Master the Times Tables With Easy, Fun Stories
Kids will learn the entire times tables in 6 lessons with fun, easy to remember stories which were developed and refined over 30 years in the classroom. Children will be walked through the process of locking in these critical basic facts.
Darren Michalczuk
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(2)
What's included
6 live meetings
5 hrs 30 mins in-class hoursAssessment
Parents or guardians will be asked to give a pre-test and a post-test. It will be a sheet of simple math fact questions like 8 x 4 or 7 x 6. Depending on the ability and age of the student, both will either be 9 questions to answer in 90 seconds or 30 questions in 5 minutes. Giving similar tests before and after will give the student and chance to see how much they have learned. Adults simply hand the sheet to the child and give them the set amount of time to finish. Other than explaining that they write the answer to multiplication questions, no help can be given. Some students may not be able to answer any, which is 100% OK. This means the child simply writes their name at the top of the sheet with all the spaces left blank. Most likely in the pre-test learners will likely: -jump to ones they are able to answer like the 2's or 5's or sometimes 9's -count fingers or draw sets of lines or dots -get questions wrong by miscounting or swapping digits We expect in the post-test see learners: -answer all questions in order -get all answer correct -answer questions in less than 10 seconds.Class Experience
US Grade 3 - 4
Beginner Level
Master The Times Tables With Stories Students will learn the multiplication facts from fun, easy to remember stories. We start by learning the 'Magic Numbers', a set of images that represent the digits 1-9. These images will represent the numbers in a math fact like 6 x 7 or 8 x 4. The images have visual, auditory and kinesthetic connection to each number as well as a dominant color to make it easy to remember. A spider is the image for the number 8 because it has a body shaped like an 8 (visual), has 8 legs (kinesthetic) and it is black like all the other images for numbers that end with an 8. A tricycle is the image for the number 3 because it has handlebars shaped like a 3 (visual), has 3 wheels (kinesthetic) and is called a three-wheeler (auditory) and is red like all the other images for numbers that end with 3. Next we tell stories with these images. They are short, fun stories that change each time to include the students, their friends and their families. Making the stories personal makes them more memorable. Any family or friends included will only be referenced to by first name only. One story is about a crazy mom trying to kill a spider with a golf club and a window getting broken in the chaos. Another is about a girl and her friend stacking books on a baseball cap making a tower so tall that they fall over and break the windshield of a very expensive car. The students learn 9 stories each session, and 27 main stories in all for the larger math facts. For the remaining smaller facts including the 2's the students will learn even simpler stories plus strategies that help see natural patterns in numbers that will help them with addition and subtraction down the road. Once the students are familiar with the stories, they are walked through the process of finding the answer using the images. The script is the same for each story, which means each time they go through the steps they get faster. Here is what it might look like for the story about the girls stacking books: Q: What's the picture for the number 7? A: A book (It opens up like a 7 and is called 'The 7 Dwarfs'.) Q: What's the picture for the number 6? A: A baseball cap (it is shaped like a 6 from underneath and has 6 sections.) Q: What gets broken? A: The windshield of the car. Q: How many wheels does it have? A: 4 (so it's forty something...) Q: How many wipers does it have? A: 2, so it's 42. This process gets faster each time to the point where they 'just know' the answer. In many cases the writing can't keep up with the mind as the images and numbers come almost instantly. Each session will be guided by a PowerPoint presentation. I will tell each short story using still images to accompany each one. A story might sound like this: "Rebecca mom was in the kitchen when a giant spider crawled under the door and scared her. She tried to squish the spider with a golf club. She swung and missed the spider, but smashed the window of the house." These stories have been told a thousand times, each time adapted to include the names of the learners and their friends and families. The pictures that go with each question capture the entire story. They take less than 30 seconds to and are very to the point of what needs to be remembered. Many students have figured out the story just by looking at the picture. Here are the 9 stories for the 'Green Grid' for reference: Reading Storm Bike Thief Pizza Day Safety Shield Book Tower Dangerous Curve Ocean Star Book of Secrets Car Wash There will be a sheet for each section of learning with the 9 pictures in a grid for easy reference. The images for each number will also be on the edge of each page. Though it is interactive, it is guided toward the students mastering the times tables. Each student will do hand gestures (such as pretending to open a book or making the shape of a kite) for each step to show they understand and are working to remember the stories. The hardest part of doing a new method is staying away from ineffective ones like counting fingers or doing the 9's trick (which would be effective if it worked for each digit). If they haven't started to learn the times tables or struggle to do facts other than the 5's or 2's, then this is the best case scenario to start learning. If they are ready to work, they will do well, no matter what their ability in math so far.
Learning Goals
Students will learn the times tables and be able to answer questions like 8 x 4 or 6 x 7 in less than 10 seconds. Facts will be learned in 4 blocks of 9 questions each plus the 1's and 0's. Students will be given time to rehearse and repeat each math fact.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
The pre-test may cause anxiety. Explain that no one else will see the results, and it is simply a benchmark or marker to show where they are starting from.
Once they are finished, this sheet can be put somewhere until the class has been completed, at which point both the adult and child can look at how much progress has been made by comparing it with the post-test sheet.
The post-test sheet will be much easier and will likely be something that the learner wants to do to show their new found skills.
Supply List
I will be providing worksheet to print for practice of each section.
Language of Instruction
English
Joined November, 2023
5.0
2reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
I have a Bachelor of Education degree from University of Alberta with a major in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education.
I've taught over 30 years in the classroom both in Canada and in Australia as part of an exchange program.
Math as well as music, language and memory are topics I have presented at teachers' conventions including the following:
Christian Teachers' Convention
Palliser Teachers’ Convention
Mighty Peace Teachers’ Convention
Provincial Literary Convention
Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Convention
South Western Teachers Convention
Calgary City Teachers’ Convention
South Eastern Teacher’s Convention
Mighty Peace Teachers’ Convention
I have developed education resources including building apps for Apple, coding online programs for math, creating math games for math fact practice and developing other math resources for schools.
My students have achieved top placements at national math and memory competitions. Reviews
Live Private Class
$168
for 6 classes2x per week, 3 weeks
55 min
Completed by 3 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 8-11
