Multiplication Fluency is Music to My Ears

Every teacher knows how critically important fact fluency is. If you don't have a solid foundation of multiplication facts, you are going to seriously struggle to function in 5th-grade multi-digit multiplication and beyond.  As a kid, repeated times tests and flashcards just didn't help me AT ALL! My energetic 8-year-old self-needed something much more fun and a lot less stationary. So, memorizing School House Rock Math Songs was how I learned many of my time's tables (3's and 8's were my favorites). Oldies are still goodies in my book but today there are loads of other multiplication songs and raps out there. Mr. DeMaio has some fantastic choices, as does Numberock, both of which have channels available on Youtube.  If kids can sing out a song in their heads they can jot down the times tables onto their scratch paper faster than you can say "multi-step/multi-operational word problem". If they practice this enough, those facts start to burn into their long-term memory. 

There are other fun ways to master multiplication. The nifty 9's finger trick is an excellent quick reference for 9x1 through 9x10. Recently, I found another finger multiplication strategy for 6-10.  My gifted kids were blown away but my struggling students had smoke coming out of their ears, so use your discretion.  Not every strategy is a perfect fit.  Find what's right for your kids and then give them permission to master it.  The more they practice the better they will get.  

To help my students along in this process, I compiled all of these tried and tested songs and strategies into a Tes Teach and uploaded it to my google classroom. Here it is  https://www.tes.com/lessons/xo_zAtNfNL8scg/multiplication-strategies.  It's a great way for students to practice when they have a few extra minutes between assignments or even to review at home.

For speedy multiplication mastery, I highly recommend the online math program, Reflex.  Not only does it provide mini-lessons for students to review fact families that need additional practice but it takes the facts that students need to work on and plugs them into interactive games that students love to play.  As students make milestones, they open the door to other games and earn items for their little avatar. 

Play-learning is the most engaged learning! Never before have I seen such enthusiastic fact fluency practice than when I use Reflex in my classroom.  Here is the link. https://www.reflexmath.com/ The Reflex Educator Grant is a wonderful opportunity to see how very effective this program is and is a snap to apply for. My students loved it and grew their fluency through the roof. But don't just take my word for it.  Browse the site and get the FACTS for yourself! (SO terribly cheesy, I know...but I just couldn't resist). 

Tes Teach

Hello, Teacher Peeps! 

The purpose of today's post is to sing the praises of Tes Teach! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Tes Teach, it is an online resource that makes digital lesson creation easy, fast, and fun! The price tag fits perfectly into every teacher's budget: FREE!  Tes Teach is an absolute go-to tool for all subject areas in my classroom.  It helps me to bank resources from various websites, aiding in my lesson planning while simultaneously keeping up with my ADHD channel changes. 


For each of my Tes Teach lessons I create, I incorporate multiple graphics, songs, videos, a text to read on the subject, interactive online "plearning" game practice, and a quiz.  I can upload assignment directions, PowerPoints, and word documents too.  These Tes Teach Lessons coincide with interactive Powerpoint presentations, interactive notebooks, hands-on activities or demos, and text that I use in my classroom during whole group instruction. 

Students love Tes Teach because once we have covered a topic in class, I upload the Tes Teach Lesson into Google Classroom. Here, students have the opportunity to use it like a personalized menu of knowledge, choosing which songs or videos or text they want to review to reinforce the concept we just covered in class.  This allows students to focus on their particular learning style, setting them up for optimal knowledge retention.  Tes Teach lessons are also great tools for parents who are struggling to help their child with concepts at home. Imagine the power just one lesson creation can have! My Thermal Energy Tes Teach alone has had over 1,400 views. Check it out here: Thermal Energy Tes Teach  
Lesson prep, differentiated instruction, homework helper, study guide, parent guide-Tes Teach covers it all. Plus, you can use it as your own personal resource for years to come.  Now that, my friends, is well worth your precious time! 

Happy Teaching! 
Jamie 

Unit Poem Measurement Math Mnemonic

Well, hello there! I've got another math mnemonic for you and this one is a whopper (meaning it is helpful, not a fast food product) 

This mnemonic was a student request. My 5th graders wanted a “chant with motions” to help them memorize as many units of measurement as possible. This mnemonic includes time, distance, capacity, and weight for both metric and customary units of measurement. Intermediate aged students love the challenge this mnemonic creates by combining this poem with motion in a fast pace, rap-like, tongue twister. 

(Think "Go Noodle" with "Dr. Seuss" flair).

I staple copies of this poem to my students’ interactive math notebooks, which they reference throughout the year. You can purchase the Unit Poem from The Flying Pig Teachers Pay Teachers Store
Here is the link: Unit Poem Mnemonic  

This product includes a condensed page for teachers, a poster for students (for classroom display and/or an interactive math notebook resource), and a script for teachers to explain mnemonic motions to students. 

This Flying Pig YouTube video shows you how the Unit Poem motions are done. 

Remember,  MOTION IS ESSENTIAL! Movement increases oxygen and epinephrine flow to the brain, captures student focus, grows brain cells, and enhances cognitive processing.  My intermediate aged students  love to see who can get all the motions and the words correct in the fastest time.  The more you practice the better you get! 
"And you will succeed? Yes you will indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed)"-Dr. Seuss
                                    Challenge Yourself! Growth is fun! -The Flying Pig

Customary Units of Length Mnemonic

Howdy-do! Today, I am sharing my Customary Units of Length Mnemonic with YOU!

Memorization of Customary Units of Length is always a struggle for my students. This mnemonic helps students practice length measurements and gives them a resource they can bring with them wherever they go-themselves! (Now isn't that hand-y?) 

Each body part that is referenced is close to the distance named (inch, foot, yard). Although not perfectly accurate, it provides a great visual comparison of about “how far” that distance would be and is useful for identifying reasonable units of measurement-something that surprisingly many students struggle with. Because it is too long of a distance to show a mile, jogging in place reminds students of a “really long distance” they have to run in gym. 

You can purchase Customary Units of Length Mnemonic  at The Flying Pig TPT store. 
This product includes a condensed page for teachers, a poster for students (for classroom display and/or an interactive notebook resource), and a script for teachers to explain mnemonic motions to students. 

Here is The Flying Pig YouTube video explaining what the Customary Units of Length Mnemonic looks like in awesome action (even though the thumbnail looks like I am about to slap the camera in the face, I promise no cameramen or electronics were harmed making this video.)  

 So run like a happy, mile trotting tomato and try this with your students, kids, or unsuspecting someone struggling with customary units of length. Mnemonics are most effective when repeated seven times in an initial lesson and then reviewed every day throughout a unit. If you see it, hear it, do it, and repeat-you will remember it.  

It may seem silly, but I guarantee it will stick and prove useful when they least expect it!  

-The Flying Pig

Unit Conversions-Big to Small Math Mnemonic

Greetings fellow teachers, students, parents, and any other random person who might have come across this blog by accident! 

Today, I am going to be talking about The Flying Pig's Unit Conversions-Big to Small Math Mnemonic. 

It is difficult for students to know whether to use multiplication or division when they have to convert different units. By identifying which unit is smaller or larger, it makes it easier. If you are converting larger units to smaller units, you multiply. For example, if I am converting 5 years into months, I would identify that years are larger than months-”Big to Small, Times them All”. So, I would multiply 5 and 12 (because there are 12 months in a year) and get 60 months. 

The opposite is true for converting small units to large units. For example, if I am converting 24 inches into feet, I would recognize that inches are smaller than feet –”S to B, Divide with Me.” I would divide 24 inches by 12 (because there are 12 inches in a foot) and get 2 feet. 

This mnemonic is an especially helpful resource for students struggling with word problems. Let's face it, word problems get a bad wrap because they "can fry kids' brains into cinders" if the proper problem solving strategies aren't in place. Let's give them all the tools they need to be successful.  If we take the mundane out of learning and add in the magic of motion we can mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo mathematics into a fun, brain cell growing experience that goes way beyond midnight.  (No fairy godmother's necessary!)

You can purchase  The Flying Pig Unit-Conversions-Big-to-Small-Math-Mnemonic on TPT. 

This product includes a condensed page for teachers, a poster for students (for classroom display and/or an interactive notebook resource), and a script for teachers to explain mnemonic motions to students. 

This Flying Pig YouTube video shows how the Unit Conversions-Big to Small mnemonic looks in full motion. 

REMEMBER, MOTION IS ESSENTIAL! Movement increases oxygen and epinephrine flow to the brain, captures student focus, grows brain cells, and enhances cognitive processing. Mnemonics are most effective when repeated seven times in an initial lesson and then reviewed every day throughout a unit. If you see it, hear it, do it, and repeat-you will remember it. Most importantly, IT MAKES LEARNING FUN!

Have a happy day! -The Flying Pig

The Importance of Motion

This Summer I read the book, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School by John Medina. What a fantastic resource for educators! 
For years, I saw firsthand the benefits of an "out of your seat" approach to learning. Brain Rules provided the scientific evidence that supports my teaching style. Multi-sensory movement, music, and mnemonics filled lessons are great ways to engage students and are highly effective in transferring content into student long term memory. 

What really stuck out the most was how important movement is. Motion is essential!  Not only does it signal to the brain that you are awake and ready to learn, movement increases oxygen and epinephrine flow to the brain, captures student focus, grows brain cells, and enhances cognitive processing.  If you see it, hear it, do it, and repeat-you will remember it. Most importantly,  it makes learning fun! 

In this blog post, I would like to share with you a resource that I added to my Teachers Pay Teachers Online Store, The Flying Pig. This Metric Units Math Mnemonic Resource is available for free and uses the King, Henry, Died, (Base), Drinking, Chocolate, Milk mnemonic to remember metric units of measurement.This mnemonic has been around as long as I can remember. My teachers first shared it with me in the early 1990s, or as my daughters would say, way back when pants were baggy and hair scrunchies ginormous.  I tweaked the mnemonic a bit and added the fun element-motion. 

King, Henry, Died-, helps students remember kilo-, hecto-, deca-, Base is a reminder that any metric unit (grams, liters, or meters) can be placed in this space to represent 1.  Drinking, Chocolate, Milk- is the reminder for deci-, centi-, mili-  metric units. To help students remember the difference between deca- and deci- we remember that a comes before i, so deca- is the first D in this mnemonic.

This is what the poster looks like that we use in class and in our interactive notebooks. 

Available for Free on The Flying Pig Teachers Pay Teachers Store!

I also created a Youtube video to show this mnemonic in action. It is simple but effective.   

 I hope this post proves helpful to both teachers and students. By adding just a touch of "out of your seat" you can make all the difference for your students.  

Have Fun!-The Flying Pig