Math Facts
Hi everyone, if you click the image you can watch our math facts in action.
Students who struggle with reading often suffer the double whammy of struggling with Math Facts as well.
So we apply the same approach to math facts as we do to our reading lessons.
We have the volume turned down but you can see what’s going on.
The student is pronouncing the numerals and symbols aloud and the computer’s microphone is picking it up. Each one that’s pronounced correctly is highlighted, giving the student instant feedback.
If they make a mistake the highlight pauses and they can try again. If they get stuck, they click the speaker button to hear the pronunciation, so they’re never stuck for long.
The goal of math facts is to develop the skill of reciting each math fact reflexively. Then anytime the student is provided with the first part of a math fact, they can finish it reflexively.
Math facts lessons come along free with reading lessons. Once you sign up just click Student Lessons and both are available.
Confusion about Math Facts
There has always been confusion surrounding math facts. When students have trouble with them they’re said to have trouble with calculating.
But math facts aren’t calculations. They’re normal English sentences. And we refer to them as just that, Math Sentences.
Here we have the same math fact, first, written out as a normal English sentence, and second written out using the numerals and symbols of our mathematical writing system.
Six times six equals thirty-six.
6 x 6 = 36
We utter the same sequence of pronunciations for both, six times six equals thirty-six and six times six equals thirty-six.
Here are some more examples, they’re sentences that we all know.
The first three are well known proverbs. But they’re also just simple English sentences that most of us can fill in the blanks for. If we recite them to ourselves we see how easy it is.
The second three are math facts. But just like proverbs, they are also simple sentences that most of us can fill in the blanks for. And again, if we recite them to ourselves we see how easy it is.
Math Concepts
Students are first taught math concepts using things like number lines …
…and objects like beans and pennies that are grouped and counted out.
And while these are fine for introducing concepts, this isn’t how we do math in real life.
Throughout our lives, every time we need to know how much six plus two is, we can’t spill out beans or pennies on a surface, make a group of six, a group of two and then count them up.
Instead, we memorize the fact that six plus two equals eight, along with many other math facts, and they serve us for the rest of our lives.
They’re at the heart of everything that involves money, anything that involves measurements, of following sports, of understanding the weather, of understanding time and countless other aspects of our lives.
Long Addition
Math facts are also at the heart of more complex math. Here’s a long addition problem and solving it turns out to be an exercise in reciting math facts.
We start by going down the right hand column, and engaging in a mental dialog like the one shown.
Two plus four is six … plus 5 is 11… put down the 1 and carry 1 … one plus nine is ten … plus five is fifteen … plus six is twenty-one … put down the one and carry 2 … two plus one is three … plus 7 is 10 … put down the 10, add a comma and we have our answer, one thousand and eleven.
Reciting math facts, in mental dialogs like this, is what we mean by the term doing arithmetic.
Traditionally math facts have included the addition facts of 1+1 to 12+12, and the multiplication facts from 1 x 1 to 12 x 12.
Those are ones we include in Read by Sight lessons.
Each math facts lesson takes less than five minutes. While students can take them any time they like, each lesson fits nicely as a quick follow up after finishing a reading lesson.
In our math facts lessons, just like with our reading lessons, every time the highlight moves it signals success.
There’s a saying in sports that:
You can’t just dream up confidence, that confidence is born of demonstrated ability.
With math facts, every time the highlight moves, that isn’t students dreaming up confidence.
That is students demonstrating their own ability to themselves, right before their own eyes, day in and day out.
Just like with our reading lessons, the purpose of math facts is to establish each student’s ability as efficiently as possible, and then lock it in for the rest of their lives.
We hope we can do that for your child.