Math U See-Gamma Question

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  • August 19, 2016 at 7:45 am
    Michelle
    Participant

    I have no idea why I haven’t asked here already. (Before all the blood, sweat, and tears.)

    My daughter is a few lessons from finishing up Gamma. The multi-digit multiplication problems are taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R. We took a break over the summer and reviewed for a week before starting back into problems like 354 x 21 or 1062 x 36. We’ve spent this week just doing 5 minutes worth of math drills. (I generate a worksheet and she does 25 problems in 4-5 minutes of basic multiplication.)

    She does have an attention problem. She gets distracted by everything during math. IF she is focused, has anyone handled the multi-digit multiplication in a different way than laid out by MUS? Maybe a more CM style… 20 minutes and done. I would be all for that if she wasn’t distracted. Maybe she should save math until I can be there to remind her to be focused?

    TIA!

    August 19, 2016 at 12:38 pm
    Threekidsmom
    Participant

    If it makes you feel better-I have used MUS w/ all my children all the way through high school and every single one of them gets stuck on multi-digit multiplication in Gamma. To be honest, it was hard for me to “see” the way they explain that concept as well, since I was taught differently. My teachers really didn’t care if I could see why/how a concept worked-they just wanted me to know how to work the problem. I showed my kids how I was taught and let them choose. I would also add-I called MUS a lot during Gamma and they were wonderful about walking through concepts with me.
    About the distraction factor, if she actually grasps the concept and knows how to work the problems, and you just want her to practice, then maybe try cutting down on the number of problems-I often have my kids just do the odd numbered problems on a page.

    August 19, 2016 at 1:09 pm
    Tristan
    Participant

    A few things that have helped my kids at that stage (4 kids have gone through it with 5 more to go):

    1. Pull out lined paper and turn it sideways so the lines go up and down. Write the problem with each digit between lines. The only thing this does is force a child to keep numbers in their own place. It made a huge difference for two of my children, who kept putting numbers above the wrong column, etc.

    2. Just ignore doing it any strange to you way (like place value multiplication). Just show them the simplest way possible. Ex: 354 x 21 would have 1×4, 1×5, 1×3. Write each answer in the right column. Then put a zero below the 4 because that row is finished since the 1 had a turn to multiply with everyone in the top row. Now you do 2×4, 2×5, 2×3, etc. Those end up in the tens, hundreds, and thousands spots because you already put a 0 in the ones place. Add them up.

    3. Cross off half the problems on the page! If they can do their multiplication facts well then multiple digit multiplication isn’t about learning to do multiplication facts, it’s about learning where to put each number when you do the simple multiplication facts you already know. 😉

    4. Move on to a new lesson, just have them do 1-3 of these type of problems regularly for a while so they stay fresh.

    August 19, 2016 at 1:45 pm
    Michelle
    Participant

    Thank you! Both answers are very useful. I think by having her do odd numbers or crossing some off, she won’t be so overwhelmed either. A lot of her mistakes are simply forgetting to add what she’s regrouped back in. She knows to do it, but may just forget on occasion.

    Thanks again!

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