Addition and Subtraction Facts

[cbuckel]

My son and I started working with MP curriculum a few months ago. He is 7, and was working through Saxon 1 before the switch to R&S Arithmetic 1. When we switched, I flipped through and found the spot in the teacher's manual that corresponded roughly to where we had been in Saxon, and we went from there. As a result, I don't think he really knows his addition and subtraction facts as well as he should - instead of having answers memorized, he counts up or down in his head before answering. Since I've caught on to what he was doing, I've been trying to introduce a new rule: whenever we're doing flashcards and he doesn't answer within a certain number of seconds, he has to say the fact three times with me and three times by himself. He HATES it, and it makes our math lessons take a LOT longer.

So my question is, how do we catch up? Pick 3 or 4 facts and drill them for a week or so before moving on to another set? How do I work with him on automaticity without aggravating us both so much? Or is this just something we have to push through?

[Enigma]

I know NY is a pain for homeschooling, but I would encourage you to not worry about him "catching up". Who is he catching up to? Let him learn at his pace. What we don't want to do is turn school time into drudgery and give the idea it is something to be avoided.

For the facts:
Having him say the fact 2 times while looking at the side WITH the answer, then say it one time with his eyes closed is plenty. This allows his brain to take a picture of the entire fact so he can see it when he needs it later.

Did you introduce the facts by families as R&S instructs? Have him review one or two families a day until he knows them cold and just keep working through the book otherwise.

At 7, it is perfectly okay for him to still be counting up or down in his head or on his fingers. My youngest closes his eyes and counts the ducks in/out of the pond to figure out facts he isn't solid on yet. He and your son will get to not needing that scaffolding after a time. Let him use what he needs now to be successful.

And welcome to MP!

[cbuckel]

What we don't want to do is turn school time into drudgery and give the idea it is something to be avoided.

I'm afraid that's already happening. This morning when I said it was time for school he actually started sobbing. Everyone always says how important it is not to damage their love of learning and I'm afraid the damage is already done, that I'm doing something wrong and that is why he fights me so hard. Sorry.... I've been fighting back my own emotions this morning. This is really hard.

Thank you for your other advice... Yes, we are doing the facts in families exactly as R&S instructs. We jumped into the middle of subtraction families, and I was wondering if we needed to backtrack and simultaneously work on the addition families we missed due to our switching programs.

[jen1134]

I'm afraid that's already happening. This morning when I said it was time for school he actually started sobbing. Everyone always says how important it is not to damage their love of learning and I'm afraid the damage is already done, that I'm doing something wrong and that is why he fights me so hard. Sorry.... I've been fighting back my own emotions this morning. This is really hard.

I feel your heart here. We’ve been through this with multiple children. It’s pretty much a guarantee that something deeper is going on than attitude issues. I’m caring for a sick little one today so I’m going to share two things that go into this more deeply. I pray they help:

https://seekingdelectare.com/i-hate-school-part-1/

https://seekingdelectare.com/love-of-learning-what-happened-when-stopped-worrying-about-it/

[Jen_NH]

It's also ok to take a break from school. We're at/approaching the end of the typical academic year. Let him (and you) have some time off and just enjoy each other's company. Sometimes kids hit a road block mentally. I have found with my boys that sometimes they struggle to understand something academically. However, they are exploding with some other new skill or are having a growth spurt. My high school son periodically hits a wall in math. The last time this happened, he grew 4 inches! One of the many gifts of homeschooling is the ability to be flexible and work with your children where they are. Yes, you do have to learn and make progress. You might have state standards to conform to. There are a variety of ways to tick those boxes.

[Mom2mthj]

I have used Saxon in the past for first grade and have only dabbled in Rod and Staff. They are polar opposite programs.
First, a couple of questions…how many children are you teaching? Did you like Saxon? Why did you switch?
Second, please don’t let your child get in the habit of counting on their fingers. You can’t take away their fingers.

I personally didn’t like Saxon especially for K-3 as it took too long and it switches topics too quickly. I generally don’t recommend changing math programs if it is working, but with a first grader you have some time to figure out what you like to teach. Many people here (including me) kept our math program when we switched to Memoria Press. I have tried many programs, but my hands down favorite is Right Start. It is parent intensive which is why most people drop it if they have several kids, but I found it took less time daily than Saxon took with my oldest (aka the Guinea pig). In the lower levels Right Start is much less writing intensive than either Saxon or Rod and Staff and they make up with playing some of their special card games. My boys have all loved the games. The basic premise is learning to see quantities in groups of fives and tens (right start is great for mental math), strategies for math facts - counting not being a valid strategy for finding an answer, an abacus for seeing how numbers work, short lessons, and games for practice. It really is amazing if you have the ability to be present for the whole lesson and not just quickly teach a lesson and move onto someone else. You also have to be willing to play games a lot. As an engineer I have learned a lot of mental math tricks and better ways to express what I did naturally. If you don’t want to switch they sell a game book and their card sets that you can use to supplement other programs.

I have never met a kid that needed math flashcards that loved them. I have also never met a child that relished a whole sheet of math facts to fill in especially when timed. My first graders have all loved Go to the Dump which is like Go Fish, but you have to ask for the card that makes 10 (if you have a two in your hand, you ask for an 8). I think they have a phone app for that game. I feel certain that you haven’t killed his love of learning. I second taking a break and coming back fresh after some time off.

[Teach05]

Do you like Rod and Staff?

I ask because I tried hard to make it work for fact automaticity and it backfired for us too with burning out a kid who had loved math up to that point.

Someone else recommended Right Start. I’ll throw out Kate Snow’s Addition Facts That Stick/ Subtraction Facts That Stick. Both are game-based like RS, and might help take away the dread.

[jamesb]

Do you like Rod and Staff?

I ask because I tried hard to make it work for fact automaticity and it backfired for us too with burning out a kid who had loved math up to that point.

Someone else recommended Right Start. I’ll throw out Kate Snow’s Addition Facts That Stick/ Subtraction Facts That Stick. Both are game-based like RS, and might help take away the dread.

I used the facts that stick games for a small group of my son's friends. It's a double edge sword there. Some of the kids loved the games and others really weren't having it. I do know that after playing those games a few times through my son's speed at completing his math fact sheets improved and his resistance to doing the task was reduced.. I know you can buy the PDF on Well Trained Mind. One of the more successful games from this was the Go Fish sums of 10 game.

[Enigma]

Do you like Rod and Staff?

I ask because I tried hard to make it work for fact automaticity and it backfired for us too with burning out a kid who had loved math up to that point.

Someone else recommended Right Start. I’ll throw out Kate Snow’s Addition Facts That Stick/ Subtraction Facts That Stick. Both are game-based like RS, and might help take away the dread.

Kate Snow's Math With Confidence is one to consider over Right Start. Easier to implement and decidedly less money!

Another R&S Math drop out family here. I tried for years, but my kids just do not fit that mold. It was too slow. Isn't it great we have so many options available to choose from?

[tanya]

Hello.

Are you using Memoria Math Challenge? That is a timed drill every morning (5 a week) that will solidify math facts. We have had great success with it in our K-2 classrooms. This is a supplement to any math program that takes 10-15 extra minutes a day, but it is well worth it. Our students develop instant recall quickly through the repetition of these drills. You can read more about it here: Memoria Math Challenge: Level B Student Drills, Second Edition - Memoria Press

Tanya

[Enigma]

Hello.

Are you using Memoria Math Challenge? That is a timed drill every morning (5 a week) that will solidify math facts. We have had great success with it in our K-2 classrooms. This is a supplement to any math program that takes 10-15 extra minutes a day, but it is well worth it. Our students develop instant recall quickly through the repetition of these drills. You can read more about it here: Memoria Math Challenge: Level B Student Drills, Second Edition - Memoria Press

Tanya

Yes! I forgot about that resource. I'm thinking M could do with that practice. With my olders, instead of a timer counting down, we did a stopwatch and recorded times which they tried to beat each day. (We used CLE at the time.) I can see how the reverse timing method would not work in a classroom, though.