Counting-By introduces multiplication. Counting-by or skip-counting is, we believe, the best way to help students build their multiplication facts, and though they will live in an age of ubiquitous spreadsheets and calculators, they still need to have mastered their multiplication facts to do any interesting math in their heads. Here they learn to build rules …
The symmetry of the multiplication table around the square numbers diagonal we call commutativity or the commutative property. It means that in a 12 by 12 multiplication table we need only learn 72 or so facts and not 144. It also means that the square numbers are not the only important diagonal patterns in the …
Spreadsheets with their natural grid make a great, though not entirely flexible, platform for architectural design and for working with shapes. Build a house introduces students to using spreadsheets to create floor plans and to measure area. Most spreadsheets have amazing graphic flexibility. You may want to encourage students to use spreadsheets for art. Here …
Parentheses are not only important in paper math, they are critical in spreadsheets. To make sure that terms are handled properly by spreadsheets, we have to be sure we use parentheses to write our formulas so that there is no ambiguity. Associativity gives us the principle behind this grouping, for we ask which terms do …
From here on students can go in most any order they choose. They can start with addition or with multiplication. They should imagine themselves on an elevator able to go up or down anytime they want, to find interesting floors to explore. NOTE: The addition table, like the other tables, goes up and to the …
