on cloud nine math program

Annise,

I didn’t take the Cloud Nine training although I have taken all the other LMB training courses. The philosophy is akin to V/V, the Cloud Nine manual is an easy one to follow. I have used it with a few students now.

I think of it as a partial program. It’s wonderful for helping kids visualize what they’re doing (the number line helps enormously) but I do think it’s an incomplete program. For one thing, kids with math problems really do need to work with a lot of manipulatives and the Cloud Nine program simply doesn’t have enough of them. So I use it in tandem with other manipulatives. I use the Montessori materials.

You can effectively make a very inexpensive Montessori “stamp game” by using Monopoly money. That can then be used to teach the concepts of addition, multiplication (simply addition made easier), and subtraction visually.

I lay out the money in this way from right to left: ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands (I use the back side of the $500’s and write in the number $1,000 on each of them). You now have a set of materials laid out according to place value.

Teach addition before multiplication: To keep it simple, give your child an addition problem whose sum won’t go higher than 9,999. For example, 2, 419 + 5, 212. The child makes those two numbers with the Monopoly money by first taking out 9 ones, 1 ten, 4 hundreds, 2 thousands, and keeping them still lined up in place value order. Then the child makes the second addend of 5,212 in the same way. always beginning with the ones. Since addition is taking some numbers and putting them together, place all the money together and start counting it, begining with the ones.

Whenever the number gets to 10, you can exchange it. In the example I gave, when you count the ones, you’ll find you have 11 of them. You can exchange 10 ones for one ten. Continue in this way, exchanging (regrouping) every time you have ten of any given number. You reinforce the concept of regrouping by saying, for example, 10 hundreds is the same as 1 thousand, etc. This really teaches the concept of addition. Once your child has practiced addition this way to the point of comfort, simply teach that multiplication is addition made simpler.

For example, 324 x 3 is just the number 324 + 324 + 324. We can make those numbers with the Monopoly money, then put it all together to add. After your child is comfortable with this, then show it on paper AS you also do it with the Monopoly money. Kids really get that “aha!” moment when they realize this.

You can use Cloud Nine to also teach the multiplication facts. I’ve found, though, that it works best only in kids whose problem is visualization. But, because an inability to memorize facts can be caused by other reasons, you may need to look into a variety of other methods to teach these facts. There’s a nice thread on teaching multiplication facts here on this board.

Annise,

I didn’t take the Cloud Nine training although I have taken all the other LMB training courses. The philosophy is akin to V/V, the Cloud Nine manual is an easy one to follow. I have used it with a few students now.

I think of it as a partial program. It’s wonderful for helping kids visualize what they’re doing (the number line helps enormously) but I do think it’s an incomplete program. For one thing, kids with math problems really do need to work with a lot of manipulatives and the Cloud Nine program simply doesn’t have enough of them. So I use it in tandem with other manipulatives. I use the Montessori materials.

You can effectively make a very inexpensive Montessori “stamp game” by using Monopoly money. That can then be used to teach the concepts of addition, multiplication (simply addition made easier), and subtraction visually.

I lay out the money in this way from right to left: ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands (I use the back side of the $500’s and write in the number $1,000 on each of them). You now have a set of materials laid out according to place value.

Teach addition before multiplication: To keep it simple, give your child an addition problem whose sum won’t go higher than 9,999. For example, 2, 419 + 5, 212. The child makes those two numbers with the Monopoly money by first taking out 9 ones, 1 ten, 4 hundreds, 2 thousands, and keeping them still lined up in place value order. Then the child makes the second addend of 5,212 in the same way. always beginning with the ones. Since addition is taking some numbers and putting them together, place all the money together and start counting it, begining with the ones.

Whenever the number gets to 10, you can exchange it. In the example I gave, when you count the ones, you’ll find you have 11 of them. You can exchange 10 ones for one ten. Continue in this way, exchanging (regrouping) every time you have ten of any given number. You reinforce the concept of regrouping by saying, for example, 10 hundreds is the same as 1 thousand, etc. This really teaches the concept of addition. Once your child has practiced addition this way to the point of comfort, simply teach that multiplication is addition made simpler.

For example, 324 x 3 is just the number 324 + 324 + 324. We can make those numbers with the Monopoly money, then put it all together to add. After your child is comfortable with this, then show it on paper AS you also do it with the Monopoly money. Kids really get that “aha!” moment when they realize this.

You can use Cloud Nine to also teach the multiplication facts. I’ve found, though, that it works best only in kids whose problem is visualization. But, because an inability to memorize facts can be caused by other reasons, you may need to look into a variety of other methods to teach these facts. There’s a nice thread on teaching multiplication facts here on this board.

My 8 year old daughter just started On Cloud Nine at LMB last week. She will go for 2 hrs. v/v and 2 hrs. OCN for the next 3 weeks.

She has been doing 4 hrs. of v/v for past 8 wks.

I have hope that it is the right program for her. Won’t know obviously until she is re-tested.

Scroll down on this page:
http://www.resourceroom.net/Products/toolstimes.asp
for the introduction to the book, which has a bunch of ideas for hands-on teaching of multiplication.
Also peek in a bookstore or library for Marilyn Burns’ books. They tend to have lots of language in ‘em (fine for most kids, but tough on kids who don’t make the language-to-concrete connection well) but have lots of neat ideas.

You might be surprised that you’ll SEE a difference before testing. It just won’t be proven until after re-testing.

I am wondering about some of the other methods to teach multiplication facts. We have work on the facts for two years and I finaly gave up and said calculator but now I think maybe we should try again. He is in 4th grade and lost at this point in math and now working on 3rd grade math instead. I tthink visual methods will wrok best. He also cannot write very well and has a hard time reading what he writes. I want to get a new math program in place for the summer to work with his tutors and try to somewhat catch up. I have tried several methods with no success. Any info on any good math programs to teach math facts and anything else for that matter would be appreciated.

Marilyn,
Have you seen any results with Cloud Nine, yes?

Annise,

I didn’t take the Cloud Nine training although I have taken all the other LMB training courses. The philosophy is akin to V/V, the Cloud Nine manual is an easy one to follow. I have used it with a few students now.

I think of it as a partial program. It’s wonderful for helping kids visualize what they’re doing (the number line helps enormously) but I do think it’s an incomplete program. For one thing, kids with math problems really do need to work with a lot of manipulatives and the Cloud Nine program simply doesn’t have enough of them. So I use it in tandem with other manipulatives. I use the Montessori materials.

You can effectively make a very inexpensive Montessori “stamp game” by using Monopoly money. That can then be used to teach the concepts of addition, multiplication (simply addition made easier), and subtraction visually.

I lay out the money in this way from right to left: ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands (I use the back side of the $500’s and write in the number $1,000 on each of them). You now have a set of materials laid out according to place value.

Teach addition before multiplication: To keep it simple, give your child an addition problem whose sum won’t go higher than 9,999. For example, 2, 419 + 5, 212. The child makes those two numbers with the Monopoly money by first taking out 9 ones, 1 ten, 4 hundreds, 2 thousands, and keeping them still lined up in place value order. Then the child makes the second addend of 5,212 in the same way. always beginning with the ones. Since addition is taking some numbers and putting them together, place all the money together and start counting it, begining with the ones.

Whenever the number gets to 10, you can exchange it. In the example I gave, when you count the ones, you’ll find you have 11 of them. You can exchange 10 ones for one ten. Continue in this way, exchanging (regrouping) every time you have ten of any given number. You reinforce the concept of regrouping by saying, for example, 10 hundreds is the same as 1 thousand, etc. This really teaches the concept of addition. Once your child has practiced addition this way to the point of comfort, simply teach that multiplication is addition made simpler.

For example, 324 x 3 is just the number 324 + 324 + 324. We can make those numbers with the Monopoly money, then put it all together to add. After your child is comfortable with this, then show it on paper AS you also do it with the Monopoly money. Kids really get that “aha!” moment when they realize this.

You can use Cloud Nine to also teach the multiplication facts. I’ve found, though, that it works best only in kids whose problem is visualization. But, because an inability to memorize facts can be caused by other reasons, you may need to look into a variety of other methods to teach these facts. There’s a nice thread on teaching multiplication facts here on this board.

Annise,

I didn’t take the Cloud Nine training although I have taken all the other LMB training courses. The philosophy is akin to V/V, the Cloud Nine manual is an easy one to follow. I have used it with a few students now.

I think of it as a partial program. It’s wonderful for helping kids visualize what they’re doing (the number line helps enormously) but I do think it’s an incomplete program. For one thing, kids with math problems really do need to work with a lot of manipulatives and the Cloud Nine program simply doesn’t have enough of them. So I use it in tandem with other manipulatives. I use the Montessori materials.

You can effectively make a very inexpensive Montessori “stamp game” by using Monopoly money. That can then be used to teach the concepts of addition, multiplication (simply addition made easier), and subtraction visually.

I lay out the money in this way from right to left: ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands (I use the back side of the $500’s and write in the number $1,000 on each of them). You now have a set of materials laid out according to place value.

Teach addition before multiplication: To keep it simple, give your child an addition problem whose sum won’t go higher than 9,999. For example, 2, 419 + 5, 212. The child makes those two numbers with the Monopoly money by first taking out 9 ones, 1 ten, 4 hundreds, 2 thousands, and keeping them still lined up in place value order. Then the child makes the second addend of 5,212 in the same way. always beginning with the ones. Since addition is taking some numbers and putting them together, place all the money together and start counting it, begining with the ones.

Whenever the number gets to 10, you can exchange it. In the example I gave, when you count the ones, you’ll find you have 11 of them. You can exchange 10 ones for one ten. Continue in this way, exchanging (regrouping) every time you have ten of any given number. You reinforce the concept of regrouping by saying, for example, 10 hundreds is the same as 1 thousand, etc. This really teaches the concept of addition. Once your child has practiced addition this way to the point of comfort, simply teach that multiplication is addition made simpler.

For example, 324 x 3 is just the number 324 + 324 + 324. We can make those numbers with the Monopoly money, then put it all together to add. After your child is comfortable with this, then show it on paper AS you also do it with the Monopoly money. Kids really get that “aha!” moment when they realize this.

You can use Cloud Nine to also teach the multiplication facts. I’ve found, though, that it works best only in kids whose problem is visualization. But, because an inability to memorize facts can be caused by other reasons, you may need to look into a variety of other methods to teach these facts. There’s a nice thread on teaching multiplication facts here on this board.

My 8 year old daughter just started On Cloud Nine at LMB last week. She will go for 2 hrs. v/v and 2 hrs. OCN for the next 3 weeks.

She has been doing 4 hrs. of v/v for past 8 wks.

I have hope that it is the right program for her. Won’t know obviously until she is re-tested.

Scroll down on this page:
http://www.resourceroom.net/Products/toolstimes.asp
for the introduction to the book, which has a bunch of ideas for hands-on teaching of multiplication.
Also peek in a bookstore or library for Marilyn Burns’ books. They tend to have lots of language in ‘em (fine for most kids, but tough on kids who don’t make the language-to-concrete connection well) but have lots of neat ideas.

You might be surprised that you’ll SEE a difference before testing. It just won’t be proven until after re-testing.

I am wondering about some of the other methods to teach multiplication facts. We have work on the facts for two years and I finaly gave up and said calculator but now I think maybe we should try again. He is in 4th grade and lost at this point in math and now working on 3rd grade math instead. I tthink visual methods will wrok best. He also cannot write very well and has a hard time reading what he writes. I want to get a new math program in place for the summer to work with his tutors and try to somewhat catch up. I have tried several methods with no success. Any info on any good math programs to teach math facts and anything else for that matter would be appreciated.

Marilyn,
Have you seen any results with Cloud Nine, yes?