I’ve lots to say about the flurry of ongoing excitement over Multiplication Facts, as they were, but as long as they continue to torment and elude many a young person (and older person, come to think of it), I shall continue to look for ways to make it a smoother ride.  The other day in the course of perusing my favorite algebra text, I came across a very old book that might do just that for some with a sense of humor and/or a taste for the old-fashioned.  (I’m never sure what “old-fashioned” refers to, but I’m quite sure that this qualifies.)  It’s called Marmaduke Multiply’s, and as far as I can tell it was originally published in 1841.  It’s been reprinted several times since, as demonstrated by the fact that you can order a copy for which you’ll be asked to pay anywhere from $.01 to $209.99.  To get a taste of it, and read about the pages that were modified along the way, have a look at Google’s book search.

Enjoy…

I was recommending a couple of math books today and realized that Marilyn Burns’* The I Hate Mathematics Book and Math for Smarty Pants make a good team.  The material is similar - offers a wider view of math than many publications and party lines - but the titles invite their readers to adhere to much different attitudes and standpoints about the whole business.  I don’t tend to encourage people to go around saying they hate math, but for those who are already saying it, or things like it, The I Hate Mathematics Book is a good way to find out otherwise.  A pairing with Math for Smarty Pants offers an opportunity to play with the love/hate relationship math can inspire, but also to inspire all kinds of intelligence and brilliance.

* Marilyn Burns is actually one of three authors on The I Hate Mathematics Book (Linda Allison and David Weitzman are the other two); I used her name there not to be disrespectful to the other two but because she’s well-known for other related work.

I hung on to a daily math practice book from my last classroom teaching job, and it’s proven a good keep.  It’s published by Great Source, and is set up as a quick review for a range of math concepts (place value, fractions and decimals, etc.).  It’s called Practice Counts, and comes in several different grade level versions.  (It can be tricky to find - it’s available on amazon but you have to check with the vendor to be sure you’re getting the level you want; you can also order it through a retail store.  The publisher only sells them several at a time.) Read more

The title of Key Press’ Mathercise series is as accurate as could be – every page is exercise for the math brain. The pages contain three problems each – one reasoning, one solving, one sketching. As with other Key Press materials, the book doesn’t seem to put off students by crowding too much on a page. I’d love to see even more variety in the nature of the “solve” questions, but for keeping minds in shape for math, it’s great as is. (Key usually offers sample pages with their product descriptions, but they don’t have one posted for Mathercise. I called and asked to see a sample page, and they sent me one by email.)

There are five titles in the series, starting with a pre-algebra/algebra level and finishing with a book intended for use with advanced algebra and pre-calculus students.

You can get it right from Key Press or from amazon…