15, 2020 (edited) 28 minutes ago, Just Kate said: If I purchase these cards, would they work with all of the games in the book? Oh I don't think we ever got through all the games. My ds has SLD math, so I'm always looking for ways to do things differently. You'll see in the pictures what cards she used. Any cards will work. I've used little Minion playing cards we got free from some happy meal type thing, anything. Those Minion cards were awesome btw. But I have to shake it up, because he has ASD. He'll learn it with one thing (cards, manipulatives, whatever) and not be able to do the same task when you change. So any cards will work. I just meant if you saw them and were like wow those were cool and wondered how to get them, that's how. Haha, just for fun, here are those minion cards. Apparently they came from a Happy Meal at McDonald's. They're tiny and adorable. https://www.amazon.com/Despicable-2017-McDonalds-Playing-Cards/dp/B073X4CLXD I'm not saying buy them, lol. Just, you know, use whatever you have lying around that inspires you. This is a teen? How about Dr. Who playing cards? Unicorns? Edited May 15, 2020 by PeterPan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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