Hello again! In this month's newsletter we have: |
1. Math Mammoth newsSales:
The older, 2019 edition, is still available also. Just a heads up... there will be a new edition for grade 7 later this year... hoping to have it ready by early summer. |
2. Missing numbers in additionSeveral people have asked me what to do when a 1st grader is struggling to grasp the concept of missing numbers in addition problems, such as 3 + ___ = 8. This concept comes up quite early in Math Mammoth Grade 1, and it is called "missing addends". You can see some pages from that lesson in the sample file for grade 1, on page 19. Here's a way to test if a child is ready for that concept. |
3. The Blue Series vs. the Light Blue series Someone asked me about using the Blue Series as a main curriculum, in a situation where two children are 20 months apart, but the younger one may soon be overtaking the older in their math abilities. Using the Blue, they felt, would avoid unhelpful comparisons between the children. I do feel that plan can work well. As long as whoever is the main teacher is willing to spend the time planning a bit (pulling from several units) to make sure all the topics get covered in a reasonable order, it can work. We do have this documentation to help: https://www.mathmammoth.com/study_order Then also, I recommend getting the Review Workbooks. The Review Workbooks contain the end-of-chapter tests and cumulative/mixed review lessons that are present in the Light Blue series. That way one can provide the student(s) some review of a variety of concepts, while going through the topical books. Together, the Blue series bundle and the Review Workbooks bundle are almost equal to the Light Blue series. The only thing lacking is the worksheet generators plus the careful organization into a sequence of topics per year. |
4. Number Sense: 7 × 9 and othersLet's say a child doesn't know 7 × 9 by heart. Here's a PRINCIPLE of how you can calculate it quickly.Think of 7 × 10 and how much 7 × 9 lacks from that. This is number sense, which is SO important! I do definitely advocate learning the times tables by heart, including 7 × 9, but while your child or student(s) is learning the facts, you can teach this strategy to them. The same strategy also applies to many other calculations, such as 7 × 99, 5 × 49, and similar. Your children/students can come up with many more once you show them the trick! See also this blogpost about the "nines trick". |
5. Once Through the Deck review gameNeed a quick and easy way to have your child/student(s) review math facts? All you need is a deck of cards (for each student). The student flips through the cards, adding the same number to the number shown on each card OR multiplying the number on the card by the same number (chosen beforehand). For example, a child might practice the multiplication table of 7, and therefore multiply each card by 7. Hat tip to Denise for this Once Through the Deck game. |
6. Just for fun!
Thanks for reading! 🙂 Feel free to forward this issue to a friend/colleague! Subscribe here. Till next time, Maria Miller |
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