Hi all.
Anybody who has tips here would be appreciated!
My 8 year old will be entering 3rd grade this Sept. She’s ADHD/dyslexic. In 2nd grade, we focused on getting her up to speed in reading (she did FANTASTIC after a year of private Orton G tutoring) and making better progress in general with her school work (started medication). She had a great school year. Learning math facts is also an issue, but we let the “chips fall where they may” with this one given the focus on the above. She was in a special math class and wound up below grade/IEP goal level by the end of the school year. In general, it seems that once things get into her long term memory, she’s fine - it’s the short term learning and memorization that’s problematic for her.
So, we were sent home for the summer with the instruction that she needs to memorize subtraction facts up to 18 before starting 3rd grade. In the second week of school, they will start with timed subtraction tests.
I bought a subtraction game at an educational toy store which obviously is not a big hit with her but she will do it. We do 15 min. of flash cards each night, but this is punishment for her and has started to become a real battleground in the last week. How can I make this as easy and fun as possible for her?
Thanks.
Re: Memorizing Subtraction for 3rd grade
Please don’t feel that pressured for her to have these facts automatic at 3rd grade - I’m in the midst of field testing basic math facts data for a new program and know that many children have difficulty with subtraction facts. The previous advice is good advice - I offer only one small piece: there is absolutely no evidence to indicate that ten minutes or more is any more effective than two to three minutes per sesson. Always pair the end of the session with an activity she really enjoys.
If there is frustration - you’re only “leashing the cat.” Don’t imagine there will be progress. Teach her to use her fingers. For early subtraction, right answers are more important than speed - speed will come with instances and short drills.
I’m probably missing something, but I don’t understand why it would be subtraction facts through 18.
You could try Math Facts the Fun Way. Website is http://www.citycreek.com. You would need the addition book and the subtraction flash cards. The book teaches addition facts through 9 using silly stories and visualization. Kids tend to learn the addition facts very quickly this way because stories are easy for them to remember. Once the child knows the addition stories, you use the subtraction cards to “guess who’s missing” from the stories. It only deals with facts through 9, though.
Even if you decide not to use MFFW for subtraction, I would definitely recommend their kit for multiplication facts. That usually comes in 3rd grade. Children who are unable to learn multiplication facts any other way find it easy with MFFW.
We use Quarter Mile Math for drill. This is a software program that allows the child to race against his own best times. You can get different grade bundles, K-9 being the most comprehensive. All of the facts are broken down in different ways so you can focus in on one fact — e.g., 3 times table — or practice multiple facts — such as times tables through 5 or 9 or 12. The child can do the keyboarding, or you can keyboard for the child to pack more problems into a 10-minute period. Website is http://www.thequartermile.com
Drill is deadly in large quantities. We have learned to set the timer for 10 minutes max. You might want to try breaking the 15 minutes into three 5-minute sessions a day.
Here’s a simple way to work on subtraction that would probably be more fun for your daughter. Take a deck of cards and remove all the face cards. Aces are ones. Divide the deck, and then play subtraction war. You each put down two cards face up. Then you each have to subtract your smaller card from your larger card. The smallest answer wins all 4 cards. You could play this just until all dealt cards are used up, to keep the game short, and then declare the one with the most cards the winner.
Mary