I used to be so turned off to social studies because most of my teachers seemed to focus on rote learning. I would memorize the information for the test, and then forget it soon after. Since I had not been required to really think about the subject (which I now find fascinating, by the way), I really had no reason to commit it to memory. I had made no personal connection to the material, to the world, or to the textbook we were forced to study out of.
There are so many other ways to more effectively teach this subject. The best teachers try to find creative ways to help students to remember facts and equations so that they'll remember them long after the school year is over.
Sometimes, though, there is a place for rote learning to be used in conjunction with critical thinking and hands-on activities. For example, there is no getting around the memorization of the multiplication tables, but children do also need to understand what it means to multiply, and why we use it in real life. That's where picture books come in.
Most people would not think that math could be taught through a picture book, but integrating language arts with math is a great way for children to make connections between math and the world around them. Today, I'd like to share some children's books, and an adult series, that will make it much easier for you to help your child with not only memorizing the multiplication tables, but also to understand the concept behind them.
Stuart J. Murphy has a great series of MathStart picture books, which are arranged by age for 3 year olds to 8 or 9 year olds. One book, Too Many Kangaroo Things to Do! is perfect for introducing the concept of multiplication to a 7 or 8 year old, but the simple story will also appeal to a 3 year old.
What I love about this book is that it helps children to understand that there is a connection between multiplication and addition. There's even a review of counting by tens up to one hundred. The author also mentions some possible real world connections, as well as other related resources, at the end of each of his books.
Once a child understands that multiplication is really just a quicker form of addition, and is starting to memorize the times tables, she or he will love the book, Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar, by Masaichiro and Mitsumasa Anno.
What I love about this book is that it can be used to teach concepts of addition to a 3 year old, multiplication to an 8 year old, or factorials to a 12 or 13 year old. The colorful illustrations and imaginative story will appeal to children of all ages.
So, picture books can help you find ways to connect multiplication with the real world, but your child may still be having trouble memorizing the times tables. It can be a very frustrating experience for some children, especially when they are timed to see how fast they can answer a bunch of problems on a worksheet. Unfortunately, it's something that cannot be avoided, since a child really can't move on to other math concepts, like division, without having mastered the times tables.
There is a series of books by Lynette Long that will help parents and teachers make learning the tables fun for children. She has many different books for a wide variety of math topics, but the one for multiplication is called Marvelous Multiplication: Games and Activities That Make Math Easy and Fun.
What I love about this book is that it enables you to use so many different objects; such as toothpicks, coins, socks, calculators, dice, playing cards, graph paper, and index cards, to play a variety of multiplication games and hands-on activities with your child. There's even a game you can play with license plates on a road trip!
Whether your child is just starting to learn the times tables, or simply needs a review, this book will help you and your child to have fun with this important math topic! This book is most appropriate for children between the ages of 7 and 10 (late 2nd grade to early 5th grade).
As a supplementary activity, Your child might also like to test himself or herself online. You can find a web site to practice here.
So, as you can see, there are many different ways to teach a variety of subjects. The important thing is to use a variety of resources and to help your child to apply what she or he is learning in school to the real world. There are so many ways to make learning fun. We just have to look out for them!
I can't believe it's the last day of April already! I didn't get to focus on math as much as I would have liked to this month, so I will continue to do so next month. Also, I will be starting to talk about creative ways to get your child writing as well.
Enjoy your last day of April!
