How to use Rocket Math

What best honors & motivates achievement?

Posted on by Dr. Don

Recognition for real, tangible accomplishments, that not everyone gets.

What makes for a great award, or great recognition that really motivates?  In the final analysis, recognition, like an olympic gold medal, is not about what you receive–it’s about how hard you worked to get it.  If students worked hard, and accomplished something real and tangible, then the recognition they are given, regardless of its form, will be valuable and meaningful.  A paper certificate given out by an adult that represents weeks or months of effort, an honest accomplishment, will be highly prized.  Those are the certificates that are posted prominently in the bedroom or on the refrigerator at home, because it was hard to get.

Remember that when you want to honor student achievement at the end of the year.  If you give awards to every student, then an award means little or nothing.  If on the other hand, students know they had to work and put forth effort to earn the reward, then it is a real honor.  Rocket Math has many built in landmarks of accomplishment that are great to recognize publicly.  Certainly completing an operation is one of the most commonly celebrated achievements.
Chase

This student’s teacher tweeted this picture of the student and his Rocket Chart, proving his accomplishment.  This is something to be really proud of, because it represents a real, tangible accomplishment.  Another accomplishment is when a student beats his or her individual best in two-minute timings.  Yet another tangible Rocket Math accomplishment is being able to pass two levels in one week or ten levels in a month!

What motivates students to try to achieve is knowing what has to be done and believing they can do it. This is another reason why recognizing real, tangible accomplishments works so well. If the other students can see what their recognized peer did and they understand what has to be done to get there, they are motivated to get some of that glory for themselves. Getting through Level Z of Rocket Math is something students know they can do, if they just keep working at it. It is hard to believe you will become Student of the Month, if you don’t know what the previous recipients did to achieve that honor. But if you know that working hard and practicing your math facts every day can get you there–then you can believe it is possible.

Can we use Rocket Math worksheets at home?

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A parent asks:

I am a parent of a second grader who struggles mightily with her math facts. Her school does not do Rocket Math, although other buildings in our district use your program. I would like to know if your math facts program is appropriate for me to buy to use at home with my daughter. Also, does the Rocket Math basic subscription contain the complete program that a classroom would get?

Dr. Don answers:

Yes, the Rocket Math worksheet program is appropriate to buy to use at home with your child. The basic subscription has everything a parent or classroom teacher needs to run the program. But…

That being said, a parent at home may want to consider using Rocket Math flashcards instead of the worksheets in the original Rocket Math program. Flashcards are designed for one-on-one where the worksheets are designed to run an entire class at the same time. You can download the Flashcard Directions for free–and I highly recommend you doing that, so you know exactly how to work with your child effectively to learn math facts from flashcards. I really like the watch-your-favorite-TV-show-together-and-do-flashcards-during-all-the-commercials plan.

If you are teaching your child math facts at home, you definitely wouldn’t want to work on more than one operation at a time; addition in first grade, subtraction next in second grade, multiplication in third, and division in fourth grade.

The practice procedures are very similar between the flashcards and the original worksheet program. In both cases the student is to read aloud the problems and say the answers from memory without hesitation. The person listening (tutoring) provides the same correction procedure–saying the correct fact and answer, having the student repeat the fact and the answer three times, then doing two more problems before revisiting the target fact (the one on which there was an error or hesitation). The difference is that in the worksheet program students are reading facts from the worksheet, while in the flashcard program the student is reading the facts off the flashcards.

With the worksheet program you will have to print out the worksheets, the writing speed test, the goal sheet and the rocket chart. Each time you give the student the one minute test (to see if they are ready to move on to the next sheet) you’ll use up that sheet and have to print a new one. When your student passes the set of facts on that sheet, you’ll need to print the worksheet for the next set. With the flashcards, no additional printing is required. That alone is reason to use flashcards in my mind.

There is one very special circumstance in which it might be important to use the original Rocket Math worksheets at home. If your child is using Rocket Math in school, AND if the program is not being run correctly, AND if your child is being frustrated–then you might want to get a subscription. Watch our YouTube video on how to tutor Rocket Math.

If you read the Rocket Math Directions FAQs, you will be able to discover what is wrong at school. It may be that not enough time is spent practicing, or practicing the right way. It may be that your child’s handwriting speed was not taken into account when setting their goals. It may be that your child’s student partner in school is not correcting errors or hesitations in the right way. In any case it would be very important to show your child that he or she CAN in fact learn math facts successfully (all children can) and to overcome the frustration that improper use of the program is causing.

So you can buy and use the original Rocket Math worksheet program at home, but think about whether flashcards would be easier than the worksheet program. Teachers can’t effectively use flashcards in their classrooms because they can’t monitor the learning of that many students at once without the testing procedure. But you can when you are home alone with one child at a time–so flashcards can work for you.

Engage Students in Rocket Math during schedule gaps at test times

Filling testing-created gaps in your schedule.

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Many schools are starting spring testing soon, and it wreaks havoc with the daily schedule. People outside education don’t really understand how much school schedules are disrupted by attempting to test everyone in the school on the available computers. Not to mention catching all the students who are absent during their assigned time. Disrupted schedules create small gaps in the schedule, which are hard to fill, even more so when not every student is present. Let me present an option to fill those small gaps–do Rocket Math! Here’s five reasons why you should.

1) By this time of the year, students know the Rocket Math routine, so it should not take more than ten to fifteen minutes to run, start to finish. So Rocket Math can fill small gaps.

2) Even if Rocket Math has been done once during the day, a second or even third session during the day will NOT harm students, it will actually help them progress faster. (As long as you have at least a half hour between sessions).

3) It is beneficial for the students in the room even when some students are out doing make-up testing. It won’t require you to re-teach a lesson.

4) In contrast to free reading or make work activities, which only fill time, students doing Rocket Math will be learning critical skills that are necessary for future success.

5) In contrast to the stress of the accountability tests, Rocket Math is something students know well and have success at. They know what they are doing and they see their growth. They know they are learning. This is a powerful antidote to the not-so-straightforward tasks, questions and expectations of the accountability tests.

I highly recommend keeping Rocket Math folders handy for filling those small gaps in the daily schedule caused by testing.

How to tutor with Rocket Math

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You can see this explained in our YouTube video here.

The first step in setting up a Rocket Math tutoring program is to make a folder for your student. Your Rocket Math subscription gives you access to our filing cabinet on the web. Open the Forms and Information drawer, look under Forms for Every Student and you’ll see the three forms you need. Print out the Rocket Chart and staple it on the front of a manila folder. Print out the Goal Sheet and staple it inside of the folder on the left. Print out the Individual Student Graph and staple it inside the folder on the right. Voila! You now have a student folder!

Next you must decide what operation you intend to teach to your student. Generally, begin with addition in first and second grade, and subtraction after addition is mastered. Starting in third grade multiplication has priority even if addition and subtraction are not mastered. Division comes after multiplication has been mastered.

Depending upon how well you know your math facts, it might be a good idea to make an answer key booklet. If you have two children working with each other, it is essential! You find a Practice Answers A-Z booklet under Answer Keys within each operation. Make the answer keys by printing out the PRACTICE ANSWERS A-Z booklet on a distinctive color of paper and stapling it into a packet.
Next, print out the writing speed test (found in the Forms and Information drawer under “Forms for Every student.”) Then on the first day, give this one-minute writing speed test. You are going to take the information of how many boxes completed from the writing speed test and transfer it to the goal sheet. On the goal sheet highlight the row with the student’s writing speed test results. That row gives you your student’s individualized goals for the 1-minute daily test.

Each day follow the same routine. Set up practice by getting out the student folder, which should have the right practice sheet for the day. Next, congratulate your student if they passed their previous set and let them color in the Rocket Chart for the level they passed. Now, you are ready to begin practicing. Have the student practice with you for two or three minutes followed by taking the one-minute timing. After the test, have the student fill in the date of this try on their Rocket Chart. Then evaluate to see if the student passed. If they had no errors and they met their individualized goal for the 1-minute timing (from the goal sheet) they passed. Then print the next lettered set from the website. If they didn’t pass, print the same sheet to practice again tomorrow.

Daily practice is what makes Rocket Math work. The daily practice is verbal practice, with the student reading the problems around the outside of the Rocket Math worksheet and then saying answers aloud from memory as they go for two to three minutes. By saying the whole fact and the answer aloud each time, the student strengthens their memory of the whole verbal chain. Eventually, they can’t help but remember it—just like a popular advertising slogan. The daily oral practice is what makes Rocket Math work, not the tests! The daily practice is corrected practice, and it is essential that the tutor either knows the answers or has the answer key packet on colored paper, and the packet is turned to the matching page. While the student is practicing, all hesitations or errors are immediately corrected by the tutor. Once a student has read the problem aloud they should have already thought of the answer, so no hesitation is allowed.

If the student hesitates or makes an error, the tutor follows a specific three-step correction or teaching procedure. (1) The tutor interrupts to state the problem and the correct answer, (2) the tutor has the student repeat the problem and the correct answer three times, (3) then the student backs up three problems on the worksheet to give it another try.

Four days a week the student and tutor follow the daily practice routine and do the daily one minute timing. Once a week the student should do the 2-minute timing. This monitors progress and the student should graph their weekly results on the individual student graph inside their folder. If this is trending upward it is proof that the student is learning.

Here are some interventions, for students who are stuck. Remember: these students don’t need anything different, they just need more practice! (1) Make sure the student is not stopping during the test to erase, or look at the clock, or count on fingers, etc. (2) Do another 2-3 minute practice session daily (or two!). This will help kids get “over the hump” if they are stuck! (3) Just make sure to have at least a 30-minute break between practice sessions. (4) Try having students orally practice the tests also! (Because the test facts are different than the practice facts.)

You can expect students to be able to pass each set within 2 to 5 days—if you’re doing everything right. It’s important that students start at the beginning of an operation and are practicing correctly by saying the whole problem and the answer every time. Tutors must be correcting hesitations as well as errors and individualized goals must be based on the Writing Speed Test. If students are taking longer than two to five days, make sure they get extra practice sessions daily. For more suggestions see our website.

Should second graders begin multiplication facts?

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Jen writes:
Hi Don,
I am a 2nd grader teacher and LOVE the Rocket Math program. Currently my students are on the addition and subtractions tests. I have had a handful of students pass addition and subtraction, but instead of moving them on to multiplication, I started them on an addition challenge (much higher goals). Not sure if that was a good idea, I just didn’t feel they were ready for multiplication. Do you suggest that 2nd graders do Rocket Math multiplication? Thank you for any help!

Dr. Don answers:
Hi Jennifer,

We have a couple of new options. You can use the Add to 20 program for your second graders who have passed all the subtraction worksheets. That will reinforce the single digit facts but also extend to the Common Core expectations that students would be fluent with combinations like 11+7 and 13+4. The worksheets of the Add to 20 program are part of the Universal subscription. I plan to get Subtract from 20 done soon, and I will also add that to the Universal subscription. So if you want to address those Common Core objectives, those two programs are things you can assign to 2nd graders who finish basic 1s-9s subtraction.

We also have another program, Skip Counting, that is part of the Universal subscription. That teaches students the count-by series, such as counting by 4s (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, etc) to 40, and 9s to 90. The skill of skip counting is a great transition to multiplication because students are essentially learning successive addition when they are skip counting. So Skip Counting would be a great program for second graders after subtraction, especially good for helping them get ready for multiplication.

As far as when to start multiplication, it depends on your students’ concept development. Before beginning to memorize multiplication it is important that students understand the process of multiplication and what it means. If they have done skip counting, successive addition and/or drawn arrays then they probably understand multiplication. Ultimately the best test is whether, given unlimited time, but no help, those students can figure out any single digit multiplication fact, such as 7 x 9. [Don’t ask an easy one like 3 x 4, as they might have learned that by heart already.] If they can figure out any multiplication fact successfully, then they understand the concept. If they cannot figure it out, then they need more conceptual work before starting to memorize multiplication. So the answer about whether second graders are ready for multiplication facts is not necessarily the same for all students.

Why not start with subtraction in 3rd grade?

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Julie asks:

Hi Don, My staff has a question about which operation to start with. In our district, we have data that shows students are struggling with subtraction. We really want to put emphasis on getting the subtraction facts memorized. What are your thoughts about 3rd grade starting with subtraction in the beginning of the year and switching to multiplication the second half of the year regardless of having completed Z in subtraction? Thanks!

Dr. Don answers:

Dear Julie,
Your teachers are right that a lot of students may not be fluent with subtraction facts. There are several reasons for that. And yes, it would be possible to start with subtraction in 3rd grade and then switch to multiplication as students finish, or by mid-year at the latest. But I would not recommend it because you will then have a problem with not every child getting through multiplication in 3rd grade, which results in a similar problem in fourth grade. What would be better would be to get every second grader fluent in subtraction facts before 3rd grade.

Why? It is important to understand the problem before specifying the solution. Students have trouble learning subtraction facts primarily because they have not achieved automaticity in addition facts first. And why aren’t they automatic in addition facts? Usually because they didn’t start early enough and work on addition facts long enough in first grade to get to automaticity with addition facts.

A second reason students don’t master subtraction during grade 2, happens when the school doesn’t keep track of folders from first grade. If students have to start completely over with addition in second grade, they don’t have enough time (if they are a child who needs a bunch more time to learn facts) to get through both addition and subtraction. They go slowly through addition again, and don’t get into subtraction until well after the middle of the second grade. So the first push is to try to get everyone passing subtraction in 2nd grade.

What you don’t want to do is start over again in subtraction in third grade and struggle through that all year and then not have enough time to master multiplication in third grade. Because multiplication facts are so important, it would be better to do the reverse. Start with multiplication in third grade–because it has priority–and then for those who finish multiplication allow them to “go on” to subtraction. It is much better to start fourth grade strong in multiplication facts (even if you still count on your fingers for subtraction) than to be a fourth grader who is strong in subtraction, but unable to answer multiplication facts!

How do students correct in Skip Counting?

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Principal Luebke writes:
Dr. Don,
We have some fast Rocket Math students at our school. We want them to keep working and improving all the time. I want some students to start the skip counting function. What is the correction procedure while practicing? Do the checkers say the next number is ___, start over? Thank you,

Dr. Don answers:
Great question! There should have been some special directions in the Skip Counting Drawer for teachers. I fixed that this morning. Here’s what I posted there.

How Students Should Practice SKIP COUNTING

Students should practice by saying the skip counting series in order from memory. They learn the harder series in parts, so they only have to say the part they are learning at that point. For example, in Set G students are to learn the first four numbers of the count by 9s which are 9, 18, 27, 36. When practicing in Set G, the checker says: “Count by 9s to 36.” [That’s exactly what it says on the little cloud at the base of the rocket, making it easy for the checker!] The student then says, “Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six.” Of course, in Set H the student says the 9s to 63, and then in Set I all the way to 81.
Saying series in the same order every time is very important as it creates the verbal chain. Eventually, after many repetitions, an amazing thing happens. Whenever the student starts to say the first part of the skip counting series the rest of the series will pop into mind unbidden. (I try to use the word “unbidden” at least once in everything I write – just because I can.) This automatic coming-to-mind is called “automaticity” and is the goal of practice.

The student should say the series in order without any hesitation. I really mean NO hesitation! Now I will say that a few different ways to prove that I am really serious. I want students to practice these series until they are as automatic as saying their name. If even a slight pause is needed to think of the answer, I want them to practice until it comes to mind without any effort at all. This will enable them (after these series are learned) to easily learn multiplication facts and go on to concentrate on the higher functions of math.

CORRECTION: Each time an error or hesitation is made, the helper/checker should follow the following correction procedure. It is really important to do this correction procedure. The correction procedure is part of that “secret important stuff” that makes Rocket Math work.
1. Helper states the whole series up to that number, for example: “Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty six.” (If the student has said the right answer but hesitated somewhere in the middle, the helper can confirm it by saying, “Yes, that was right, but you hesitated, so let’s practice that some more. Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six.”
2. After the helper says the series once, the helper and the student should say the series together twice. “Say it with me: Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six. And again, nine, eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six.” Then have the student repeat the skip counting series three times.
3. Go back and do the previous series [just one, not three!], which is enough so this series comes up again before the student forgets it. (Rinse and repeat as necessary.)

Note that this same correction procedure is to be used each time there is an error or hesitation. If the student hesitates again after they went back one series and started again, just repeat the correction procedure. Say it together twice, then three times without help, go back one series and start again. Repeat this practice until there is no hesitation. Extra practice on a series, to lock it into memory, is important work and should not be considered a bad sign. THAT is what we are doing here—LEARNING!!

How do you complete the Individual Student graph?

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Here are four examples of how to complete the vertical axis on the Individual Student Graph.

Amy writes:
I have a question about the Individual Student graph form. Can you send me example of a completed graph? I understand marking 10 points lower but the 0…5…..0…5….0…5 axis confused me.

Dr. Don answers:

Amy,
Here are some examples of how you would fill out the vertical axis of the Individual Student Graph depending on what the student’s starting score was on the Two-Minute Timings. The form says, “Set starting point of vertical axis at the nearest ten below the student’s first 2-minute timing (e.g., if first timing is 37, begin graph at 30, etc.).”

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then these four examples should make the procedure clearer. Thanks for asking for examples–which is often the best way to explain/teach something!

How can I get my 1st graders to practice in pairs effectively?

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Picture from a great blog Fun in First on blogspot

Ann asks:
Hello, Don.
I’m trying to get first grade teams on board with Rocket Math and would appreciate some tips for that grade level. I am very experienced with Rocket Math, but not sure how successful partner tracking is at grade 1.
Any tips?
Thanks so much.

Dr. Don answers:
Did you watch my YouTubevideo on how to teach your students how to practice?

You will need to model by being the student, and have a student model how to track, and how to correct errors and hesitations. Continue doing this in front of the whole class until the student does it perfectly and then enthusiastically praise that student for know how to be a “good checker.”
You need to choose other students and do that same modeling and practicing procedure. You’ll have to show them how to sit, how to hold the papers etc. Do this until every student can be a “good checker” and then practice some more.

You can then bring up pairs of students and have them model for the class how to sit, hold the papers, and practice and how to be a “good checker.” Praise them for showing everyone “how to be a good checker.” Then when you turn your class loose to actually practice in pairs you must circulate, listen carefully, praise and recognize being a “good checker.”

First graders can do paired practice and do it well. They just need more teaching.  Check-out the Fun-in-First blog above for more ideas on how to have first graders work in pairs.

Ann answers:
That was very helpful. Thank you. It’s exactly what we do to train fluency partners.

Don’t cause confusion: teach only one operation at a time.

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Don’t switch back and forth between all addition facts and all subtraction facts

Teachers often ask me if they can start Rocket Math and do both addition and subtraction at the same time–to help their students catch up quicker. No, don’t do it! It will cause special kinds of confusion (called proactive and retroactive inhibition) as students try to memorize the relationships among the numbers.

Students learning only addition for example, are learning one number family 5*3=8 and 3*5=8. So 5 and 3, no matter which order you put them, they go with 8. That’s pretty easy, no way to get confused. But if students are learning subtraction facts at the same time they have a lot more to remember. On top of learning which numbers go together students have to learn which operation is going on. They also have to remember that 5*3 is sometimes 8, and sometimes 5*3 is 2. And 8*3 is sometimes 11 and sometimes 5 depending on which operation is going on. Switching back and forth from addition to subtraction adds a layer of confusion. It does not make it impossible, it just makes it harder because it is a little more confusing. If you teach only one operation at a time students will find it much easier and they will learn faster and be more successful. That is what we want after all, right?

Can you teach through Fact Families?

Yes, you can. If students learn facts in families (3+2=5, 2+3=5, 5-2=3, 5-3=2) they learn the three numbers as a family.  They know if they know any two of the numbers of that family, then they can recall the third number.  This is a good way to learn facts.  Many teachers prefer it, so we offer it as an option in Rocket Math.  The only research I have seen on this showed that learning operations separately, first all addition, then all subtraction, was a bit more efficient than learning through fact families.  But there may be a benefit from learning in fact families that makes the fact that it is slower worthwhile.  That’s an open question.  Would make a great master’s study–especially since Rocket Math has both fact families and single operations available.  We have it in the Worksheet Program and the Online Game, so it would be easy to compare and students could be randomly assigned to the condition.