How to help a 4th grader without intuitive number sense?

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, JazzyMom said:

 When I pulled out the c-rods two days ago, ds excitedly said, “Oh, I know about those!”  But when I told him we were going to use them, he said, “I don’t need those.  Those are for little kids.”  So I told him he could help me show his sister.  And he did show her some things.  

Ronit Bird is going to use them in a fresh way he might not have done before, and you're only using them to see if he can do the tasks. (subitizing, seeing quantities inside other quantities) Given that you said he's counting for basic addition, this is *not* babyish for him. He's just used to using the manips in a superficial way instead of deeply.

I also don't think the complicated worksheet pictured above addresses the subitizing issues that cause a person with dyscalculia to count for basic single digit addition. The need is not for more practice but for subitization and seeing quantities and thinking in terms of quantity.

Also, it's not necessary to use the rods. The c-rods are an excellent tool, but she shows how to do the same tasks with dot patterns, etc. In fact, iirc, I suggested op start with Ronit Bird's DOTS ebook. If you work through her Dots ebook and then play positive/negative turnovers (card game in her free Card Games ebook) he should have mastered all his addition and subtraction numbers. If you work it right, he'll also be solid on add/subtr with positive/negative numbers as well at that point.

So it's not what manip you use but how deeply you work with it. Dominoes, m&ms, anything will work. In fact, it's best to do the skill multiple ways if you're working on subitization. That way you're getting beyond his memorization.

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, PeterPan said:

I also don't think the complicated worksheet pictured above addresses the subitizing issues that cause a person with dyscalculia to count for basic single digit addition.

To be fair, I've seen MANY kids without dyscalculia count for single digit addition. It's more common than not in kids who don't have many addition facts memorized and aren't great at visualization. There's no particular reason to assume this kid has dyscalculia. 

[Not_a_Number]

When I played Addition War in my homeschool classes, probably something like half the class counted instead of adding, at least sometimes. Some of them would count from 1 instead of counting on, too, although that was more obviously remedial. I don't think any of those kids had dyscalculia. 

[Not_a_Number]

@JazzyMom, is your son counting on or counting from 1 for addition, by the way? (I had the impression that it was counting on, so just checking.) 

[HomeAgain]

1 hour ago, JazzyMom said:

Would this be an okay length for daily work?

Glad you mentioned about the “little kids” aspect.  When I pulled out the c-rods two days ago, ds excitedly said, “Oh, I know about those!”  But when I told him we were going to use them, he said, “I don’t need those.  Those are for little kids.”  So I told him he could help me show his sister.  And he did show her some things.  
 

I also told him we were going to take a break from his Kumon book to do some games and stuff.  But he wants to continue his book, so we’ll do both.

Thanks for the detailed description.  Very helpful.  Also helpful to see the different needs of each of the kids and how you’re addressing them.

It does tend to work well for daily as long as the kid is willing.  It can be overwhelming, especially at first, and it's easier to just do a 5 minute exercise and leave the materials out, but move on to the more familiar style of work. 

I have a similar pattern with my own kid as I do with my extras, where it's 15-45 minutes of intense work with me, and then 15 minutes or so of work on his own (Prodigy), where he can relax and hit things he absolutely knows cold.  Next year he won't be using Prodigy; we're going to bounce on a different schedule of

Day 1: introduce lesson with manipulatives, worksheet
Day 2: review concepts with blocks from previous lessons (because they're going to be built on again in future lesson), worksheet
Day 3: hands on exploration stretching reviewed concept, ds walks me through the new material he's doing this week with the worksheets
Day 4: Game, last worksheet. 

It's his first year in a long while with written math as a rule, not an exception, so it's a new shift for him.

DS wasn't a huge fan of c-rods until I was trying to decipher Gattegno's work and watched the demonstration videos. He was fascinated that kids younger than he was were doing actual things with the rods: not counting, not basic multiplication, but really using them in a variety of ways.  The third video really intrigued him, since all the kids looked to be about 9? 10?  I know I directed you to Education Unboxed before, and it is a really great resource, but the one limitation is that each exploration is cut off and isolated.  Gattegno continued to push with the work and different ways to use the blocks in a more cohesive manner, but in short explorations that can continue or be put aside. 

FTR, I don't use ONLY blocks.  I pull from anywhere that helps.  I love the game Prime Climb for a lesson on Eratosthenes' Sieve.  I love the mini-computers from CSMP, and number sense puzzles from MEP (I just download the copymasters and instructions from the lesson plans).  I take what I can from each kid's individual books (I have two using Math Mammoth, one using Miquon, and my own in Gattegno) and think of ways to present the same material and make them use their hands, weeks or months before they ever see it on paper and just do a guided investigation.  "What will happen if we...."  "How about now, if I......." "We need to measure/fill/whatever to X. Let's figure out ways to do that."

Next week, one of our investigations is balanced equations.  We're going to start with some simple things: a handful of blocks on each side with a Sorry game piece on one representing an unknown.  Both sides are equal, so how do we figure that out? (remove blocks on each side until you have blocks = X.) Then it gets more complicated.  The same VALUE on each side, but not the same blocks, plus the game piece.
Then more game pieces.
Then 2 Sorry pieces equal 1 checker, so if we have 3 checkers, how many Sorry pieces?
Then so on and so on.
I can vary the activity but actually putting rods in a small box and using that as my unknown, so it's easy to check.

Eventually, my kid who knows it quickly but not the steps will face this in his Miquon (a few weeks).  The older kid, who struggles with number sense, will be exploring it more as I bring the activity back, but he won't hit it on paper for another few months at least - but he'll be super prepared and work through it with Hands On Equations.

The OTHER investigation planned for the next few weeks is composing/decomposing place value.  They're working with multiplication & division, but we're going to start working through the steps of long division with place value stamps and a grid workmat, one inch squares.  Across the top will be the place value stamps in their columns: 162 is 1 hundred, 6 tens stacked next to it, and 2 ones next to it.  Down the left are 3 individual math chips, so the whole problem is 162/3.  BUT, it's working with place value.  You can't give part of the hundred stamp to each of the 3 math chips, so it has to be decomposed and added to the 10s stack.  Now you have 16 tens, so in each row under the 10s column will be 5 tens, corresponding to the three math chips.  Then you have a single ten.  That will be decomposed and moved to the ones, so now there's 12 ones, split into 3 groups.  Each row eventually has 5 tens and 4 units next to each other, or 54.
The same in reverse for multiplication: making stacks of 10s and units in each of 3 groups, adding them together, composing new units, and shifting them to the new place value.  Back and forth, back and forth, lots of exploring this way since we've already done multiplication as arrays - and now are moving into multiplying/dividing larger units. Then making them into arrays again and comparing.

 

[daijobu]

1 hour ago, HomeAgain said:

DS wasn't a huge fan of c-rods until I was trying to decipher Gattegno's work and watched the demonstration videos. He was fascinated that kids younger than he was were doing actual things with the rods: not counting, not basic multiplication, but really using them in a variety of ways.  The third video really intrigued him, since all the kids looked to be about 9? 10?  I know I directed you to Education Unboxed before, and it is a really great resource, but the one limitation is that each exploration is cut off and isolated.  Gattegno continued to push with the work and different ways to use the blocks in a more cohesive manner, but in short explorations that can continue or be put aside. 

 

OMG these videos are adorable.    

[JazzyMom]

2 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

@JazzyMom, is your son counting on or counting from 1 for addition, by the way? (I had the impression that it was counting on, so just checking.) 

He is counting on.

I am planning to use a variety of materials.  We have poker chips.  Glad you mentioned those because they will probably be more fun for him than counting bears, lol.

Hard to explain but it’s not just a problem with addition.  He can add 55 and 10 (or really any number) on paper.  On paper, he seems mostly fine with everything.  But when we were working with the hundreds chart adding 10 to 25, then 35, then 45, then 55, he could not see that the pattern extended and that it would also be true for adding 10 to 22 and 32 and 42...  And he could not see that his answer of 58 was unreasonable because the difference between 55 and 58 is too small to be 10.  

It’s going to be hard for me to explain, but what I’ve seen working with him over the years are the same kinds of things Ronit Bird mentions on her website, but less severe in my son’s case.  I’m not saying he has dyscalculia.  But I was relieved to see it listed out because it confirmed to me that there is a “something” his siblings had that he maybe has less of, and he needs to see things presented differently than they did.

[JazzyMom]

3 hours ago, PeterPan said:

Ronit Bird is going to use them in a fresh way he might not have done before, and you're only using them to see if he can do the tasks. (subitizing, seeing quantities inside other quantities) Given that you said he's counting for basic addition, this is *not* babyish for him. He's just used to using the manips in a superficial way instead of deeply.

I also don't think the complicated worksheet pictured above addresses the subitizing issues that cause a person with dyscalculia to count for basic single digit addition. The need is not for more practice but for subitization and seeing quantities and thinking in terms of quantity.

Also, it's not necessary to use the rods. The c-rods are an excellent tool, but she shows how to do the same tasks with dot patterns, etc. In fact, iirc, I suggested op start with Ronit Bird's DOTS ebook. If you work through her Dots ebook and then play positive/negative turnovers (card game in her free Card Games ebook) he should have mastered all his addition and subtraction numbers. If you work it right, he'll also be solid on add/subtr with positive/negative numbers as well at that point.

So it's not what manip you use but how deeply you work with it. Dominoes, m&ms, anything will work. In fact, it's best to do the skill multiple ways if you're working on subitization. That way you're getting beyond his memorization.

I had already ordered another of her books, but I believe it also contains the info from the Dots ebook.  It should be here tomorrow.  I think it is really going to help him.

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, JazzyMom said:

He is counting on.

I am planning to use a variety of materials.  We have poker chips.  Glad you mentioned those because they will probably be more fun for him than counting bears, lol.

Hard to explain but it’s not just a problem with addition.  He can add 55 and 10 (or really any number) on paper.  On paper, he seems mostly fine with everything.  But when we were working with the hundreds chart adding 10 to 25, then 35, then 45, then 55, he could not see that the pattern extended and that it would also be true for adding 10 to 22 and 32 and 42...  And he could not see that his answer of 58 was unreasonable because the difference between 55 and 58 is too small to be 10.  
 

Yes, I understand. To me, it sounds like he doesn’t really have a feel for place value. I’ve seen this plenty of times. The fact that he’s doing it on paper is irrelevant, because he doesn’t understand why it works. 

 

[Not_a_Number]

7 minutes ago, JazzyMom said:

I am planning to use a variety of materials.  We have poker chips.  Glad you mentioned those because they will probably be more fun for him than counting bears, lol.

I’ll make a blog post about how we use poker chips shortly. Want me to link it up when I do?

[JazzyMom]

4 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Yes, I understand. To me, it sounds like he doesn’t really have a feel for place value. I’ve seen this plenty of times. The fact that he’s doing it on paper is irrelevant, because he doesn’t understand why it works. 

 

I agree.  That’s why I didn’t want to keep moving forward.  I just think this is more than just an issue with place value.

Please do link the blog re: poker chips when you finish it.

[Not_a_Number]

19 minutes ago, JazzyMom said:

I agree.  That’s why I didn’t want to keep moving forward.  I just think this is more than just an issue with place value.

Yes, it does seem like he also has more trouble with other things. Sounds to me like he needs more explicit instruction and to use his own sense-making more than your older kids.

But I think that enough of the issues you’re describing are place value that I’d focus on that a LOT.
 

19 minutes ago, JazzyMom said:

Please do link the blog re: poker chips when you finish it.

Will do!!

[Not_a_Number]

I’d guess that place value would help with a LOT of stuff. Like adding 10 to things, and also with the bigger addition facts (since it’d be easier for him to make 10.)

Not saying that it’s the whole issue 🙂 . It’s just an obvious thing to remediate.

[KSera]

On 6/22/2021 at 9:27 AM, JazzyMom said:

So I am seeing that this child is different and trying to figure out how to best help him.  Math facts aren’t the only area where I’ve noticed a difference.  He probably needs more visual/hands on work.

Your son sounds very similar to the patterns I’ve seen in two of my kids regarding math. You say math facts aren’t the only thing, and it made me wonder if you mean not the only math thing, or if you see some other learning things. Sometimes dyslexia comes along with this kind of thing in math. One of my kids like this is dyslexic and one is not. The one that isn’t would do exactly the same thing with not easily adding ten to a number long after being able to do multi digit multiplication (with a multiplication table, because she can’t retain the facts) and long division. I really would recommend evals if you are able. 

On 6/23/2021 at 6:15 PM, Not_a_Number said:

It's all information, so may as well, right? But I think people do tend to feel reluctant... 

I think the primary reluctance is price. It’s very expensive. I’m about to undertake it for the third one of my kids, and I’ve had to space them years apart, because it’s so expensive. Mine have all been 2E (and I’ll be surprised if this one isn’t as well), and I just don’t think the free evals through the school are likely to pick up issues as well in these kids. All mine would have flown under the radar in school, because they are very bright and that covers well for their fairly significant difficulties. 

[PeterPan]

3 hours ago, KSera said:

I just don’t think the free evals through the school are likely to pick up issues as well in these kids.

Fwiw, my ds does have a gifted IQ and an IEP. But I went in with private diagnoses, and his scores were objectively low. The main issue people don't realize is that ps evals are asking whether the disability affects the dc's ability to access their education. If the dc is accessing their education (ie. grades seem fine, functioning fine, whatever), they can blow you off with a straight face. So they'll call it an educational diagnosis vs. a medical diagnosis. They're not asking what is objectively happening but only whether it is affecting the dc's ability to access their education. But it is a great thing in our country that parents *have* this access, even if it's not perfect. And if you push the system enough (even to the point of disputes and an IEE), you can in theory get what you need. In our case, they didn't even OWN the tests necessary to show my ds' disabilities, sigh.

[JazzyMom]

Yesterday, I asked ds what is 45 plus 10.  He said 55.  I asked how he got there, and he said he took 5 and added it to 45, then added 5 more.

Later, I asked him what is 42 plus 10.  He said 52.  I asked how, and he said 10 plus 2 is 12, then you add it to 40 and get 52.

Previously, he would have counted it by 1’s, so I was glad to see this.  Any guesses as to why he would approach it this way? Or is this just a way that makes sense to him?

I feel like understanding his approach will help me teach him better.

[Not_a_Number]

5 minutes ago, JazzyMom said:

Yesterday, I asked ds what is 45 plus 10.  He said 55.  I asked how he got there, and he said he took 5 and added it to 45, then added 5 more.

Later, I asked him what is 42 plus 10.  He said 52.  I asked how, and he said 10 plus 2 is 12, then you add it to 40 and get 52.

Previously, he would have counted it by 1’s, so I was glad to see this.  Any guesses as to why he would approach it this way? Or is this just a way that makes sense to him?

Yes, this makes sense to him. And it’s clear to me that he’s a kid who needs to makes his own sense of things.

 

5 minutes ago, JazzyMom said:

I feel like understanding his approach will help me teach him better.

What approach would you prefer? Do you want him to memorize it?

[JazzyMom]

I don’t have a preference.  I just feel that if I understand him better it will help me teach him in a way that is more helpful to him.

It wasn’t until we started drilling facts that I realized he was approaching things differently, so that’s why math facts were the focus of my initial post.

Edited June 27, 2021 by JazzyMom

[Not_a_Number]

12 minutes ago, JazzyMom said:

I don’t have a preference.  I just feel that if I understand him better it will help me teach him in a way that is more helpful to him.

It wasn’t until we started drilling facts that I realized he was approaching things differently, so that’s why math facts were the focus of my initial post.

Got it! But how would you EXPECT him to do it? What makes his approach surprising? 

I think all of the kids I’ve worked with did things like that sometimes. So I’m curious what seems more normal to you, from your experience with your older kids?

[JazzyMom]

It’s surprising to me because it seems like a lot of steps when I would have expected him to either count up by 10 or add a 1 to the ten’s place.

My older kids seemed to have a good understanding, so I didn’t spend a lot of time asking how or why.  But sometimes, if they were thinking out loud, I’d see they were taking a different approach than I would have, which was fine.

With this kid, I think if I spend more time asking how and why, I will understand him better.  Sometimes he thinks a long time and then gives what seems like a random guess.  But if I explored that a bit more, maybe his “guesses” wouldn’t seem so random.

[Not_a_Number]

1 hour ago, JazzyMom said:

It’s surprising to me because it seems like a lot of steps when I would have expected him to either count up by 10 or add a 1 to the ten’s place.

I think his understanding of place value isn’t good enough to just add a 1 to the 10s, and he seems like a kid determined to understand what he’s doing. It’ll serve him well!!

 

1 hour ago, JazzyMom said:

My older kids seemed to have a good understanding, so I didn’t spend a lot of time asking how or why.  But sometimes, if they were thinking out loud, I’d see they were taking a different approach than I would have, which was fine.

With this kid, I think if I spend more time asking how and why, I will understand him better.  Sometimes he thinks a long time and then gives what seems like a random guess.  But if I explored that a bit more, maybe his “guesses” wouldn’t seem so random.

I think you’re right that it’s worth exploring his reasoning. He sounds like a thoughtful kid! I can see why he says math is his favorite 🙂 

[PeterPan]

4 hours ago, JazzyMom said:

Later, I asked him what is 42 plus 10.  He said 52.  I asked how, and he said 10 plus 2 is 12, then you add it to 40 and get 52.

Previously, he would have counted it by 1’s, so I was glad to see this.  Any guesses as to why he would approach it this way? Or is this just a way that makes sense to him?

He's at an inbetween stage in his understanding, so he's doing these inefficient steps. You want to keep pushing toward actual understanding of the place value. Ronit Bird has some nifty games to work on it. If you look on her FB, she shows pictures of all kinds of manipulatives she uses. She has some hundreds charts that you can buy from Rainbow Resource inexpensively. She has some great games you can play with them to work (visually, conceptually) on this idea of adding quantities. She also has some printable games that she plays using rods. 

https://www.rainbowresource.com/product/042608/1-120-Number-Board---Laminated.html? I think these maybe are the ones I got.

[Not_a_Number]

8 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

He's at an inbetween stage in his understanding, so he's doing these inefficient steps. You want to keep pushing toward actual understanding of the place value.

Yep, this.

[Not_a_Number]

I'm a bit busy this week, so I haven't gotten around to dealing with the blog post... here's the original post that inspired me about the poker chips, though: 

http://www.garlikov.com/PlaceValue.html

Is that helpful at all? 

[JazzyMom]

Yes, that’s helpful.  Thanks!

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, JazzyMom said:

Yes, that’s helpful.  Thanks!

It's a little sprawling, but I really like his ideas. 

What would be helpful in the blog post? I haven't written it yet, so requests are actually helpful. Here's my original place value post, but it's pretty low on specifics... definitely just an intro:  

https://mentalmodelmath.com/2021/06/09/place-value/

Edited June 28, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[PeterPan]

http://www.ronitbird.com/dyscalculia/  op might like to read Ronit Bird's article on dyscalculia. That to me was the striking thing in working with my ds, that quantities mean nothing to him. Things that just seem so simple (add 10, add 100, anex a 0) are super huge rocket science. She has activities and lessons for tackling the whole +10, +100 issue. The other thing you'll find is that she's brilliant about getting it into teeny tiny steps.

I felt like it wouldn't do much good even if I could pound him into doing it by rote, because he still wouldn't get it. So it takes sort of games and discovery and this moment where they FINALLY start to see it and figure out the pattern. But it may come in little steps. And with my ds, I then have to shake it up and try a new manipulative, a new setting.

Can your ds find a page in a book? Don't laugh, but it may be hard! It's totally a math disability thing. You could work on it every day for a while, just finding like 1-3 numbers each day in a thick book. You could even integrate your number sense goal. So like he finds page 173, then you ask him to find what page he would be if he goes forward 10 more. Then you're hitting two goals at once and keeping it hands on and interesting. Do the same thing with temperature. What temperature is it now? At what time will it be 20 degrees higher? If it were 10 degrees warmer, what temperature would it be? And so on. So you're working the same issue (the "ness" of 10 or 100) but you're doing it across lots of settings (money, time, weight, etc.). 

[Not_a_Number]

31 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

http://www.ronitbird.com/dyscalculia/  op might like to read Ronit Bird's article on dyscalculia. That to me was the striking thing in working with my ds, that quantities mean nothing to him. Things that just seem so simple (add 10, add 100, anex a 0) are super huge rocket science. She has activities and lessons for tackling the whole +10, +100 issue. The other thing you'll find is that she's brilliant about getting it into teeny tiny steps.

Honestly, it really doesn't sound to me like OP's kid has dyscalculia. He seems to understand small quantities and they mean something to him. 

He just seems to really not get place value, which I have to tell you is totally not uncommon. I saw lots of kids in my homeschooling classes who couldn't do place value in a real way, and the only one that triggered my "she may have dyscalculia" sense was the one who guessed at random when she added 10. Like, I'd ask her 45 + 10 and she'd tell me 85 or something. And she couldn't easily tell me relative sizes of numbers for fairly small numbers most kids are fluent with just by dint of repetition. 

He mom told me she was doing multidigit multiplication when she signed up for the class, LOL. I guess they may have been true if you told her the precise algorithm and handed her the times tables, I don't know... but it wasn't true in any kind of meaningful way! 

[JazzyMom]

13 hours ago, PeterPan said:

http://www.ronitbird.com/dyscalculia/  op might like to read Ronit Bird's article on dyscalculia. That to me was the striking thing in working with my ds, that quantities mean nothing to him. Things that just seem so simple (add 10, add 100, anex a 0) are super huge rocket science. She has activities and lessons for tackling the whole +10, +100 issue. The other thing you'll find is that she's brilliant about getting it into teeny tiny steps.

Yes, that’s the article I read that made me think, “Okay, I am seeing something different here.” 

I think these activities will help him a lot!

 

[Not_a_Number]

10 minutes ago, JazzyMom said:

Yes, that’s the article I read that made me think, “Okay, I am seeing something different here.” 

I think these activities will help him a lot!

 

Does he also have no sense about which numbers are bigger and smaller, when we're talking about numbers under, say, 40? 

[JazzyMom]

On 6/28/2021 at 11:52 AM, Not_a_Number said:

Does he also have no sense about which numbers are bigger and smaller, when we're talking about numbers under, say, 40? 

Yes, he does.  I know he can compare numbers up into the thousands on paper, but I just asked him which number is bigger 23 or 38.  He thought about it and said 38.  I asked why and he said because 3 is bigger than 2.  I am surprised he needed to think about it, though.

I do think he is growing in understanding of place value.  I just think I'm just seeing that he needs more hands on work, practice, and explanation than my older kids needed.  He also probably needs things presented differently than they did, and since Ronit Bird's description of kids who lack a feel for numbers struck a chord with me, I think her materials might present things in a way that is helpful to him.

Edited June 29, 2021 by JazzyMom

[JazzyMom]

Just updating for anyone who may be dealing with similar issues:

We’ve been playing the dice and card games recommended in this book, and he’s already made a lot of progress.  

https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Difficulties-Number-Supporting-Dyscalculia/dp/1848607113/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=overcoming+difficulties+with+numbers&qid=1626029427&sprefix=overcoming+diffi&sr=8-3

The book was also helpful for helping me understand how to better teach him.

She recommends using magic squares, number bonds, number puzzles, etc. for practice, so I printed a bunch of free stuff from online.

So we’ve been doing a couple of games daily and a few worksheets and will stick with that for a few months, then see if he’s ready for the next level of his math program.  He has really been enjoying it!

 

[Not_a_Number]

4 minutes ago, JazzyMom said:

Just updating for anyone who may be dealing with similar issues:

We’ve been playing the dice and card games recommended in this book, and he’s already made a lot of progress.  

https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Difficulties-Number-Supporting-Dyscalculia/dp/1848607113/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=overcoming+difficulties+with+numbers&qid=1626029427&sprefix=overcoming+diffi&sr=8-3

The book was also helpful for helping me understand how to better teach him.

She recommends using magic squares, number bonds, number puzzles, etc. for practice, so I printed a bunch of free stuff from online.

So we’ve been doing a couple of games daily and a few worksheets and will stick with that for a few months, then see if he’s ready for the next level of his math program.  He has really been enjoying it!

I've posted a few magic squares and puzzles as part of my Monday Puzzles 🙂 . Want a link? I can also make ones on request. 

[JazzyMom]

2 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

I've posted a few magic squares and puzzles as part of my Monday Puzzles 🙂 . Want a link? I can also make ones on request. 

Yes, please share the link.  Thank you!

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, JazzyMom said:

Yes, please share the link.  Thank you!

Of course 🙂 . I'm trying to post a new one every Monday! Requests are welcome 🙂 . 

https://mentalmodelmath.com/category/puzzles/

 

[PeterPan]

On 7/11/2021 at 3:01 PM, JazzyMom said:

Just updating for anyone who may be dealing with similar issues:

We’ve been playing the dice and card games recommended in this book, and he’s already made a lot of progress.  

https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Difficulties-Number-Supporting-Dyscalculia/dp/1848607113/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=overcoming+difficulties+with+numbers&qid=1626029427&sprefix=overcoming+diffi&sr=8-3

The book was also helpful for helping me understand how to better teach him.

She recommends using magic squares, number bonds, number puzzles, etc. for practice, so I printed a bunch of free stuff from online.

So we’ve been doing a couple of games daily and a few worksheets and will stick with that for a few months, then see if he’s ready for the next level of his math program.  He has really been enjoying it!

It's exciting to hear your progress!! Congratulations!! Ronit Bird is the bomb, isn't she?   She has a FB page where she posts stuff, and you can write her with questions too. Lovely human.

Adding: Have you seen Tang Math? He has great worksheets in that vein, very compatible as long as they're visualizing and subitizing. Some are too languagey for my ds, but some are really great. 

Edited July 12, 2021 by PeterPan

[JazzyMom]

I hadn't heard of Tang Math before.  I will take a look.  Thanks!

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, JazzyMom said:

I hadn't heard of Tang Math before.  I will take a look.  Thanks!

He's a little bit superficial for dyscalculia, but he's really great once your ds is getting the concepts and needs fun, thoughtful practice. 

[Not_a_Number]

Nm. 

Edited July 13, 2021 by Not_a_Number

[JazzyMom]

Just an update because I find them helpful...

We took a break from formal curricula this fall and just played math games and did worksheets/puzzles I found online.  He said it was fun!

He’s in 4th grade. We started his 3rd grade math book in January, and things are going much better.  He still does some interesting things, but I’m learning more about the way he thinks. I have found that he needs to see things in multiple ways.  He still balks at most hands on stuff, but finds youtube videos helpful.  

I have been supplementing with daily math puzzles.  He and 2nd grade dd really like the puzzles from Tang Math.  I might take an online course for math teachers from Tang Math this summer. 

Overall, I’m pleased with his progress. Just focusing on continuing to build the foundation move at his pace.

Edited February 6, 2022 by JazzyMom