Rocket Math Factors

After becoming fluent with division facts the best way for students to retain the knowledge of those facts is by doing division computation.  If students have not been taught division computation, this program breaks it down into small, easy-to-learn steps that are numbered in a teaching sequence that leaves nothing to chance.

Note that the number for each skill gives the grade level as well as indicating the teaching sequence.  Skill 3b is a 3^rd grade skill and after skill 3c 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 (4^th Edition) Pearson Education: Columbus, OH.

(3b) Dividing 1-digit divisor and quotient with remainder.

(3c) Division equation with ÷ sign; facts with no remainder

(4a) 1-digit divisor; 2- or 3-digit dividend, 2-digit quotient; no remainder.

(4b) 1-digit divisor; 2- or 3-digit dividend, 2-digit quotient; remainder.

(4c) 1-digit divisor; 2- or 3-digit dividend, 2-digit quotient with zero; remainder.

not yet completed levels–coming soon

(4d) 1-digit divisor; 3- or 4-digit dividend, 3-digit quotient.

(4e) 1-digit divisor; 3- or 4-digit dividend, 3-digit quotient with zero.

(4f) 1-digit divisor; 4- or 5-digit dividend, 4-digit quotient.

(4g) Rounding to the nearest ten.

(4h) 2-digit divisor; 1- or 2-digit quotient, all estimation yields correct quotient.

(4i) 2-digit divisor with incorrect estimated quotients.

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 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.

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These are the basic single digit Addition facts 1s through 9s. Each of the 26 levels, A through Z, introduces two facts and their reverses.  You can see in the picture above of Set B, I have outlined the new facts in red.

Students practice orally with a partner, reading and answering the facts going around the outside of the sheet.  The partner has the answer key.  Then the two students switch roles.  After practice everyone takes a one minute test on the facts in the box–which are only the facts learned up to this level.  Each student has individual goals based on writing speed, but no one can pass a level if there are any errors.   You must give the special Writing Speed Test to set individual goals for your students.

Students should be able to pass a level in a week, if they practice the right way.   To the right you can see the sequence of facts that will be learned in the Addition 1s-9s program.  The program uses the four forms–that can be found in the forms and information drawer.

The most succinct way to be introduced to this program is this 8 minute video.

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Dictating Sentences is spelling with a twist.  Instead of spelling one word at a time, in Dictating Sentences (now part of the Universal Level Rocket Math Worksheet Program) students are asked to write an entire sentence from memory.  They work in pairs and their tutor has the student repeat the sentence until it is learned.  Then the student has to write the whole sentence from memory.  It turns out this is considerably harder than writing words on a spelling test, so it is challenging practice, and does a lot to help students develop automaticity with spelling.

If you have to stop and think of the spelling of a word  while you are trying to write, it distracts you from thinking about what you are trying to write.  Students are more successful and better able to show what they know and better able to focus on learning when their tool skills have developed to the level of automaticity.

Daily practice develops automaticity.  Developing automaticity with math facts and with spelling requires a lot of practice.  Daily practice is best and a few minutes a day is optimal.  That is why Rocket Math is designed the way it is–to provide that daily practice.  So Dictating Sentences gives each member of the pair ten minutes a day of practice writing sentences composed of words they know how to spell.

Working in pairs.  As you know from Rocket Math practice, students enjoy working in pairs.  And when one partner has an answer key the practice can be checked and corrected.  Sound research shows that immediate correction and editing of misspelled words is the fastest way to learn the correct spelling, so that’s what we have the student tutor do.  After each sentence is written every word is checked and practiced again until it is correct.

Mastery learning. The program is structure so that all the words are learned to the level of automaticy.  Students keep working on a sentence until it can be written without any errors.  They work on the same lesson for as many days as is needed for them to spelling every word perfectly in all three sentences.  Each sentence persists for two or three lessons, so that the student is required to write it from memory and spell every word perfectly for several days in a row.

500 Most common words.  Dictating sentences systematically practices the 500 most common words that students need in their writing.  It includes all of Rebecca Sitton’s 400 Core Words.  It also includes the 340 words that children most need for writing according to writing researchers Harris and Graham.   When students know these words to the level of automaticity, they will be able to write fluently and easily.

Earning points by being correct and going fast.  Students earn two points for every word that is spelling correctly the first time.  Every word on which there is an error is worked on until it too can be spelled correctly, earning one point.  The faster students go during their ten minutes, the more points they can earn.  Students graph the amount of points earned and try to beat their own score from previous days.  Teams can be set up and competition for the glory of being on the winning team can enhance the motivation.

Individual Placement.  There is a placement test.  Students begin at the level where they first make a mistake.  Student partners do not need to be at the same level, so every student can be individually placed at the level of success.

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These are the rest of the Addition facts that the Common Core suggests that students be able to compute mentally such as 11 + 7, 4 + 13, and 16 + 3. These obviously build on the basic single digit facts such as 1 + 7, 4 + 3, and 6 + 3. Students should find these fairly easy to master but they still need some practice to commit them to memory. LOOK OUT! Because all the answers are two digits, the number of problems students can be expected to answer will go down!  You must give the special Add to 20 Writing Speed Test to set new lower goals for your students.  To the left you can see the sequence of facts that will be learned in the Add to 20 program.  Otherwise the program is exactly the same as the basic Addition Rocket Math program and uses the same forms–that can be found in the forms and information drawer.

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