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I scream, you scream…

September 4th, 2009 7 comments

Em has always had a hard time learning her multiplication tables. She continues to count on her fingers, which isn’t a great technique when you’re calculating, say, eight times eight in the middle of a math test. She can do it, mind you, but it’s slow and laborious and painful to watch. She gets frustrated when I try to teach them to her, and hiring a special math tutor at crazy dollars per hour didn’t do a whole lot to help, in my personal opinion.

Enter ice cream.

This year, the fifth graders are having an ice cream sundae party. Which multiplication facts you know determines what you get. Every fact group you have down pat earns another topping. For instance, knowing all your ones might get you the ice cream, all the twos might get hot fudge, and so on.

Let us never underestimate the power of bribery. As one of Em’s reading tutors said this summer, “I don’t work for free, do you?” Good point. It would seem that ice cream is exactly the reward Em needs. “I want to learn all my twelves!” she told me yesterday. Apparently when you learn the 12’s you get your choice of a special topping. Em likes salt and pepper on her ice cream, so maybe that’s what she’ll go for.

Last night we taught her that 12×6=72. This morning, she still remembered it when asked. This may seem like a small thing, but in the past the answers have always flowed out of her mind immediately. Remembering the answer to a multiplication problem overnight is huge for her. We started work on 12×7=84 on the way to school this morning.

“There is a piece of paper with all the multiplication facts on it and I’m going to fill them all in and turn it in for an ice cream sundae.” She says she’s already started, but wants to work on her 11s and 12s now. The party is in early October, so I think we have time to get this done.

We’re thrilled at this breakthrough. I’m sure that sundae will taste even sweeter for all the hard work she’s done.

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SQUIRREL!

September 4th, 2009 No comments

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