Think Like a Scientist.Practice Like an Athlete.

A guide for students.

Contents

.........................................................Think Like a Scientist Page 2....................................................Practice Like an Athlete Page 3

............................Set Goals and Demonstrate Progress Page 4........................................................................Affirmations Page 5.......................................................................Grit or Quit? Page 5

..........Build and Strengthen a Home Practice Routine Page 6

Girls and boys, Take the 7-Day Challenge. You can do every step on your own.

We live in a world of numbers. Math is not just a subject in school, it’s part of life. If you learn basic facts well now, math will be easier and more enjoyable for the rest of your life.

The minutes you spend practicing each day will save hours of time on assignments and homework. You will have the power to get better at anything you choose.

Go over each page. If you do not understand something, read it again.Take your time. Think. If you are not sure what to do, try something. Give it your best shot. It’s better to try it yourself, and make a mistake, than to not try at all.

You can learn how to study. You can learn how to practice.You can learn how to build and strengthen a home practice routine.

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Contemplate: Ask good questions:• Is this fact close to a fact I already know?• Is there a strategy I can use to recall this fact? (9s Rule, Doubles + 1)• Can I make up a story about this fact using information from my research?• Can I get ideas from the ready-made Fluency Flaps in the library, or from my friends’ flaps?

* Facts are all around us. Examples:• A cup has eight ounces. A quart has 32 ounces. There are four cups in a quart.• A week has seven days. February has four weeks (when it’s not a leap year). February has 28 days.• In football, a field goal is worth three points. If you get seven field goals, you score 21 points.• 12 is a dozen. If you use three eggs in each, you can make four omelets.• In 1958 our flag had 48 stars. Eight columns, six stars in each column. (Alaska and Hawaii became states in 1959)

Your printed and folded flashcards open like a book. You can add clues to the inside.When practicing, if you do not know the answer, you can open the card and look at one or more of the clues. Draw your own pictures orget them from magazines or online.

Make an extra copy and tape it to the wall.Tape the card on the left side. You can choose to open thecard and see the clues, or flip it, and check your answer.

Making clues and using them will help you understand the fact,and that will help you to remember the answer. Put your flaps in places where it’s easy to review them often.Examples: • Where you brush your teeth. • The fridge. • Your bedroom door. • By your bed.

* See other Fluency Flaps in The Math Fluency Free Resource Library at studysmart.com.

Think Like a Scientist: Observe, Research, Contemplate, Compare, Contrast, Apply

* WARNING Before using flashcards to practice, get to know the numbers and the facts.

Identify two facts you do not know. Print flashcards for them.Examine these facts like a scientist.Google each number. Also google the answer (sum or product).Example search: What are some things that come in groups of six?Search for facts in your home, and in the things you like most.*

4 cups of milk 3 x 7 = 21Add one more 7.

7 x 4 = 28Add one more 4.

37+

73+

3 + 7 =

7 + 3 =

Tapehere

Page 2

Practice Like an Athlete

Each time you go through the cards, you learn them better.

Three Common Mistakes When Using Flashcards

1) Counting. Counting prevents you from learning.

2) Failure to check the answer. Turn the card over and tap the answer.

3) Not taking enough time to think, before answering, and after an incorrect answer.

When you have gone through all the cards, shuffle and repeat.

1) Stay focused. Get good at dealing with distractions. 2) Stay positive. Use self talk.3) Be OK with making mistakes. Learn from them.

Using flashcardsUse flashcards for facts you already understand.

Never count.

Focus on the card.Think of how you know the fact. Take your time.

If you have a guess, go with it. It’s fine if you are not correct.

If you have no idea, and you are using Fluency Flaps, look at a hint.

If you were correct, confirm it to yourself. Yes, 5 + 7 = 12. It’s like (5 + 5) + 2.

Good self-talk includes: 1) a Yes! 2) Say the question and answer. 3) State how you know. If your answer was not correct, review your hints and strategies.

If you have not made a Fluency Flap, consider making one for this fact.

Page 3

Demonstrate ProgressWhen first learning facts, you study them like a scientist.When practicing with flashcards, you take time to think, and make connections.Each time you practice, you learn the fact better, and can answer faster.By the end of the week, you can time yourself.

Players begin at the starting line, run to the table, answer a question, run back to the starting line, and repeat.

Distance from starting line to answer table: 10 feet.

47+

74+

4 +

7 =

7 +

4 =

The Math Facts Mad Dash: A relay race with math facts.

How will you perform under pressure?

Practicing helps in two ways.1) You learn to focus better.

2) The more prepared you are, the less you feel the pressure.

Welcome the opportunity to demonstrate your progress under pressure.

Measure your progress

Correct Pile

Use this self-test to discover which facts you know, and which facts you still need to learn.

Look at a card, tap it three times. If you do not know the answer, after three taps, or if your answer is not correct, put it

in the Incorrect Pile.

If you answer correctly right away, put the card in the correct pile.

Incorrect Pile

56+

65+

5 + 6 =

6 + 5 =

66+

66+

6 + 6 =

6 + 6 =

46+

64+

4 + 6 =

6 + 4 =

59+

95+

5 + 9 =

9 + 5 =

55+

55+

5 + 5 =

5 + 5 =

Measure your progress

Correct Pile

Use this self-test to discover which facts you know, and which facts you still need to learn.

Look at a card, tap it three times. If you do not know the answer, after three taps, or if your answer is not correct, put it

in the Incorrect Pile.

If you answer correctly right away, put the card in the correct pile.

Incorrect Pile

56+

65+

5 + 6 =

6 + 5 =

66+

66+

6 + 6 =

6 + 6 =

46+

64+

4 + 6 =

6 + 4 =

59+

95+

5 + 9 =

9 + 5 =

48+

84+

4 + 8 =

8 + 4 =

55+

55+

5 + 5 =

5 + 5 =

Measure your progressUse this self-test to discover which facts you know, and which facts you still need to learn.

Look at a card, tap it three times.

If you do not know the answer after three taps, or if your answer is not correct, put it in the Incorrect Pile.

If you answer correctly right away, put the card in the Correct Pile.

Do the dash on your own, with a friend, or with your parents.Exercise sends blood and oxygen to the brain. Get in shape while practicing.Challenge: Answer eight facts correctly in less than 60 seconds.See the article in our library, The Math Facts Mad Dash. (studysmart.com)

Measure your progress

Correct Pile

Use this self-test to discover which facts you know, and which facts you still need to learn.

Look at a card, tap it three times. If you do not know the answer, after three taps, or if your answer is not correct, put it

in the Incorrect Pile.

If you answer correctly right away, put the card in the correct pile.

Incorrect Pile

48+

84+

4 + 8 =

8 + 4 =

56+

65+

5 + 6 =

6 + 5 =

66+

66+

6 + 6 =

6 + 6 =

46+

64+

4 + 6 =

6 + 4 =

59+

95+

5 + 9 =

9 + 5 =

55+

55+

5 + 5 =

5 + 5 =

Page 4

Grit or Quit?

Will you continue to practice on your own?Will you get better at focusing?Will you become an expert at getting better?Learn how to strengthen your practice routine.

See failure as a step towards success.Quitting is the only way to lose.If you quit now, what happens the next time you face a challenge?

Affirmations are PowerfulPost affirmations. Affirmations are short, empowering statements. Repeating these statements can help you develop a positive outlook on math and practicing. Write your own.

Review affirmations right before practice. There are two keys to consider when writing an affirmation:

1) Be positive.I focus and concentrate when I practice is better than I do not get distracted.

2) Present tense.I am learning math facts every day is better than I will learn math facts.

Example Affirmations

Every day after dinner, I focus on learning math facts.When I make a mistake, I learn from it.Every day I get better at focusing.I find it satisfying to practice well, and get better.

Write an essay about your experience.Write a short essay. Be prepared to read it in class. Consider these questions.

Which facts did you study and learn during the seven days?

How did you use Fluency Flaps?

What have you learned about focusing and practice?

What have you learned about using flashcards?

What have you learned about positive self-talk and practice?

Write about a time you made a mistake, and you learned from it.

Will you continue to practice? What other skills would you like to develop?Page 5

Designate a place to keep your practice materials.Use an alarm as a back-up.

Strengthen your routine.You can use your practice routine to master math facts.Then you can use it to improve your soccer skills, learn to play the guitar, anything.Here are some things you can do to strengthen your practice routine.

Practice right after dinner.

Start with just three minutes. You can add more time later.

Never miss two days in a row. Post a Weekly Goal Chart

Your Practice Routine

__________________________________________________________________Name:

_____________________________________________________When do you practice?

_____________________________________________________Where do you practice?

_____________Back-up alarm device:_________________________ What time is set for?

______________________________________Where do you keep your practice materials?

______________________________________________________Describe your routine:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

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