• Category: Beyond Math Facts Five Times Five Is Not Ten Ten Divided by Five Is Not Five Two Plus Two Is Not Five
• Published Dated: February 17, 2015
• Written by: Susan

I saw these 5 Star reviews posted on Amazon.com.

This was posted for both Two Plus Two Is Not Five and Five Times Five Is Not Ten from a grandmother.
“Already in first pages, has made a difference for my grandson in learning his math facts.”
by J Jones

The 35th review for Two Plus Two Is Not Five:

“Excellent!!
Thanks!!!!! Excellent!!!!”
by Serhiy

I am hoping to receive more feedback on my other two books: Addition and Subtraction: Beyond Math Facts and Ten Divided by Five Is Not Five: Using Multiplication to Make Division Easy. These workbooks can be used alone or respectively with Beyond Math Facts and Ten Divided by Five Is Not Five.

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: January 9, 2015
• Written by: Susan

I have been a bit negligent about  posting here.

Over the years, I get to “know” many educational supply and bookstore owners throughout the U.S. We keep in touch by telephone regarding new orders or reorders. Sometimes we share personal happenings in our lives and I hear about new babies, grandchildren, graduations, weddings. I also hear when stores were damaged by hurricanes, floods or other disasters, or that it’s too cold and customers are not shopping. Today led to a most-unexpected and sad conversation.

Last month, Tim, owner of one of these stores sent payment for books he had purchased from me. With the payment was a very kind note from Tim. “I’ve only heard great things about your books.” I had saved the note, and wanted to ask his permission to post it with my testimonials. A young woman in his store answered the phone today, and I explained the reason for my call. She said that she was sure Tim would be fine with that. I felt I needed Tim’s permission to mention his store, and then she explained that he had suddenly passed away. Today was his funeral.

That hit hard. I never met Tim, but over the years and on the phone, a friendly relationship developed. I am sorry for his family’s loss. Tim will be remembered.

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: December 1, 2014
• Written by: Susan

Here are the latest reviews of Two Plus Two Is Not Five: Easy Methods to Learn Addition and Subtraction. # 33 was posted on Amazon.com today!

5.0 out of 5 stars Where Have You Been All My Life?, December 1, 2014
By Dawn Davidson (Florida, USA) 

This review is from: Two Plus Two Is Not Five (Easy Methods to Learn Addition & Subtraction) (Paperback)
I wish this had been around when I was a child, frustrated to tears and unable to commit to the rote memorization of math facts that was the preferred method. I spent a decade counting on my fingers until, as an adult, I stumbled upon these common-sense formulas for basic arithmetic on my own because I had a job that made it practical. That ah-ha moment might have come much sooner had a book like this been available…I will never know. But in helping my second-grader with his own math facts, it has been invaluable. Great system…I’m sure we’ll use the multiplication book too.

#32

Four Stars
Great tips to help kids who struggle with facts.
Published 7 days ago by zachsmama03

If you have used my books, please send feedback and I’ll post with your permission.

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: November 26, 2014
• Written by: Susan

I just received a testimonial through the mail from a ten-year old child. The child’s name is Kailey, and I cannot tell if this a boy or girl’s name, so I will use the mail pronoun. I apologize if I am incorrect.

Below is the link to the scanned copy of the letter Kailey sent me. This testimonial is for my book, Five Times Five Is Not Ten: Make Multiplication Easy.

I love that he shared what he likes about the book, but especially that he learned a lot and found it fun to use! I hope if you have a student who has benefitted from my books, that you will let me know.Testimonial from 10 year old

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: October 3, 2014
• Written by: Susan

Just because a child has memorized and can say the answers to addition, subtraction, multiplication or division facts does not mean that the child has understanding of what those math facts mean.

A student is shown the math fact 3 x 4 and answers 12. You provide the student with counting items such as Unifix cubes or crayons. When asked to show what 3 x 4 means, a student takes 3 reds and 4 blues, and counts to get 7. There is a look of “What?” because 7 does not match the answer of 12 that was given earlier.

Check concepts of the “Zero” facts. Once students begin multiplication, there is sometimes confusion with 4 + 0, 0 + 4, 4 – 0, 4 – 4, 0 x 4, and 4 x 0. Give ample word math and written practice with these “Zero” facts.

Another multiplication fact that seems so easy but may be answered incorrectly by some children is 1 x 1. There is a tendency to give the answer as 2. Have your child use counters to show word problem such as:
There is 1 bag and it has 1 apple in it. How many apples?
There is 1 blue plate and 1 red plate. Each plate has 1 apple. How many apples?

Memorization is important, but students need to first demonstrate understanding of the math facts before we ask them to memorize those math fact answers.

• Category: 2 Ladder addition and subtraction addition and subtraction facts Count by 2s Doubles in addition learning addition learning math facts math facts strategies Strategies to teach addition facts subtraction tips to teach math facts Two Plus Two Is Not Five using doubles addition
• Published Dated: September 12, 2014
• Written by: Susan

I currently am working with a 4th grader who has a good grasp of math skills, but came to me for help to learn to memorize math facts. I tested her to find out which facts she already knew, and began teaching her the ones she didn’t know. We are using Two Plus Two Is Not Five.

She loved learning Magic 9, which is adding 9 with any of the other numbers from 2 to 9. (9+2, 2+9, 9+3, 3+9, etc up to 8+9, 9+8, and 9+9) FIRST, I show how to take one off of the other number and adding it to the 9 to make it TEN and adding 10 + that number.
For example: 9 + 6. Take 1 off of the 6 and place it on the 9 which makes it 10. The remaining 5 +10 = 15.
I then show a very easy way to get the answers to the facts without using fingers. Magic 9: 9 + 6. Circle the 9, or just say Magic 9. Write one less than 6, which is 5. Stick a 1 in front, and you have 15. That 1 in the front is the TEN.

See previous posts for more details on how Magic 9 and the other strategies work.

Curvy Numbers (3+5, 5+3, 8+5, 5+8, 13-5, 13-8, 8-5, 8-3) was a huge help to her. On the day I introduced it, she said she had been having trouble with subtracting 13-5 and 13-8 in school, so she was glad to learn this visual strategy! Notice all the 3s, 5s, 8s?

Although she knew 3+6 and 6+3, she didn’t know 9-3 and 9-6 without counting. I taught this in a little singsong rhyme: 3,6,9 who do you think is mighty fine? (The Count by 3s will also apply in multiplication for 3×3 and 3×6 and 6×3.)

She had already known 2+4, 6+2, and 2+8, but didn’t know the subtraction facts. Once she was comfortable counting by 2s up and then down, I taught her 10-2, 8-2, 6-2.

(Count by 2 or 2 Ladder: 2,4,6,8,10  and then going backwards 10,8,6,4,2)

Being able to count backwards by 2 from 10 enabled her to think about what number is 2 less starting from 10.

Another strategy she was introduced to is Number in the Middle which is based on a student’s knowledge of the Doubles addition facts. First I introduce a worksheet to make sure they can identify what number fits in the middle, or in between two numbers.  5____7       6____8       5_____3      4_____6   8______6
This is very much a sequencing activity. She actually surprised me because she had difficulty with this task. We worked on this concept before moving on to introducing the strategy with the math facts. As mentioned, students need to first know doubles: 4+4, 5+5, 6+6, 7+7, 8+8.

Show your students a row of 6 (Unifix) cubes and a row of 8 cubes. Ask them to remove one from the 8 and place it on the 6. Ask them to say how many there are in each row. There are 7 in each row, and they will know 7+7 is 14, therefore, now they will know 6+8 and 8+6.
This wonderful strategy works for 3+5, 5+3 (which are also Curvy Number facts) 4+6, 6+4, 5+7, and 7+5.

If you find that these strategies help your students, spread the word to other teachers!

• Category: addition and subtraction addition and subtraction facts learning addition learning math facts math facts math facts fluency math facts mastery memorize multiplication multiplication facts strategies Strategies to teach addition facts Teaching math facts timed math fact tests understanding what math facts mean
• Published Dated: August 27, 2014
• Written by: Susan

This was posted many years ago on my Tips page, and I thought it might be a good idea to post it again on this Blog page.

Math facts tested in a minute – What are these timed tests really testing? Adults often assign children tasks filled with rows of addition, subtraction or multiplication facts. Sometimes the children are given a set amount of minutes in which to complete these pages, and are not allowed to advance to the next level until they accurately answer these facts in a specific amount of time.

I do not advocate timed tests before children have memorized answers or have a strategy to use to answer the facts. I have watched many children take timed tests. There are students who may know the answers automatically, but tend to write slower or are slower by nature to respond. Some children could also be concerned about neatness; they use time to carefully erase incorrectly formed numerals, and then rewrite answers perfectly. In addition, some children stop to fix their hair when long bangs or hair get in the way of seeing the page. With this first group, the ability to write fast or stay on task, not math fact knowledge, is tested. Allow another way to test proficiency for these students, who may in fact know the answers without counting, but just cannot seem to complete the page quick enough.

A second group tested for speed includes children counting with fingers or other counters, or using number lines or charts to get the answers. These children do not know many of the answers, and they are not learning to memorize the facts by taking the timed test. Giving them the same test over and over is not going to help them learn answers. For this group, the test measures how quickly and accurately the students count to get answers. I observed children in this group get through the first row of facts quickly because they have memorized the sequence of answers. Others, if given the same math fact problem more than once on a page, use a strategy to search for the answer that is somewhere else on the page. These children ought not to be taking timed tests until we teach them a way to remember the answers. Just given random written practice, many students will not learn math facts.

Timed or not timed, the exercise is frustrating and useless when children do not know answers on the page. Once they understand what the math facts mean, teach them to remember and memorize the math facts. Instruction and understanding first, then strategies to memorize. See what a difference this makes in your student’s attitude, confidence and ability to complete the task!

• Category: 2 Ladder addition and subtraction addition and subtraction facts Count by 2s Doubles in addition learning math facts math facts record-keeping Two Plus Two Is Not Five understanding what math facts mean using doubles addition word math word math problems
• Published Dated: August 19, 2014
• Written by: Susan

A few weeks before my granddaughter was coming to stay with us, I asked her what she’d like to do during her visit. Her mom encouraged her to tell me. Well, my mouth dropped when instead of hearing, “Go to the zoo, get ice cream, feed the ducks or play,” I heard, “Homework.”

“Homework?” I asked, thinking she had assignments from the kindergarten class she will start in September. Both my daughter-in-law and son replied that they wanted me to work on math facts with her, and to send her home with my book. Hmm, that was the first mention of this ever. I was pleased; okay, I was very very pleased!

Since my granddaughter could already mentally add and subtract easy math problems, mostly counting to get her answers, I knew she understood what the math facts meant. When she came, I tested her orally on some doubles, zero facts, and Number +1 and Number -1 facts to see which ones she could answer quickly, without having to count. Then I started her Math Facts Pack with only those “known” facts. I marked the Record-Keeping Checklist to show which facts she knew quickly, and then she did some written work in my workbook: Two Plus Two Is Not Five.

During the week that she was with me, she learned to answer the Number -1 facts or Backwards 1 facts quicker; the rest of the Doubles facts to 10 including the subtraction facts to go with them; the Right Next to Each Other Facts **; and I had time to introduce the 2 Ladder *** addition facts. Basically, she finished learning the facts in Tier 1 in Two Plus Two  Is Not Five. I gave her additional math fact cards to add to her Math Facts Pact as she learned new ones. I was pleased that she even liked to make up her own story or word math problems to go with a fact, sometimes getting into quite a long detailed story about them!

I picked certain rows for her to do in the workbook. Some facts were easy for her, so I had her skip rows. Also, since she is so young, only 5 ½ years old, she was not inclined to want to sit and do pages of math, and I didn’t expect her to! I had lots of fun stickers for her to choose from as she finished a row of math facts. She really enjoyed placing them on the pages and decorating the outside of the workbook! I kept several sharpened pencils ready for her to choose from. When we first started working, she formed most of the numerals incorrectly, so gradually I taught her the correct way.

Numeral 1: Down
Numerals 2, 3, and 7 all start the same way
Numeral 4: Down like an L, then another line down (Not like the one in this font.)
Numerals 0, 6, 8, and 9 all start the same way: Around like a C (6: Around like a C and in. 8: Around like a C to an S and up. 9: Around like a C to an O and then down.)
Numeral 5: This one is tricky. I like, down, around, and then go across at the top.

As she learned new facts, I gave her counters to show what the facts meant. I really like the Unifix cubes that Didax sells.

All in all, I absolutely loved working with my grandchild on something that I love teaching! Math facts are so important to doing just about anything in math, and just about everything in this world can relate back to math!

** Right Next to Each Other facts include: 10-9, 9-8, 8-7, 7-6, 6-5, 5-4, 4-3, 3-2. The answer for these facts is always 1.
*** 2 Ladder facts include: 2+4, 4+2, 2+6, 6+2, 2+8, 8+2. (Counting by 2s)

For more detailed information on how to work with your student, please email me and request my free tips. I will also attach the first 24 workbook pages from the book so you can try it out with your student!

• Category: Division Five Times Five Is Not Ten multiplication multiplication facts Ten Divided by Five Is Not Five word math problems
• Published Dated: July 29, 2014
• Written by: Susan

Many of the educational supply stores which sell my books have ordered the new division book, Ten Divided by Five Is Not Five. I encourage shopping in local stores, but if you don’t have one near you, you can order online at this site with a credit card or mail-in a check using the Mail-In Order Form.

I keep a running list of stores who order from me at the Longevity Publishing Facebook site.

https://www.facebook.com/LongevityPublishing

Ten Divided by Five Is Not Five: Using Multiplication to Make Division Easy has six sections of workbook pages to help students of any age become fluent with and memorize division facts. The 72-page workbook is designed to introduce division facts based on a student’s knowledge of multiplication facts. Practice pages include multiplication review, missing factor practice, two ways to practice division, mixed division and multiplication practice, and word math problems. The sequence in which the multiplication facts are covered in this book is the same as in Five Times Five Is Not Ten, and the two books can be used together. Included: How to Use This Book, a Guide to Introducing Division, worksheets for written practice, assessment pages, answers, record-keeping pages, and a certificate of mastery.

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: July 14, 2014
• Written by: Susan

LP 500 Ten Divided by Five Is Not Five: Using Multiplication to Make Division Easy can now be ordered here online, or you can choose to mail-in the order form and payment.

This reproducible workbook has 72 pages and introduces division facts with related multiplication facts. Try out the free sample pages! SAMPLE PAGES

We’ve also added book packages, or “bundles” to the BUY page.  Order two or more books to save money!

On the Book Page find out more about one of the books by clicking About the Book.

You can request the free tips to teach math facts, and the first 24 workbook pages from LP 200 Two Plus Two Is Not Five.