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Quick Addition Tip – Adding 5 to Larger Digits
For some reason I have trouble adding 5 to the larger digits (like 7, 8 and 9). I noticed at some point that the last digit of that addition is the same as if you subtracted 5 from that number. Like this: and and So now when I add them, I merely subtract them and
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How a Math Teacher Can Change Lives
I was in the 4th grade. We were studying geometry. Mrs. Wilburn was the teacher. I read the definition of a square in the textbook: A square is a polygon with four equal sides and four equal angles. I read the definition of a rectangle: A rectangle is a polygon with four sides and four
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How to Never Find a Common Denominator Again
Do you keep struggling to teach common denominators? Do your kids just not “get it”? Well, it’s time to quit. Yep! You can teach (and do) fractions without ever finding a common denominator. The key is in the definition of addition for rational numbers. If you have two numbers and the sum of them is . Granted
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When to Give a Kid A Calculator
When we teach kids how to drive, we give them a few months in the classroom so they can learn the basics of driving and the rules of the road. Nobody in their right mind puts a teenager behind the wheel and says, while flying down the road, “Now, the brake pedal is the one
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3 Places to See the Coordinate Plane in Action
I was browsing through the book Family Math and found a nifty game called Hurkle. It goes a little something like this: The coordinate “space” is around too. This made me think of the conversation I had with a neighbor the other day while walking our children to the park. When Scotty beams someone in
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1 Word to Eliminate from Your Teaching Vocabulary: Just
Just get rid of it!
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How To Teach Algebraic Closure
Thanks to Kellie D for this question: “How do I know if a set is closed under the rule of addition, same question for multiplication?” Closure under addition or multiplication is a concept from Abstract Algebra that’s taught in not-so-abstract Algebra classes. It can be intuitive, if taught properly. You first have to start with
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Confessions of a Calculator Addict
I remember being allowed in Jr. High to use the calculator to “check my work.” Soon after I learned that the books in High School had the answers in the back! It was like condoned cheating! How could I go wrong with the magic box and the answers given to me straight from the publisher?
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How to Know When a Kid is Confused
Listening to the words won’t tell you if a kid is confused in math – but watching their faces will. Here’s an example.
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7 Real “How to Succeed in Math” Tips
Here are some tips that math students can and will use – not pie-in-the-sky tips made up by an educator that nobody really uses!
About MathFour.com
I’m Bon Crowder and the photos above are both of me – in 1989 and today. I’m a Generation X mom of Generation Z kids. I began peer tutoring in high school in 1984.
MathFour.com is the “today” version of me helping peers be comfortable in math. If you’re a Gen-X parent, you’re in the right place!
Wanna connect? Give me a call at 713-557-8048.