Multiplying Success - Preparing Your Child for a Standardized Test in Math

By Kayla Fay

One half of the students at Booker Elementary School went to the soccer game. 1/3 of the students wore blue.1/2 of the students who wore blue were boys. Forty boys wore blue. How many students were in the school?

A. 120

B. 240

C. 480

D. 560

Please hurry and solve this problem, because you have 37 more like it, and only 90 minutes to finish them all...And you're in the third grade. (A variation of this problem appeared on a standardized test for 3rd graders.)

Whatever your opinion about the necessity and validity of testing, you cannot change the fact that your child will soon be handed a bubble sheet and asked to remember material from an entire year. In A Bubble of Confidence, I addressed ways to boost your child's test taking confidence. Comprehending Comprehension has strategies for the reading portion of the test. This article lists several ways to help prepare for the math portion of standardized tests. I must emphasize, however, that it is important to approach test taking with balance. Don't add to the inherent stressfulness of the situation by loading your child down with extra study and work. Your goal is not to add to your child's knowledge, but to help him or her effectively use and retrieve what they already know.

We have four boys, three of whom have ADHD Inattentive Type. Each one approaches a standardized test differently. Our youngest son Ash loves the event, although his scores are no higher than his brothers'. Joe has a 504 plan and has special modifications. In the past, Ron has relied on medication to concentrate during his exams, and now he drinks caffeine to help focus. Mike is always terrified; on testing day we email family and friends for prayer support.

Here are some of the strategies that have helped our guys. I hope they will give you some ideas as you work with your child.
1. Ask your child's teacher for old copies of "test prep" books, or buy books designed to prepare your child for testing. Let your child do a little bit of the test each night.
2. Look for any gaps in basic understanding.
3. Standardized tests demand proficiency in word problems; some state tests have no 'straight' math problems at all. Help your child decode the math words in a problem. Get a good math vocabulary list that will help turn a sentence into an equation.
4. Find out where careless errors occur. Misaligned numbers, incorrectly copied problems or answers, misread operation signs, and sloppy handwriting cause children to miss problems they understand. When a careless error is made, make a notation of why, and work out a strategy to minimize these mistakes.
5. Since most standardized tests have an entire section that requires use of a calculator, make sure your child is proficient on the type your school uses for testing. Purchase one for home use. Use it for regular homework, test preparation, and for games.
6. Familiarize your child with the various types of measurement tools. Rulers are notorious for creating confusion, as some have leading edges, and some do not. Schools use a variety of compasses and protractors that are not available at Wal-Mart. Check with your school to see what they use.
7. There are several ways to approach math problems. Help your child find the ways that work best for her.

Standardized tests aren't fun. But the above hints will help your child maximize what he has learned, and will multiply her chances for great success!

NOTE: We have a resource list we can send you that includes books, math vocabulary, and different ways to approach problem solving. Email us for your complementary copy.
A Bubble of Confidence
Comprehending Comprehension
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1st Grade Math - Ways to Help Your Child Love It

By Amy H

1st graders don't seem to have a very long attention span, especially when it comes to studying his or her 1st grade math lessons. Kids like to be outside playing the dirt or with their friends. That is why this article is going to talk about making 1st grade math fun and something your child will actually enjoy. The trick is to help your child get excited about learning and that is exactly what we are going to do.

Keep it Colorful:
Making math lively with pictures, characters and items are a great way to keep your 6 year old engaged. One program that is really great at keeping kids entertained while doing math is the Singapore math curriculum. This curriculum is known for teaching your child in a fun and exciting way, so your child doesn't get bored and tired of math.

Actually, the proof is in the testing. Singapore math students scored higher on math tests than with any other math curriculum. When your child's mind is stimulated with colors and pictures, they will be less likely to lose interest in learning.

Make Math a Game:
Every child enjoys a fun game so why not turn math into a game? If your current math curriculum does not offer games, it is easy to make up your own.
When your child learns 1st grade math in a game style curriculum, he or she doesn't even realize they're learning. Yes, it's perfectly acceptable to trick your child into learning math!

Rewards:
Who doesn't love to be rewarded for their efforts? Find a way to reward your child for their math efforts. You can use candy every time they get an answer right. I wouldn't suggest a big candy maybe one skittle or M&M per answer. Another way to reward your child is with a penny per right answer or something similar.

They will really like the fact that they are earning their rewards, and this will give them the motivation to learn 1st grade math. Children at this age really love to feel independent, and allowing them to earn extra allowance or treats is a great way to keep them interested and happy with their math lessons.

Tips for Keeping Your Child Interested in 1st Grade Math:
You know how difficult it can be to keep your child interested in learning when they find a subject boring. There are some great ways to spice up your lessons. Here are a few great tips for keeping that little one interested and enjoying the lesson.

- Use candy or other household items to represent numbers in math. You can use anything. Some favorites are jellybeans, Sweet Tarts, crayons, paperclips, cotton balls or anything else you can think of. This is a fun, hands on lesson trick that will keep your child from getting bored.

- Convert the problems into word problems for them, using the members of your family. For example: 3+2= can be, "If Mommy, Daddy and (Child) were making dinner, and Grandma and Grandpa came over to eat with us, how many plates would we need at the table?" This is one good way to ensure that your child is having a good time.

- Use tickles for numbers as well. Three tickles minus one is...and make sure you get the tickle spot!
Want to save money on your homeschool programs? Visit Used Homeschool Curriculum to snatch up great deals on used curriculum and to discover more about different homeschooling options.

There are many ways to keep your child interested in 1st grade math. Use your creativity and have a great time with it. This will keep you and your child happy.
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Home Schooling Your Child In Math?

By Gaurav Tekriwal

If you enjoyed maths at school - or since leaving school - you will probably already use mathematical language comfortably with your children and find that they understand basic concepts such as the counting numbers and simple fractions at a young age. Unfortunately, a large section of the population found school maths so confusing - or even distressing - that they avoid anything remotely mathematical. Fear of maths can put parents off the whole idea of home education. Yet parents who know little about history or geography don't find this off-putting, as they usually expect to learn from books as they go along. Parents who are unmusical, or don't know any foreign languages have few worries about educating their children themselves. But fear of maths is somehow over-riding, and becomes almost irrational.

If this describes you, your fear may be passed on to your children even if they are in school. If they see you looking in horror at their maths homework, they're unlikely to be inspired and confident! So whether or not you're considering home education for your children, it's worth re-thinking your whole attitude to maths.

What is maths anyway? It's the underlying structure of the world, which we see in patterns, shapes, quantities and intelligent guesses. Why do we need it? We need to understand the concepts of numbers and quantities when we bake cakes, or decorate a room. We see patterns in art and music. Businesses need to make intelligent guesses (or ‘estimates') of how much something is going to cost, how many people need their products, how fast it is going to sell. We need to keep track of our bank accounts, and ensure we do not spend more than our income.

Unfortunately the modern system of arithmetic does not stress on learning mathematics by pattern recognition and hence it becomes uninteresting and painful to children.

So How would you like if suddenly all your math worries are taken care of and your children not only adore math but they sleep, eat and breathe math? Wouldn't it be amazing if such a system exists and they be able to master and learn it easily?

The solution to all the worries and boredom lies in ancient Indian scriptures called Vedas. Well you must be wondering What on earth has ancient Indian scriptures got to do with your high school kid struggling with math? A lot if you read carefully the next few lines.

The ancient Indian scriptures called Vedas are a storehouse of knowledge of every field including mathematics and science. Through this System of Mathematics every mathematical problem no matter how difficult can be solved faster and easily without much effort. The system is called High Speed Vedic Mathematics and this is the secret to the distinguished edge of the Indians in Mathematics over the centuries. It is a worldwide fact that the zero was invented by the Indians and the numbers we use today form a part of the Hindu System of Numbers.

These ancient techniques are absolutely applicable in the modern day curricula and they increase the skills, performance and speed of a student by over 1500%.
Sounds Unbelievable, Read on.

Here's a quick example of a Vedic Math Technique:
62 x 68 = ?
It is quite simple since both digits start from 6, so you take 6 and multiply with the next number 7 which gives you= 42 , the first part of the answer and take 2 and multiply by 8 which gives you 16, so the final answer is 4216.
How much time did that take?

No wonder this is the World's Fastest Mental Math System!
These methods were lost over the span of time and were rediscovered by the Sankaracharya Swami Bharti Krishna in 1918. He wrote a book where his ideas were published which created a revolution in mathematics. He then toured the USA universities and colleges in 1958 teaching his system. Some computer programming language which were founded around the same time, give their credit to this very system. Even NASA uses these methods in Artificial Intelligence and Microsoft's engineers are taught a compulsory course in this very subject.

A big part of this method is learning the recognition of patterns in numbers , letters or pictures. Once the student has learnt efficiently how to find symmetry and pattern of numbers or objects, learning mathematics becomes fun and simple! It arouses interest in mathematics and the children suddenly want to discover more and more of this beautiful method cause it gives them speed and accuracy which they desire. Vedic Maths is a zero-error technique and this take care of the very root of the phobia of mathematics.

You may want to home school your child into Vedic Mathematics and get him the edge which he deserves. Any teenager can learn Vedic Mathematics and enhance his numerical abilities. It helps the students not only inside the class room or traditional academics, but it also enhances the IQ by enhancing the analytical skills and thought processes. This happens cause the system is very coherent and intuitive and uses both sides of the brain thereby giving the student the winning edge.

It is very satisfying to see young children's eyes brighten when they see and learn the Vedic system and techniques.
Thomas, a 16 year old at a school, was able to apply these techniques in his school when he learnt the Vertically and Crosswise Formula of multiplying two and three digit numbers. He was able to solve 100 problems in less than 10 minutes. This is simply incredible.

To know more about these Vedic Mathematics methods and tutorials visit http://www.vedicmathsindia.org
This Article is by Gaurav Tekriwal, The President of the Vedic Maths Forum India who has been conducting High Speed Vedic Math Workshops for the last five years and has trained over seven thousand students across the world in the field. He is an expert in the field and revolutionizes the way children learn math.
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Mental Math, Making Math Fun!

By Susan W

The world of online tutoring is gaining a new player, Mental Math. Launched on July 11, this innovative online tutoring program offered by www.esumz.com is targeted for children ages 7 to 12 who want to gain an edge on learning math. Mental Math is a program designed for children who are looking to accelerate his/her learning, or who are having difficulties in school.

Drawn upon math principles developed hundreds of years ago, Mental Math formulas are direct, powerful, and are very different from the traditional form of math calculations. The methods are truly extraordinary in efficiency and simplicity. Complexly arranged modern math problems can easily be done using these simple mental math formulae.

“The beauty of this program,” explains creator Venkat Radhakrishnan “is that we incorporate live audio and visual learning in the lessons. Children will learn math through reading engaging stories, working with a US tutor, and working with each other. By presenting simple formulae in a casual learning setting, children will learn how to complete complex problems with ease in a matter of seconds.”

Over the course of nine lessons, children will receive course material prepared by teachers and experts through Email. Each lesson starts and ends with a 10-question quiz to gather each child’s level of knowledge, before and after the lesson. The students meet in a virtual classroom and, together, read a story. Throughout the course of the story, a Mental Math formula will be introduced, explained, and used. During the lesson, the online tutor will use audio and live white board technology (a web based interactive application) to explain the application of the formula. At any point throughout the lesson, a child can ask for one-on-one help from the tutor.

For only $99, children will learn how to mentally subtract large numbers, multiply numbers like 85 by 85 in less than 3 seconds, and divide two digit numbers by 9, learn how easy multiplying by 11 can be, and more!

Mental Math provides a fun and friendly site to children to foster an interest in learning math. EsumZ is a one-stop portal for math supplemental learning for every child. For more information, log on to http://www.esumz.com
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Math Games to Enhance Your Children's Learning

By Amar Mahallati

Many kids find math to be confusing and frustrating, but there are some ways to prevent this from happening. Introducing your kids to math while they are young can help them become familiar with numbers and it will help them understand them as well. One great way to introduce your children to math is to use the various math games that are available for purchase. These games are usually a great deal of fun and teach your kids that math can be exciting. When your children associate learning math with fun, no doubt they will do much better in their math classes at school.

There are many different educational math games that are available, such as card games and board games as well. No doubt you will quickly see that there are many great card games and board games that can help your child to improve their math skills. If your kids are just starting to learn about numbers and shapes, one great game to consider is GeoShapes. This games uses both Metric and English measuring systems, and strategy is part of the game too. No doubt your whole family will have a great time playing it.

Computer games can be another great way to help your kids learn and enjoy math. There are many math computer games that are great for kids, especially since so many kids are comfortable with using a computer and enjoy playing games on it. You can even find great math games for the computer that will allow your whole family to play. Some kids may have difficulty with math because of a short attention span, and using computer games is a great way to keep their attention while they learn math.

If your child learns in a more traditional way, there are many great books that teach more about math too. You can find excellent books for every level of math that will help you kids understand the concepts in a fun way. There are books on graphing, geometry, and other types of math too. Even though they are books, they do not have to be boring; in fact, many of these math books have Disney characters or other characters that your kids will recognize and love. Kids that love Disney characters will no doubt enjoy a math book that has their favorite character teaching them about math.

Even if your child has not entered school yet, there are great games available to introduce them to math. There are also educational math games available for kids of all ages in school as well. Math games are a great way to get your kids more comfortable with math. These games will also help them have fun with math, which will help them associate math with a great time. Math games are very entertaining, and no doubt you and your kids will have a great time when playing them.

Picking up math skills can be fun, and games can be educational. Give your kids the best of both worlds, come visit 123KidsGames.com - Educational Kids Games and discover the best, most fun way to grow and learn. Or go to 123KidsGames.com - Educational Math Games for Kids to find ... educational math games for kids.
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Math Games - A Fun Way to Learning Math

By Darren Michalczuk

Math games are a great way to get students involved in math. Just like chess, math games get students hooked. Each time they play, they have more confidence and better strategies. With the competitive itch, they strive to do better each time they play.

Math games should be specifically designed to work on math skills. It may work on addition, multiplication or fractions. Having the skills as part of the game makes it easy to make learning seem fun. Just like mothers often sneak vegetables into a casserole or pasta dish, teachers can sneak learning into games.

The games should have some elements that make it playable. The game should have simple rules. If there are too many rules, kids will lose interest. Soccer is relatively simply. You need to kick the ball into the net without using your hands. In golf you try to hit a ball into a hole in as few strokes as possible. With Scrabble, you try to make words with the highest point value possible. The general goal or core rules of the game should be relatively simple.

Once this is established, there should be room for developing strategy. The game Tic Tac Toe is not played by adults or even most kids as it is too simple. The game of chess however allows players to make choices that affect the outcome of the game. If you can’t develop strategy or feel like you are affecting the outcome, you probably won’t continue playing.

There also needs to be an element of chance. Even though players may have different abilities, each one should feel as though they have a chance to win. You wouldn’t enter a 100 meter race if you knew the other runner was a great deal faster. In Scrabble the element of chance comes when players randomly choose letters. When chance affects the game it evens out the playing field.

Games in the class create hours of solid practice. Students actually focus on the skills and develop their skills quickly. Aside from the math skills students learn, they also learn some much needed social skills by working with partners that they can’t get from video games. Games are the way to reach children and make learning a truly fun and inspiring activity. The skills they learn will last a lifetime.

Darren Michalczuk is the founder of the Brick School. He is an experienced classroom teacher who has developed many programs and resources for math, language and music. The Brick School offers quality educational posters, programs and worksheets online for elementary language arts, math and music. Materials are designed to promote effective learning strategies in an easy to understand, straight-forward format. They offer both practical solutions to learning problems and leading edge technology and techniques. It reaches both struggling students and those who need extra challenges in class.With the latest software and leading edge learning strategies, our materials are paving the way for learning. User-friendly porgrams give students instant feedback while they practice important basic skills. Lessons and study guides also include proven learning strategies and memories techniques. Please visit our website. http://brickschool.ca
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Helping Your Children With Their Maths At The Same Time As Enjoying Sport

By Steve Hill

My children are like me in many ways, one of which is their love of sports. I have utilised this love of sport as a way of helping them to improve their maths and will explain how I do this in this article. Playing the sports themselves is also very good for them as a way of keeping them fit and away from the television, which most children watch far too much of in my opinion.

I will use my five year old son as an example of how I use different sports to help him with his maths. I will never forget the first time I thought about including maths in a sport. I basically did it just by chance, for example it was not exactly planned. My son loves playing cricket and originally we would take a bat and ball to a local park and use the dustbin as a wicket. When he was about four I decided to introduce the concept of runs into the game for the first time. If he reached the tree with one of his shots he would score two runs, if he reached the fence he would score four runs and if he reached the fence without the ball hitting the ground he would score six runs.

Every time he played a scoring shot I would then ask him how many runs he now had, for example eight plus two. Obviously at the start he made quite a few mistakes when adding up the scores but he soon picked up how to add either two, four or six to any given number.
I then thought about which other sports that I could also use to help him with his maths. I am sure there are many sports out there which would have been suitable but the other two we used were snooker and rugby.

Snooker is actually the perfect sport to use as the different colours are worth different points and this gives many more options than just two, four and six. These are the values of the different balls in snooker, the red is worth one point, the yellow two, the green three, the brown four, the blue five, the pin six and the black seven.

I am sure that many other parents could use these same ideas to help their own children to develop their adding up skills in maths.
Stephen Hill helps to promote a number of websites including:
stuttering advice
stutter treatments
stutter cure
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