In many school districts, students have not had proper math instruction over the past two years. The students I work with have not had much math since the pandemic started due to being red. They do not have access to the internet and their reading levels are quite low so they have trouble following any written instruction I include in take home packets. So now that they are back in class, I'm slowly discovering their weaknesses.
I gave my students an assignment the other day that required them to read a verbal description of money and translate it into a written amount. The description might be three dollar bills, six quarters, three dimes, and four nickels. I discovered that half of them didn't know a nickel was worth five cents and about the same number couldn't multiply six times 25 or three times ten. One of my students did have a strategy to account for that so she could do the answers. She'd draw the number of coins and then skip count to get the answer.Since my students do not know their multiplication tables, I have to include time in class for them to practice. Usually, I incorporate it into the assignments but sometimes I have to look at ways for students to get a focused practice session.
One way is to have them use apps or web based programs for practice. The assignment should not be one in which they fill in the blank in ordered tables such as 2 x ___. = 2, 2 x ____ = 4 etc or 2 x 1 = ____, 2 x 2 = _____ etc because in the first they understand they have to write in the numbers 1,2,3..... in order. In the second one, they can skip count to the end without really learning their facts. Therefore, one should look for a program or app that has lets them solve problems that are not in order so they can't use a pattern to complete the assignment.
One iPad app I've had students use is something called Sushi Monster which has them building fact fluency for both addition and multiplication. It has seven levels for addition, five for multiplication and each level is made up of four rounds. Each level targets 14 different numbers and if a student redoes a round because they didn't do well, or they need additional practice, the app uses new numbers so they can't write down the answers to use again. It also increases speed so they get faster at using their fact fluency. The app is made by Houghton-Mifflin and best of all, it is free. I have used it with both middle school and 9th graders effectively before.
Another free to download app is called Monster Math. This one is geared for grades one to five but it can be used for higher grades. It allows students to practice all four operations in a game format and it is set up so students can practice multiple skills at once while meeting the common core standards. The program uses stories and adaptive technology to set the expectations for where they are and not where they should be. In addition, it is set up with voice over narration so students can follow along. Another nice thing about this app is that it allows students to play with others if you want a more competitive game. Although it is listed as free and can be used it does have a subscription option.
Then there is Prodigy games which is a web based online game site that is free. It is easy to sign up for and can be done at home or in school. In addition, students can access it with or without a class code but if the student does it at home, they need permission from their parent to access it for more than one month. The game site has students answer math questions to complete quests and earn in-game rewards and it is good for students up to the 8th grade but could easily be used in high school.
I'll be back next time with games that can be done in the classroom without technology. I'm including nanotechnology based games because many schools do not have great internet including mine. We have to quit using the internet if there are students are doing online testing otherwise people get kicked off. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from you. Have a great week.
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