Archive for the ‘Patterns & Visual Learners’ Category

Book Recommendation: 26 Letters and 99 Cents by Tana Hoban

Friday, June 18th, 2010

26-letters-and-99-cents

Many of you have come across Tana Hoban’s fun books.  Her 26 Letters and 99 Cents will delight your preschool to kindergarden child or even an older child who has trouble figuring out how to add pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.  This book is in fact two books in one.  One book presents upper and lower-case letters beside colorful objects beginning with that letter. 

Turn the book OVER and numbers are pictured with pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters totaling that amount.  Your child is learning not only about numbers and  grouping but also  money.  While reading this book to your child, expand the lessons by having a pocketful of change on the table and having your child figure out how many ways to make 35 cents with all pennies, or all nickels or a combination of coins.  Your child is learning number concepts and addition.   Why not develop your child’s “number sense” at an early age?  This fun book will engage your child!

What are your child’s favorite Tana Hoban books?

Book recommendation: EZ Times Tables by Tom Biesanz

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

                         Tom Biesanz,  a formez-times-tableser math teacher in Santa Barbara, contacted me soon after publication of my workbook and told me  he’d posted the following review on Amazon:

[Teach Your Child the Multiplication Tables]  is a big book full of fun pattern and number exercises for kids that make learning fun. I thought about creating a book of worksheets to go with my EZ Times Table book, but this book does such a great job, I would rather just recommend this one.

We chatted on the phone about our interest in teaching the times tables through patterns, which we both believe is a much better way of teaching multiplication. Fun to hear from someone who shared my passion! Tom sent me a copy of his book and I posted the following review on Amazon:

Learning the times tables becomes a game as children learn fun patterns while filling in the EZ TIMES TABLES charts. Instead of leaning one math fact at a time (which is not only difficult but highly inefficient), children learn a pattern for the entire table. Table by table, they construct a times tables matrix for tables 1-10. Pattern play develops number sense. EZ TIMES TABLES will intrigue your child.

If you child has become fascinated by pattern play, check out this excellent resource.  Why not have our children and students discover the magic of math at an early age?  If your third grader is intrigued with math and pursues this passion, just think of the great careers open your child.

Visual Learners and Patterns?

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Some children are visual learners.  They must “see” to learn.  For these students, my pattern approach of teaching the times tables works exceptionally well.  Instead of telling children what the pattern is, my workbook teaches children to discover patterns! 

Discovering  patterns makes learning more fun!  Patterns provide a structure that  enhances a child’s  confidence.

Children like that table 8 ends in 8, 6, 4, 2, 0. 

                                                8, 16, 24, 32, 40,

                                                           48, 56, 64, 72, 80

This 8-6-4-2-0 pattern loop  continues to infinity.  Your child is learning Number Theory in the 3rd grade!

Children quickly “get” the pattern so be sure to reinforce the tables by having them repeat, ” 8 x 2 equals 16″ and so on as they fill in the pattern.  Saying these reinforces learning. 

Teaching children the multiplication tables gives parents the opportunity to introduce their children to analytical thinking.

Why not find the similarities and differences between the tables?  Why not learn what happens when you multiply an ODD number times an ODD number?  ODD x ODD = ODD.  How ODD is that?  Not really when you know the rules.  The times tables are fun!

Teaching your child the times tables is the moment to instill in your child a love of numbers and fascination with math!  Math is fun. 

“Mathematics is the science of patterns,” Keith Devlin said.  Once children learns to discover patterns in math, they will be prepared to look for these in literature.  What child doesn’t like repeating rhymes in storybooks, songs and poems?  What child doesn’t like patterns in music?  We are wired to discover patterns!  We are wired to ENJOY patterns!