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Add Login info for classes with csv file

Posted on by Dr. Don
Assign Subscriptions. The orange box on your dashboard shows the number “Unassigned Subscriptions” you have that can be assigned to students. You can give these subscriptions to students by using the blue + Import Students Logins From CSV button.
That page–the pop-up labeled “Import Student Logins From CSV” looks like this picture to the left.
Begin at #1 and click on “CSV template to fill in” to get a properly formatted starting point.
See the blank csv template to the right. You’ll enter the student’s first and last name, make up a username and a passcode for the student. Enter the code number for the learning track they will start in. You can change it at any time. Add the Teacher Mgr’s email if you wish to connect the student to a different teacher that you set up in your account.
Once you have completed the file, save it to your computer as a CSV file (it’s an excel file now, so you have to choose Save As and find Comma Separated Value -CSV in the list).
Now go back to the pop-up labeled “Import Student Logins From CSV” and do #2 Choose file and browse to the csv file you just saved and select it. Then go to the bottom of the page at #3 and hit the blue button that says “Parse CSV.”
After you hit “Parse CSV” you’ll see a list of your students. Scroll to the bottom and hit the blue button that says “Import Students.” Then they will be set up in the system.
If something goes wrong, you can use the red button on your Dashboard that says “Delete ALL students!” It is extreme, but it will clear out all of your student data, allowing you to start over and re-import.
If you have a bunch of trouble, send me your csv files and I will do the import for you. -Dr.Don

Fact Families (+ & -) for 1st and 2nd grade

Posted on by Dr. Don

Learn Fact Families to fluency with Rocket Math!

Fact Families Part Two  11 to 18 (add & subtract).  A fact family includes both addition and subtraction facts. This program is Part 2 of Fact Families, coming after Fact Families 1 to 10. You can see to the left the 18 examples of fact families taught in this program starting with Set A; 11-2, 11-9, 9+2, & 2+9.  The sheet shows the sequence of learning facts in the new Rocket Math  program Fact Families Part Two 11 to 18 (+, -).  Each set that students learn from A to R adds just one fact family to be learned, so it isn’t too hard to remember.  (That’s the Rocket Math secret ingredient!) 

Learning math facts in families, is gaining in popularity these days.  Logic suggests that this would be an easier way to learn.  However, the research is not definitive that this is easier or a faster way to learn facts than separating the operations and learning all addition facts first and then learning all subtraction facts.  But learning in fact families is a viable option, and I wanted to have it available for Rocket Math customers.

Part Two is a Best fit for second grade.  These facts come after the facts in 1 to 10, typically learned in first grade, so these are best for second grade.  The 25 fact families in 1s through 10s facts are just enough for one Rocket Math program.  It is a good and sufficient accomplishment for first grade.  With the 11 to 18 in Par Two for second grade there will be a lot of review.  In fact sets S through Z are all review. I have heard that some first grades prefer to keep the numbers small but to learn both addition and subtraction–so this program accomplishes that.

I added Fact Families Part Two 11 to 18 (+, -) to the Universal subscription in August of 2018 bringing the total number of programs in the Universal subscription to 19 (the basic four operations and 15 more!).  As always, new programs are added to the Universal subscription without additional cost as soon as they are available.

I most sincerely want students to be successful and to enjoy (as much as possible) the necessary chore of learning math facts to automaticity. Please give me feedback when you use this new program, Fact Families 11 to 18 (+, -),  as to how it goes for the students.

How to prepare students for math success–30 minute webinar

Posted on by Dr. Don

You may be interested in a webinar Dr. Don did recently with the folks at the Educational App Store in the U.K.  We discussed what is needed for children to have success in math–learning math facts to automaticity.  We also talked about how best to help children learn facts and therefore what is needed in an app to achieve that learning.

http://https://youtu.be/xzWS4c7NhaQ

Dr. Don Crawford, the author of Rocket Math and Justin Smith, CEO of the Educational App Store discuss

  1. What are math facts and why are they important for future math success.
  2. What happens when students haven’t memorized math facts.
  3. How can you best help students learn math facts.

https://www.educationalappstore.com/webinar/how-to-prepare-students-for-math-success

Webinar with Dr. Don: How to Prepare students for math success.

Posted on by Dr. Don

On Thursday May 3rd, the Educational App Store is hosting a seminar with Dr. Don, “How to prepare students for math success.”   Pacific time will be 8:30 AM, Eastern time 12:30 PM and London time will be 4:30 PM .

This 30-minute webinar focuses on the importance for future math success of developing fluency and automaticity with math facts and how to help students achieve it.

Dr. Don Crawford, the author of Rocket Math and Justin Smith, CEO of the Educational App Store will discuss

  1. What are math facts and why are they important for future math success.
  2. What happens when students haven’t memorized math facts.
  3. How can you best help students learn math facts.

Here is the link to register for the webinar.  https://www.educationalappstore.com/webinar/how-to-prepare-students-for-math-success

Improving the quality and/or the quantity of practice

Posted on by Dr. Don

If student progress slows you need to improve practice.

When students are seeing regular success in Rocket Math, when they see themselves progressing, they are motivated and want to do Rocket Math every day (if not more.)  This is how it should be.  Students love Rocket Math when the implementation is being done well.  If they start to complain about doing Rocket Math, then something is amiss.  You need to correct the implementation BEFORE that happens.

Students should pass a level in no more than 6 days.  There’s a reason there is room for only six “tries” on the Rocket Chart.  If any of your students are going beyond six “tries” without passing there needs to be an intervention. When students don’t pass regularly, when you don’t intervene to help that happen they get discouraged. Any student who is not passing in six days needs to either improve the quality of their practice or the amount of their practice–or possibly both.

 Intervene to improve the QUALITY of practice.

You can check on the quality by observing each student as he or she practices with the partner. Monitoring carefully during practice is the key! 

  • Is the student saying the whole problem and the answer aloud and loud enough for the partner to hear?
  • Is the partner correcting hesitations and correcting the right way?
See the top four questions on the Rocket Math 100 Point Observation form.  
  • You might have to change a struggling student to be paired with a more conscientious partner.
  • You might have to re-teach your class how they should be correcting hesitations- by requiring them to MODEL the correction procedures.
  • You may need to explain how important correcting hesitations is, and why it is helping your partner, not punishing him or her.
  • You might have to reward or recognize students who actually do corrections the right way with public praise or points or tickets, etc

Intervene to increase the QUANTITY of practice.

Some students need two practice sessions each day, what football teams call “2-a-days!”

If you see that students are practicing the right way, but still not making good progress, then they will need extra practice sessions.  Note that you can add the extra practice sessions without adding tests.  Just the oral practice is what is needed.  Don’t do marathon session though!  Unfortunately, you can’t just extend the time students practice much beyond three minutes per partner or they won’t stay on task.  But if you provide two or three sessions of three minutes in length during the day, the students will progress much faster.  Read “Motivating by creating success.”  Students who can get extra services from Special Education or Title personnel should get an extra practice session with them every day.
Note: Do an extra session where students can practice the test items (inside the box) orally as well.  This could make a big difference.
If students are succeeding and passing a level every few days, just the recognition of that on their Rocket Chart is plenty of motivation.  But when they aren’t passing they become discouraged.  Often teachers will change their rewards to boost motivation for passing levels in Rocket Math.  I think that’s great and we have a bunch of ideas on how to boost motivation. But, if students don’t think they can succeed it is very difficult to motivate them.  So your first thing to address is their level of success–by improving either the quality or the quantity of their practice.

***  Motivation is composed of the incentive and the belief that it can be done.***

How to reset your Rocket Math password

Posted on by Dr. Don

Four steps to get back into your account with a new password

There are 4 steps to get logged in if you haven’t done so since August 2017, or if your password doesn’t seem to work.  We have changed the look and location of the login screen.  You can access it from the top of the Rocket Math home page.

Step 1: Get to the login screen and click on “Reset Password.” 

You can click on “Teacher’s Subscription” on the blue bar, or hover and pull down to “Login,” or click on “Subscriber Account” on the orange bar.  All of them will take you to the “Login to your Account”  screen pictured here. (We had to change everyone’s password in August with the new system, so your old password won’t work, so step one is to change it.)
 The good news is all you have to do is click on Reset Password and it will take you to a screen where you can request a Password Recovery email.
P.S. You don’t even have to enter your email address on this screen–but you probably already did, so don’t worry about it.
  

Step 2: Request a password reset.


The Reset Password request asks you to tell the system where to send the Password Recovery email.  So fill in that box with your email address and then hit the button “Send me the Password Recovery email.”

 

 

 

Step 3: Open the email and Reset your Password.

Look for and open the Rocket Math: Password Recovery email.
You’ll get (pretty much instantly, so you don’t have time to go refill your coffee) an email entitled Rocket Math: Password Recovery that looks like this.  It gives you a link to go to a place where you can enter a new password.
 
P.S. Hint: This new system doesn’t know your old password, so you can use it again, which I highly recommend, if is is one you can remember.

Step 4: Go back to the “Login to your Account” screen and login.

Now you go back to the Rocket Math home page and click on “Teacher’s Subscription” on the blue bar, or hover and pull down to “Login,” or click on “Subscriber Account” on the orange bar.  All of them will take you to the login screen where you enter your email (as username) and new password.

How to access (get into) my Worksheet subscription

Posted on by Dr. Don

Access your Worksheet subscription by logging in where it says  “Worksheet Subscription,” (outlined in yellow.)  It will take you to the login page you are seeing here, or you can click this link now https://www.rocketmath.com/members/login.

If you can’t remember your password you can hit our handy “Reset Password” link (outlined in red) to change it.  That will ask you for your email.  After you enter it you can send yourself an email to change your password.

** Here’s a hint: we don’t mind if you “reset” your password to what you thought it was in the first place, even if that was what you had previously, we won’t tell you that you used that one already. In other words, you don’t really have to change it. 

If you still can’t get in, try the reset access button at the bottom of the page (outlined in green.)

Once you login you should be taken straight into the Rocket Math File cabinet (pictured to the right).  You can open drawers and print files right from here.  Note the drawers that are part of the Basic subscription are labeled in blue.  The red-labeled drawers are only accessible to those with a Universal subscription.

You can get to your account (to upgrade or renew or change something) by clicking on the “Subscription Manager” link (outlined in yellow).

Be sure to “Logout”  (outlined in red) when you’re done in the filing cabinet.

If your Rocket Math subscription has expired

Posted on by Dr. Don
What if your subscription to the Rocket Math “filing cabinet on the web” has expired?

If you are still using Rocket Math, please consider renewing your subscription now.  

 

I think subscriptions that renew automatically, even when you aren’t using them, are a rip-off, so we don’t use them.  With Rocket Math you will need to take action to renew your subscription.

If you can’t log-in to the page shown below, here is how to reset your password. 

How to Renew your subscription–in 2 steps.

1.  Click into the Subscription Manager page.

Once you are logged into your account you’ll see the blue header and in the center (outlined in yellow in the picture) you’ll see “Subscription Manager.”  Clicking on that will take you to your account page.

2.  Click on the Renew Subscription button. 

Your account page will look like this. The top bar has tabs including one to Renew Subscription.  Click on that and you can choose which type of  subscription you would like (Basic or Universal) and what size (individual, 3 teachers, 6 teachers or Whole School) and then choose your method of payment (credit card, PayPal, or Purchase Order).

 

 Thank you for your support.

Dr. Don

Rocket Math: Because going fast is more fun.

 

Learning subtraction computation–easily and confidently

Posted on by Dr. Don

In 18 easy-to-manage steps!

Rocket Math Universal Subscription now includes Subtraction–Learning Computation.

After becoming fluent with subtraction facts the best way for students to retain the knowledge of those facts is by doing subtraction computation.  If students have not been taught subtraction computation, Subtraction–Learning Computation breaks it down into 18 small, easy-to-learn steps that are numbered in a teaching sequence that leaves nothing to chance.  Even better the instructional materials include an assessment of all the skills in subtraction computation in order, so you can test the knowledge of the student(s) before beginning instruction to see where to start. You can use this assessment to find very specific “holes” in student skills and then have the exact problems and explanation to fill that hole.

Note that the number for each skill gives the grade level as well as indicating the teaching sequence.  Skill 3b is a 3rd grade skill and after skill 3g is learned the next in the sequence, skill 4a is best taught in fourth grade.  Minor changes have been made, but for the most part, the sequence of skills is drawn from M. Stein, D. Kinder, J. Silbert, and D. W. Carnine, (2006) Designing Effective Mathematics Instruction: A Direct Instruction Approach (4th Edition) Pearson Education: Columbus, OH.

(1b) Subtract from 2 digits; no renaming.

(2a) Subtract from 2digits; renaming required.

(2b) Subtract from 3 digits; borrow from 10s.

(3a) Subtract from 3 digits; borrow from 100s.

(3b) Subtract from 3 digits; borrow either place.

(3c) Subtract tens minus one facts.

(3d) Subtract from 3 digits; zero in 10s; borrow 10s or 100s.

(3e) Read and write thousands numbers, use commas.

(3f) Subtract from 4 digits; borrow from 1000s.

(3g) Subtract from 4 digits; borrow once or more.

(4a) Subtract from 4 digits; zero in 10s or 100s column

(4b) Subtract from 4 digits; zero in 10s column, 1 in 100s.

(4c) Subtract hundreds minus one facts.

(4d) Subtract from 4 digits; zero in 10s and 100s column.

(4e) Subtract 1, 2, or 3 digits from 1,000.

(4f) Subtract 5 and 6 digits with borrowing.

(5a) Subtract thousands minus one facts.

(5b) Subtract from a number with four zeroes.

For each skill there is a suggested Teaching Script giving the teacher/tutor/parent consistent (across all the skills we use the same explanation) language of instruction on how to do the skill.  My favorite part is the rule students are taught for when to borrow (often confusing for students): Bigger bottom borrows.  Simple, easy-to-remember and consistently correct.  The script helps walk the student through the computation process.  For the teacher, in addition to the script, there are answer keys for the five worksheets provided for each skill.

Each worksheet is composed of two parts.  The top has examples of the skill being learned that can be worked by following the script.  After working through those examples with the teacher the student is then asked to work some review problems of addition problems that are already known.  The student is asked to do as many as possible in 3 minutes—a kind of sprint.  If all is well the student should be able to do all the problems or nearly all of them, but finishing is not required.  Three minutes of review is sufficient for one day.

There are five worksheets for each skill.  Gradually as the student learns the skill the teacher/tutor/parent can provide progressively less help and the student should be able to do the problems without any guidance by the end of the five worksheets.  There are suggestions for how to give less help in the teaching scripts.

Learning multiplication computation–NEW program in Rocket Math

Posted on by Dr. Don

After becoming fluent with multiplication facts the best way for students to retain the knowledge of those facts is by doing multiplication computation.  If students have not been taught multiplication computation, this program breaks it down into small, easy-to-learn steps that are numbered in a teaching sequence that leaves nothing to chance.  Even better the instructional materials include an assessment of all the skills in multiplication computation in order, so you can test the knowledge of the student(s) before beginning instruction to see where to start.

Note that the number for each skill gives the grade level as well as indicating the teaching sequence.  Skill 3b is a 3rd grade skill and after skill 3e is learned the next in the sequence is skill 4a.  The sequence of skills is drawn from M. Stein, D. Kinder, J. Silbert, and D. W. Carnine, (2006) Designing Effective Mathematics Instruction: A Direct Instruction Approach (4th Edition) Pearson Education: Columbus, OH.

 

 

(3b) Multiplying 1-digit times 2-digit; no renaming

(3c) Multiplying 1-digit times 2-digit; carrying

(3d) Multiplying 1-digit times 2-digit, written horizontally.

(3e) Reading and writing thousands numbers, using commas.

(4a) Multiplying 1-digit times 3-digit

(4b) Multiplying 1-digit times 3-digit; zero in tens column

(4c) Multiplying 1 digit times 3 digit, written horizontally

(4d) Multiplying 2-digits times 2-digits.

(4e) Multiplying 2-digits times 3-digits.

(5a) Multiplying 3-digits times 3-digits.

(5b) Multiplying 3-digits times 3-digits; zero in tens column of multiplier.

For each skill there is a suggested Teaching Script giving the teacher/tutor/parent consistent (across all the skills we use the same explanation) language of instruction on how to do the skill.  The script helps walk the student through the computation process.  For the teacher, in addition to the script, there are answer keys for the five worksheets provided for each skill.

Each worksheet is composed of two parts.  The top has examples of the skill being learned that can be worked by following the script.  After working through those examples with the teacher the student is then asked to work some review problems of addition problems that are already known.  The student is asked to do as many as possible in 3 minutes—a kind of sprint.  If all is well the student should be able to do all the problems or nearly all of them, but finishing is not required.  Three minutes of review is sufficient for one day.

There are five worksheets for each skill.  Gradually as the student learns the skill the teacher/tutor/parent can provide progressively less help and the student should be able to do the problems without any guidance by the end of the five worksheets.  There are suggestions for how to give less help in the teaching scripts.