Tux Math - review

You may have never heard of Tux Math, but among Linux users it's a fairly well-known children's arcade game for math facts practice.

My girls remembered about it just lately  and have had somewhat of a frenzy of practice sessions with it. It's simple, free, yet fun. So I decided to give you, my readers, a quick review of it.

You "shoot" meteorites that are falling down by answering math problems (type the problem's answer and press Enter/Return). If you can't answer one, the meteorite does some damage to one of the penguin's igloo. Then after enough damage, the penguin in that igloo leaves (walks away).

But, once you answer a red "fiery" question that falls down real quick, you can get a cloud that comes and fixes the igloo. Then your penguin comes back! I think that's so cute!! You can only lose if all your penguins go away.


The background is always an image from space.

The options include any of the four operations, or have them mixed. You can practice specific times tables for example, which is good for my younger daughter at this time. As you go along in a game, then the questions start coming down quicker. At first they come down quite slow.

There's a training section, and there's a section where it gives you random questions. In that one, you play as long as you want, and when you stop, it'll tell you if you are in the top ten highest scores for you. If so, then you go in the "hall of fame."

Once you finish any particular type of problems (for ex. addition 0-5 or multiplication by 4), the star for that turns glowing yellow, and that's what my kids are after--they want to turn all those stars yellow. That's only in the training part, though. In the training part you have to answer a certain amount of questions.

You can make as many new "accounts" as you want and fill the "hall of fame" with you and your various nicknames.

It's just simple free game for math practice; there are no special features such as reports or training the facts you answer wrong.

Tux Math, or Tux of Math Command is software that is available as a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Download it here.

Tux Math - review

You may have never heard of Tux Math, but among Linux users it's a fairly well-known children's arcade game for math facts practice.

My girls remembered about it just lately  and have had somewhat of a frenzy of practice sessions with it. It's simple, free, yet fun. So I decided to give you, my readers, a quick review of it.

You "shoot" meteorites that are falling down by answering math problems (type the problem's answer and press Enter/Return). If you can't answer one, the meteorite does some damage to one of the penguin's igloo. Then after enough damage, the penguin in that igloo leaves (walks away).

But, once you answer a red "fiery" question that falls down real quick, you can get a cloud that comes and fixes the igloo. Then your penguin comes back! I think that's so cute!! You can only lose if all your penguins go away.


The background is always an image from space.

The options include any of the four operations, or have them mixed. You can practice specific times tables for example, which is good for my younger daughter at this time. As you go along in a game, then the questions start coming down quicker. At first they come down quite slow.

There's a training section, and there's a section where it gives you random questions. In that one, you play as long as you want, and when you stop, it'll tell you if you are in the top ten highest scores for you. If so, then you go in the "hall of fame."

Once you finish any particular type of problems (for ex. addition 0-5 or multiplication by 4), the star for that turns glowing yellow, and that's what my kids are after--they want to turn all those stars yellow. That's only in the training part, though. In the training part you have to answer a certain amount of questions.

You can make as many new "accounts" as you want and fill the "hall of fame" with you and your various nicknames.

It's just simple free game for math practice; there are no special features such as reports or training the facts you answer wrong.

Tux Math, or Tux of Math Command is software that is available as a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Download it here.

Review of Math Rider software

If your children like horses, they might fall in love with Math Rider game!

Math Rider is a "math facts" software game; that is, it specifically trains and practices the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.

Some special features include:

• Each player has their own "account" in the game, and Math Rider is adaptive in that it trains those facts more that the child misses. I feel this is a great and important feature. More on that below...
  
  
• I also really liked the statistics. You can see a color-coded chart that shows what facts the child has mastered, what s/he has some trouble with, and what s/he has lots of trouble with. Also, after each ride, the game shows you a bar chart with a bar for each fact in that ride. The taller the bar, the longer the child took to solve the fact.

Here is the home screen. Click to enlarge.



The gameplay is centered around "quests". The player sets up a "quest" by choosing which operation to practice, and on which level. From there, the game first shows a storyline for a few screens.

Then starts the practice, in which a horse jumps a hurdle every time you solve a math fact correctly. If you answer wrong, the horse doesn't whinny but snorts, and you might have time to correct your answer. If you don't, or if you can't answer a problem at all, the horse stops at the hurdle and tells you the answer, and walks through the hurdle instead of jumping it.

The program adapts the problems as you go. The problems you miss or are slow at keep appearing more often than others. The speed adapts, too. If you are fast in answering, the problems appear faster and the horse rides faster, and vice versa.



These rides are 30 problems "long." After a ride of 30 problems, you can check your progress on the "quest" on a map. The backgrounds and hurdles on these rides vary as you proceed and travel through different landscapes. Completing the quest takes several of these 30-fact rides. Once you complete the quest, you are shown several more screens of the storyline to learn how it ends, and you get a special reward item.

The storylines include for example a sick mother, for whom you need to find a special flower, or you find a magical gem that a wizard tells you keeps darkness away, and you have to deliver the gem to the elven city. On the advanced level, you get to rescue a princess.

Personally I didn't care for the wizard/magic story, but you can easily fast forward through these short stories

You can read more about the game play on the Math Rider site.

The motivational reward items include points you get from riding, and the animated items you get from completing quests (flowers, flags, a castle, etc.). Additionally, the program tracks the "mastery" level of each operation and shows that in the animated items.

This is how the statistics looks like:


Both of my girls liked the game really well. They played and played and had to be dragged away from the computer!

My 5th grader already knows the basic facts pretty well, so for her the game was mostly fun with a little bit of review. She liked the changing backgrounds and the music. I really liked the music too (you can turn it off if you don't).

My 2nd grader just did addition and subtraction, and I feel the game did some good in helping her get speedier with her facts. They both liked best the different animated reward items you get when you finish the quests, such as flowers and flags.

It could be improved by adding more storylines. Right now, there is one story for any of the "easy" levels, no matter what the operation, and similarly for the other levels.


Also, I personally feel that children would benefit a lot from practicing the addition and multiplication facts using missing addends and factors (practicing "in reverse"). For example, in multiplication, the game could use 5 x ___ = 25, and in addition, it could use 6 + ___ = 13 types of problems.

I feel the game is well done and serves very well the purpose of practicing math facts and getting "up to speed" with them.  The adaptive features work well and really help the mastery to come to pass.

Of course there are so many different games and ways to practice math facts that it's hard to choose! I hope my review helps you in deciding if this game would be for you. I can definitely recommend it for what it does.

Website: MathRider.com Price: $37.


Disclosure: I was given a copy of Math Rider software for free but did not receive any other compensation.

Review of Math Rider software

If your children like horses, they might fall in love with Math Rider game!

Math Rider is a "math facts" software game; that is, it specifically trains and practices the basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts.

Some special features include:

• Each player has their own "account" in the game, and Math Rider is adaptive in that it trains those facts more that the child misses. I feel this is a great and important feature. More on that below...
  
  
• I also really liked the statistics. You can see a color-coded chart that shows what facts the child has mastered, what s/he has some trouble with, and what s/he has lots of trouble with. Also, after each ride, the game shows you a bar chart with a bar for each fact in that ride. The taller the bar, the longer the child took to solve the fact.

Here is the home screen. Click to enlarge.



The gameplay is centered around "quests". The player sets up a "quest" by choosing which operation to practice, and on which level. From there, the game first shows a storyline for a few screens.

Then starts the practice, in which a horse jumps a hurdle every time you solve a math fact correctly. If you answer wrong, the horse doesn't whinny but snorts, and you might have time to correct your answer. If you don't, or if you can't answer a problem at all, the horse stops at the hurdle and tells you the answer, and walks through the hurdle instead of jumping it.

The program adapts the problems as you go. The problems you miss or are slow at keep appearing more often than others. The speed adapts, too. If you are fast in answering, the problems appear faster and the horse rides faster, and vice versa.



These rides are 30 problems "long." After a ride of 30 problems, you can check your progress on the "quest" on a map. The backgrounds and hurdles on these rides vary as you proceed and travel through different landscapes. Completing the quest takes several of these 30-fact rides. Once you complete the quest, you are shown several more screens of the storyline to learn how it ends, and you get a special reward item.

The storylines include for example a sick mother, for whom you need to find a special flower, or you find a magical gem that a wizard tells you keeps darkness away, and you have to deliver the gem to the elven city. On the advanced level, you get to rescue a princess.

Personally I didn't care for the wizard/magic story, but you can easily fast forward through these short stories

You can read more about the game play on the Math Rider site.

The motivational reward items include points you get from riding, and the animated items you get from completing quests (flowers, flags, a castle, etc.). Additionally, the program tracks the "mastery" level of each operation and shows that in the animated items.

This is how the statistics looks like:


Both of my girls liked the game really well. They played and played and had to be dragged away from the computer!

My 5th grader already knows the basic facts pretty well, so for her the game was mostly fun with a little bit of review. She liked the changing backgrounds and the music. I really liked the music too (you can turn it off if you don't).

My 2nd grader just did addition and subtraction, and I feel the game did some good in helping her get speedier with her facts. They both liked best the different animated reward items you get when you finish the quests, such as flowers and flags.

It could be improved by adding more storylines. Right now, there is one story for any of the "easy" levels, no matter what the operation, and similarly for the other levels.


Also, I personally feel that children would benefit a lot from practicing the addition and multiplication facts using missing addends and factors (practicing "in reverse"). For example, in multiplication, the game could use 5 x ___ = 25, and in addition, it could use 6 + ___ = 13 types of problems.

I feel the game is well done and serves very well the purpose of practicing math facts and getting "up to speed" with them.  The adaptive features work well and really help the mastery to come to pass.

Of course there are so many different games and ways to practice math facts that it's hard to choose! I hope my review helps you in deciding if this game would be for you. I can definitely recommend it for what it does.

Website: MathRider.com Price: $37.


Disclosure: I was given a copy of Math Rider software for free but did not receive any other compensation.

Strategies for basic addition and subtraction facts

In this video I show several strategies for learning the basic addition and subtraction facts:

• finding all the possible sums for a certain number; e.g. for 6, these would be 0 + 6, 1 + 5, 2 + 4, and 3 + 3;
• writing out all the fact families where the sum is a certain number;
• the 9 "trick"; 9 + 7 is the same as 10 + 6 (9 wants so badly to be 10 so that it "steals" one from 7);
• doubles and the accompanying addition facts;
• number rainbows and how to use them to practice subtraction;
• a structured drill for addition facts.
  

Enjoy!



Strategies for Addition and Subtraction Facts - Video

Strategies for basic addition and subtraction facts

In this video I show several strategies for learning the basic addition and subtraction facts:

• finding all the possible sums for a certain number; e.g. for 6, these would be 0 + 6, 1 + 5, 2 + 4, and 3 + 3;
• writing out all the fact families where the sum is a certain number;
• the 9 "trick"; 9 + 7 is the same as 10 + 6 (9 wants so badly to be 10 so that it "steals" one from 7);
• doubles and the accompanying addition facts;
• number rainbows and how to use them to practice subtraction;
• a structured drill for addition facts.
  

Enjoy!



Strategies for Addition and Subtraction Facts - Video

Timed drills for math facts?

Are timed math tests (drills) necessary and for what purpose? If necessary, how often should facts be tested? Are timed math tests recommended for students who have "math issues." , such as low confidence and slower progress.

I simply feel that timed drills are a tool among many, when it comes to learning math facts. Some kids will "thrive" on them, or in other words quickly learn when they are used. Perhaps they like racing against the clock or like the challenge. There exist computer games that are timed that can work very well for drilling facts. Check for example:

Math Magician games has a simple 2-minute countdown, and if you answer 20 questions in that time, you get an award.

Some of the games at Sheppard Software don't time you but give you more points the faster you go. That site is actually filled with several types of games just for math facts practice.

Yet for other kids timed drills may be counterproductive and end up in tears and frustration. The proof is in the pudding though. Just try them and see how it goes.

I feel timed drills are a good tool but not absolutely necessary. Kids can learn their facts so many ways. For example, some learn to use clever shortcuts such as "Since 7 + 7 = 14, then 7 + 8 is one more or 15" and actually perform that in their heads so quickly that you can't tell the difference if they memorized it or did some calculation. Some learn them by heart from much usage in problems, without being timed.

You're welcome to use timed drills with low-confidence students because you never know, perhaps a student like that has decent memory and can succeed with it. However, if you already know that a student cannot easily remember facts without context, then it might not work.

Timed drills for math facts?

Are timed math tests (drills) necessary and for what purpose? If necessary, how often should facts be tested? Are timed math tests recommended for students who have "math issues." , such as low confidence and slower progress.

I simply feel that timed drills are a tool among many, when it comes to learning math facts. Some kids will "thrive" on them, or in other words quickly learn when they are used. Perhaps they like racing against the clock or like the challenge. There exist computer games that are timed that can work very well for drilling facts. Check for example:

Math Magician games has a simple 2-minute countdown, and if you answer 20 questions in that time, you get an award.

Some of the games at Sheppard Software don't time you but give you more points the faster you go. That site is actually filled with several types of games just for math facts practice.

Yet for other kids timed drills may be counterproductive and end up in tears and frustration. The proof is in the pudding though. Just try them and see how it goes.

I feel timed drills are a good tool but not absolutely necessary. Kids can learn their facts so many ways. For example, some learn to use clever shortcuts such as "Since 7 + 7 = 14, then 7 + 8 is one more or 15" and actually perform that in their heads so quickly that you can't tell the difference if they memorized it or did some calculation. Some learn them by heart from much usage in problems, without being timed.

You're welcome to use timed drills with low-confidence students because you never know, perhaps a student like that has decent memory and can succeed with it. However, if you already know that a student cannot easily remember facts without context, then it might not work.

Math card game for all four operations (elementary)

I'm sure youngsters will like this card "game"! I'm going to try it with mine.

Actually it's not really a game, but a fun way for kids to write some of their own math problems using a deck of cards. She even provides a free printout:

Little Blue School: Math Card Game for Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division

HT: This week's Carnival of Homeschooling

Math card game for all four operations (elementary)

I'm sure youngsters will like this card "game"! I'm going to try it with mine.

Actually it's not really a game, but a fun way for kids to write some of their own math problems using a deck of cards. She even provides a free printout:

Little Blue School: Math Card Game for Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division

HT: This week's Carnival of Homeschooling

Number rainbows to learn subtraction facts

I thought some of you (those who teach second grade) might enjoy my NUMBER RAINBOWS. The idea is that you connect two numbers with an arc if they add up to the particular number, such as 13.



Then, the child can use it as a reference when subtracting from 13 or when doing subtraction drill. You could first drill subtraction facts WITH the rainbow (such as 13 − 4, 13 − 7 etc.) and then without.



You would also ask the child to reproduce the rainbow - and color it, of course! These make for quite pretty math facts practice, don't you think!

I'm going to add these to my Add & Subtract 2-A book.

Number rainbows to learn subtraction facts

I thought some of you (those who teach second grade) might enjoy my NUMBER RAINBOWS. The idea is that you connect two numbers with an arc if they add up to the particular number, such as 13.



Then, the child can use it as a reference when subtracting from 13 or when doing subtraction drill. You could first drill subtraction facts WITH the rainbow (such as 13 − 4, 13 − 7 etc.) and then without.



You would also ask the child to reproduce the rainbow - and color it, of course! These make for quite pretty math facts practice, don't you think!

I'm going to add these to my Add & Subtract 2-A book.

A question on MathScore

Hi Maria - I am really enjoying your workbooks for the kids - I can't wait to get going on fractions.

I wanted to ask you do you see value in any of the online math practice programs for drill? I saw that HS Buyers Co-op is offering www.mathscore.com - at a discount and we are trying it out on trial - It's just pretty much basic drill for speed and accuracy. I don't want to waste the $$ on it - if that is not really important to math.
Thanks for any feedback.

I've personally visited and even reviewed Mathscore. Mathscore is not just about basic drill on addition or multiplication - they have basic word problems, geometry, etc. as well. It is more like a math practice system for any kind of basic problems.

Kids do need to learn their facts by memory. So "drill" is not bad in itself.

Obviously math instruction should not be only drill. You should just balance it all. Teach concepts, teach why something works, let them practice, and help them master their facts. Drill can be part of that whole package. Just don't rely on it.

For example, if you subscribe to MathScore, you could teach your kids a "normal" math lesson on one day, and the next day let them practice at MathScore. It is a tool, it can be very useful, but it is not essential if they get to do math problems some other way. Just try it out and see if the kids like it, but don't forget basic instruction on concepts.

My review
MathScore - direct link
Info on the discount at Homeschool Buyers Co-Op.

A question on MathScore

Hi Maria - I am really enjoying your workbooks for the kids - I can't wait to get going on fractions.

I wanted to ask you do you see value in any of the online math practice programs for drill? I saw that HS Buyers Co-op is offering www.mathscore.com - at a discount and we are trying it out on trial - It's just pretty much basic drill for speed and accuracy. I don't want to waste the $$ on it - if that is not really important to math.
Thanks for any feedback.

I've personally visited and even reviewed Mathscore. Mathscore is not just about basic drill on addition or multiplication - they have basic word problems, geometry, etc. as well. It is more like a math practice system for any kind of basic problems.

Kids do need to learn their facts by memory. So "drill" is not bad in itself.

Obviously math instruction should not be only drill. You should just balance it all. Teach concepts, teach why something works, let them practice, and help them master their facts. Drill can be part of that whole package. Just don't rely on it.

For example, if you subscribe to MathScore, you could teach your kids a "normal" math lesson on one day, and the next day let them practice at MathScore. It is a tool, it can be very useful, but it is not essential if they get to do math problems some other way. Just try it out and see if the kids like it, but don't forget basic instruction on concepts.

My review
MathScore - direct link
Info on the discount at Homeschool Buyers Co-Op.

Mnemonic helps for multiplication tables?

...regarding my third grader. We are still slogging through learning the times tables. To liven it up, I decided to order Times Tales (I ordered the deluxe version that includes division as well).

I have read different opinions about using mnemonic devices to learn math facts. Some say that mnemonic devices actually slow the student down, and one even went as far to say it was like counting on fingers. I don't want to use Times Tales if it's going to slow her down, and I do want to make sure she knows her math facts cold.

I, myself, remember I didn't know 8x8=64 in seventh grade, and I just figured it in my head, 8+8=16, 16+16=32, 32+32=64 -- 8x8=64. I did this until I realized how slow I was and decided to commit the facts I didn't know to memory. What do you think about Times Tales and other "helps" for math facts?

Mnemonic helps in themselves are not bad. We use them all the time, in everyday life situations. You have a phone number, you divide it to 2-digit numbers, maybe remember it has successive numbers, or doubles, etc.

I once memorized a certain 4-digit pin number by dividing it to two 2-digit numbers, and remembering that the latter was 9 less than the first... but after a while I remembered it without that.

On Times Tales. It's a fine program in itself. It associates a silly story and picture with each "difficult" upper times tables fact. You've probably seen samples. I don't think it is going to hinder... Basically, if it works for your kid, let's say you will show 8 x 7 to your your kid. He will see 8 x 7 and suddenly also see the silly picture of lady eight and the character 7 driving in a car, in his mind, and remember "It's 56."

It's not too much different from using a rhyme such as "5, 6, 7, 8, fifty-six is seven times 8."

Such a program can be a confidence booster as well.

Now, for some kids it doesn't work because they don't easily remember silly stories, and then it can cause frustration. Or, they're older and don't enjoy the silly stories anymore.

All these "helps" are fine in their place, but you have to be sensitive to your child so that the mnemonic "help" does not end up being an additional burden in itself... such as if the child cannot easily remember the stories or the song or whatever the "help" is.

So it's totally up to you. Try it first with the free sample they offer on their website... and see how your child reacts.

That program is an additional resource of course, and doesn't replace studying multiplication concept itself.

Mnemonic helps for multiplication tables?

...regarding my third grader. We are still slogging through learning the times tables. To liven it up, I decided to order Times Tales (I ordered the deluxe version that includes division as well).

I have read different opinions about using mnemonic devices to learn math facts. Some say that mnemonic devices actually slow the student down, and one even went as far to say it was like counting on fingers. I don't want to use Times Tales if it's going to slow her down, and I do want to make sure she knows her math facts cold.

I, myself, remember I didn't know 8x8=64 in seventh grade, and I just figured it in my head, 8+8=16, 16+16=32, 32+32=64 -- 8x8=64. I did this until I realized how slow I was and decided to commit the facts I didn't know to memory. What do you think about Times Tales and other "helps" for math facts?

Mnemonic helps in themselves are not bad. We use them all the time, in everyday life situations. You have a phone number, you divide it to 2-digit numbers, maybe remember it has successive numbers, or doubles, etc.

I once memorized a certain 4-digit pin number by dividing it to two 2-digit numbers, and remembering that the latter was 9 less than the first... but after a while I remembered it without that.

On Times Tales. It's a fine program in itself. It associates a silly story and picture with each "difficult" upper times tables fact. You've probably seen samples. I don't think it is going to hinder... Basically, if it works for your kid, let's say you will show 8 x 7 to your your kid. He will see 8 x 7 and suddenly also see the silly picture of lady eight and the character 7 driving in a car, in his mind, and remember "It's 56."

It's not too much different from using a rhyme such as "5, 6, 7, 8, fifty-six is seven times 8."

Such a program can be a confidence booster as well.

Now, for some kids it doesn't work because they don't easily remember silly stories, and then it can cause frustration. Or, they're older and don't enjoy the silly stories anymore.

All these "helps" are fine in their place, but you have to be sensitive to your child so that the mnemonic "help" does not end up being an additional burden in itself... such as if the child cannot easily remember the stories or the song or whatever the "help" is.

So it's totally up to you. Try it first with the free sample they offer on their website... and see how your child reacts.

That program is an additional resource of course, and doesn't replace studying multiplication concept itself.

I get these questions a lot...

I've recently embarked on something new... I let people request a package of over 100 free worksheets and over 180 sample pages from the Math Mammoth books and worksheet collections.

In it, I included one question along with the name & email that people can fill in: "What is your most pressing math teaching question?"

I did that because I saw some other people had done something similar, and I thought that's a great idea - I would get to know what kind of math teaching related problems people have.

I also wanted to give people a chance to communicate a little with me... You know, we all go visit these multitudes of websites, and we show up as numbers on the website statistics program. It all can seem so impersonal, so "machinistic" sometimes.

But the reality is, behind every website are people. On school days, over 10,000 people visit HomeschoolMath.net. Over 1,000 people visit MathMammoth.com. I never hear from most.

If I had a physical store, I would see those people, talk to many. With a website, I still want some COMMUNICATION with my visitors and customers.

So that's what that little box with the question is about. Communication.

In this blogpost I want to answer TWO popular questions or themes that people keep writing into that little question box.

Interestingly - though not surprisingly - these two most popular themes correspond to the two best-sellers of my Blue Series books.

The two themes are:
1) Multiplication tables and
2) Fractions.

****************************************************

1) I've gotten questions such as (copied and pasted here verbatim):

"multiplication & division of one and two-digit numbers"

"How can i get my students to learn all of the multiplication tables?"

"What is the easiest way to teach the times tables?"

"It is very tough for me to learn tables. Please help me"


I believe in the methods I've put into my book Math Mammoth Multiplication 1:

****************************************************
* First teach the concept of multiplication well down pat.
* Then the tables in a specific order, with a systematic drill approach and 12x12 grid.
****************************************************

Let me explain a little more.

* First teach the concept of multiplication well down pat.

In the book, I have written not 1 or 2, but all these lessons about multiplication concept itself, to be studied BEFORE the drills:

Multiplication is Repeated Addition ............ 6
Multiplication as an Array ..................... 11
Multiplication on a Number Line ................ 14
Multiplication in Two Ways ..................... 17
Multiplying by Zero ............................ 22
Understanding Word Problems .................... 25
Order of Operations ............................ 27
Understanding Word Problems, Part 2 ............ 30

There are total of 28 lesson and practice pages in the book before the drills.

Studying the concept super well helps children to understand, become very familiar and at ease with multiplication.

While they study through these, they will probably memorize a few facts already - AND they will start seeing the need of having an effective and quick way to multiply (which is of course, knowing the facts by heart).

* Then the tables in a specific order, with a systematic drill approach and 12x12 grid.

The tables in my book are studied in this order:
table of 2
table of 4
table of 10
table of 5
[More Practice and Review]
table of 3
table of 6
table of 9
table of 11
[More Practice and Review]
table of 7
table of 8
table of 12

So it's the easiest first. Not only that, but in each lesson the student fills in a 12x12 grid to those facts he already knows. The "blacked out" unknown facts territory gets smaller really fast - and they can SEE it!

AND... that's not all. I feel it is VERY important kids learn their tables "both ways" - so they not only know that 5 x 6 is 30, but that they also know that 30 IS in the tables of 5 and 6.

To that end, I include specific instructions how you can "drill" or help the memorization of first the ANSWERS (skip-counting list), then associating each answer with a problem.

(This guide to oral drill is available online.)

All this multiplication info and practice is yours for only $4.50 :

=> Math Mammoth Multiplication 1

****************************************************

Well, this got to be long. I better save the fractions questions for another post.

Maria

P.S. If you go ahead and request that package of free worksheets, don't then be too surprised to get this blogpost as an email as well... I'm sorry but I just have to use what I write in multiple places, let many people read it. You know, sometimes I put my blogposts to an article to the website, I always pull my newsletter content from my blogposts - this time one of my email series emails ended up to be a blogpost.

I get these questions a lot...

I've recently embarked on something new... I let people request a package of over 100 free worksheets and over 180 sample pages from the Math Mammoth books and worksheet collections.

In it, I included one question along with the name & email that people can fill in: "What is your most pressing math teaching question?"

I did that because I saw some other people had done something similar, and I thought that's a great idea - I would get to know what kind of math teaching related problems people have.

I also wanted to give people a chance to communicate a little with me... You know, we all go visit these multitudes of websites, and we show up as numbers on the website statistics program. It all can seem so impersonal, so "machinistic" sometimes.

But the reality is, behind every website are people. On school days, over 10,000 people visit HomeschoolMath.net. Over 1,000 people visit MathMammoth.com. I never hear from most.

If I had a physical store, I would see those people, talk to many. With a website, I still want some COMMUNICATION with my visitors and customers.

So that's what that little box with the question is about. Communication.

In this blogpost I want to answer TWO popular questions or themes that people keep writing into that little question box.

Interestingly - though not surprisingly - these two most popular themes correspond to the two best-sellers of my Blue Series books.

The two themes are:
1) Multiplication tables and
2) Fractions.

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1) I've gotten questions such as (copied and pasted here verbatim):

"multiplication & division of one and two-digit numbers"

"How can i get my students to learn all of the multiplication tables?"

"What is the easiest way to teach the times tables?"

"It is very tough for me to learn tables. Please help me"


I believe in the methods I've put into my book Math Mammoth Multiplication 1:

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* First teach the concept of multiplication well down pat.
* Then the tables in a specific order, with a systematic drill approach and 12x12 grid.
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Let me explain a little more.

* First teach the concept of multiplication well down pat.

In the book, I have written not 1 or 2, but all these lessons about multiplication concept itself, to be studied BEFORE the drills:

Multiplication is Repeated Addition ............ 6
Multiplication as an Array ..................... 11
Multiplication on a Number Line ................ 14
Multiplication in Two Ways ..................... 17
Multiplying by Zero ............................ 22
Understanding Word Problems .................... 25
Order of Operations ............................ 27
Understanding Word Problems, Part 2 ............ 30

There are total of 28 lesson and practice pages in the book before the drills.

Studying the concept super well helps children to understand, become very familiar and at ease with multiplication.

While they study through these, they will probably memorize a few facts already - AND they will start seeing the need of having an effective and quick way to multiply (which is of course, knowing the facts by heart).

* Then the tables in a specific order, with a systematic drill approach and 12x12 grid.

The tables in my book are studied in this order:
table of 2
table of 4
table of 10
table of 5
[More Practice and Review]
table of 3
table of 6
table of 9
table of 11
[More Practice and Review]
table of 7
table of 8
table of 12

So it's the easiest first. Not only that, but in each lesson the student fills in a 12x12 grid to those facts he already knows. The "blacked out" unknown facts territory gets smaller really fast - and they can SEE it!

AND... that's not all. I feel it is VERY important kids learn their tables "both ways" - so they not only know that 5 x 6 is 30, but that they also know that 30 IS in the tables of 5 and 6.

To that end, I include specific instructions how you can "drill" or help the memorization of first the ANSWERS (skip-counting list), then associating each answer with a problem.

(This guide to oral drill is available online.)

All this multiplication info and practice is yours for only $4.50 :

=> Math Mammoth Multiplication 1

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Well, this got to be long. I better save the fractions questions for another post.

Maria

P.S. If you go ahead and request that package of free worksheets, don't then be too surprised to get this blogpost as an email as well... I'm sorry but I just have to use what I write in multiple places, let many people read it. You know, sometimes I put my blogposts to an article to the website, I always pull my newsletter content from my blogposts - this time one of my email series emails ended up to be a blogpost.

Do you need drill to learn multiplication facts?

Continuing on the same lines as my previous post, what about multiplication facts and drill?

Well, the principle is similar: show them first the concept and patterns.

Then can come some plain drill.

But, I want to share with you a few more detailed points.

1. The main "patterns" in various multiplication tables of course follow from the concept of multiplication. For example, table of 2 is counting by 2's. You get table of 4 by doubling the answers in table of 2. You get table of 8 by doubling the answers in table of 4.
   
   Table of 10 is counting by 10s. Table of 5 - just take half of what the 10 ×
   
   Here are some resources to give you ideas about these kind of patterns and little "tricks".
   
   * Michele's Math
   * Times Tables' factsheets
   
   


2. We ALSO need them to know the tables "backwards".
   
   Let me explain.
   
   It's not enough to know that 8 × 7 is 56, when someone asks what is 8 × 7. The students ALSO need to know that 56 is 8 × 7, when given just the answer 56.
   
   This is very important. Students need this fairly soon when they start learning division. Later on it will be important when simplifying fractions or factoring.
   



3. Since it's important to know the tables backwards, I do not feel it's enough if the child is able to "figure out" the multiplication problems. I feel they need to memorize them, period, and not just be able to count or use some other method to find the answers.
   
   It's fine initially, and indeed very helpful, if the child figures out 8 × 8 by first going 8 × 2 and doubling that twice.
   
   But this fact also needs memorized so that later on, when she comes to the problem 64 ÷ 8, it won't take her 10 seconds to find the answer.
   
   Now you might ask why is that important? Because of long division, for example. It's going to be a pain to learn long division if you don't know your division facts by heart.
   
   Here's another reason: soon the student is going to have fractions to simplify. If you know your division facts, then simplifying 35/56 will be a breeze, otherwise a pain.
   

See how it all builds on the previous topics? You need to get a good foundation, and multiplication facts "both ways" is part of that foundation.

I have posted online the entire guide to effective oral drilling from one of my books.

The guide explains how the teacher and student can achieve memorizing multiplication tables in this manner where they know the answers and they know which answer goes with which multiplication problem.

Check also a list of online games that practice times tables. These are great after you've done some basic drill and the child needs reinforcement (practice!!!).

Do you need drill to learn multiplication facts?

Continuing on the same lines as my previous post, what about multiplication facts and drill?

Well, the principle is similar: show them first the concept and patterns.

Then can come some plain drill.

But, I want to share with you a few more detailed points.

1. The main "patterns" in various multiplication tables of course follow from the concept of multiplication. For example, table of 2 is counting by 2's. You get table of 4 by doubling the answers in table of 2. You get table of 8 by doubling the answers in table of 4.
   
   Table of 10 is counting by 10s. Table of 5 - just take half of what the 10 ×
   
   Here are some resources to give you ideas about these kind of patterns and little "tricks".
   
   * Michele's Math
   * Times Tables' factsheets
   
   


2. We ALSO need them to know the tables "backwards".
   
   Let me explain.
   
   It's not enough to know that 8 × 7 is 56, when someone asks what is 8 × 7. The students ALSO need to know that 56 is 8 × 7, when given just the answer 56.
   
   This is very important. Students need this fairly soon when they start learning division. Later on it will be important when simplifying fractions or factoring.
   



3. Since it's important to know the tables backwards, I do not feel it's enough if the child is able to "figure out" the multiplication problems. I feel they need to memorize them, period, and not just be able to count or use some other method to find the answers.
   
   It's fine initially, and indeed very helpful, if the child figures out 8 × 8 by first going 8 × 2 and doubling that twice.
   
   But this fact also needs memorized so that later on, when she comes to the problem 64 ÷ 8, it won't take her 10 seconds to find the answer.
   
   Now you might ask why is that important? Because of long division, for example. It's going to be a pain to learn long division if you don't know your division facts by heart.
   
   Here's another reason: soon the student is going to have fractions to simplify. If you know your division facts, then simplifying 35/56 will be a breeze, otherwise a pain.
   

See how it all builds on the previous topics? You need to get a good foundation, and multiplication facts "both ways" is part of that foundation.

I have posted online the entire guide to effective oral drilling from one of my books.

The guide explains how the teacher and student can achieve memorizing multiplication tables in this manner where they know the answers and they know which answer goes with which multiplication problem.

Check also a list of online games that practice times tables. These are great after you've done some basic drill and the child needs reinforcement (practice!!!).