Multiply and Divide with Sticks and Steps
Teach This Easy Method in Just 5 Minutes
Author: Maureen Stearns, B.A., M.S.
96 pages, Trade paperback, line illustrations throughout, For ages 5 and up, 8.25 x 11
ISBN: 978-0-9726908-5-0 $14.95
Pub Date: January 1st, 2011
Published by: Enrichment Books
Distributed by: Available at bookstores,
Amazon and
online.
As a Special Education teacher I am often faced with math difficulties, in both the students and parents. I implement a home letter to inform the parents what is going on in the classroom and a bit of review on topics that we will come across in case they (the parent) need help! Trust me, this is important! If you have a little one who is just starting school ask the teacher for a parent letter - especially if the district is using a set math curriculum.
Sticks and Steps is a great book to have in the classroom and to have as a parent! I always implement Math Facts, which allows me as a Special Education teacher to track the students progress with addition/subtraction and multiplication/division. You would be surprised how many student do not understand multiplication when they encounter it in school, even HS students! It is scary at first for a teacher, but for me it is a beginning. It allows me to set my own goal for that student - "By the end of the 9weeks I want this student to be able to multiply up to the 9X9 with 90% proficiency." By the way, that could also be used for Progress Monitoring or for an IEP goal/objective :)
First I need to say this book would be great for a Bell Ringer. A Bell Ringer is the beginning 5 minutes of class to get the 'Brain in Motion' and begin to learn. It would be extremely easy to photocopy onto overheads to use, which I highly recommend. With some Special Education students it may be appropriate to actually copy a page for them to see in front of them and on the overhead - it often does help!
The supplementary curriculum in this book is great! It easily allows one to follow along and try their own multiplication. With sticks and steps it is easy to understand what the Sticks and Steps are. I would have loved it the Sticks and Steps were different colors, not just light grey and black. If you do copy on overheads you can use your colored markers to do this! It is a little longer to do the sticks and step method in division, but once the student/child learns the process and reasoning behind it, they are set. I loved how you can do LCM (Least Common Multiple)! When I taught this last year I wish I had this idea.
Without a doubt I would recommend this to any teacher or parent. The final words of advice from me for teaching multiplication and division are 'Always give encouragement!'
Looking for a neat birthday party theme? 
Spy Party is basically a printable treasure hunt. One nice thing about this printable is you can decide where you hide stuff. Sounds personalized, right? The hunt includes 10 clues that all have a different challenge. Make sure you have people to help younger kids though because some clues require players to decode, "fingerprint analysis", and others are done in invisble ink. Do you remember on A Christas Story when Ralphie waits for his decoder? Yes, this package also includes a printable decoder wheel! So clever! :) 
PrintRunner is an online printing company with affordable printing for postcards, stickers, etc. We are going to do sticker printing services! 
Genre: YA Romantic Murder Mystery
Almost every year my future hubster and I have been fortunate enough to have traveled to the Riviera Maya for vacation. As Carolyn stated in the book introduction, most people do not get past "mas cerveza por favor!" B and I have both had 4 years of Spanish in high school, we did learn a lot but then forgot most of it. When I was in college for undergrad I chose to take a Spanish class. When I signed up it stated TBA or the Instructor and when I went to class the first day it was one of my HS Spanish teachers! I learned a lot in the class, had to be an example for everyone ... but talking and listening are two different things. I was great at listening to the conversations and know what they were saying. While we were on a dive boat in Mexico the dive crew were making jokes and I was laughing. Our Dive Master was blown away that I could understand what they were saying, but I could only speak a few phrases back in Spanish. 
I love that the author put instructions on how to use the book. Most people would just jump right in, often trying them then forgetting the words like B and I did in HS. As a teacher I loved that we can take the lessons and actually use them as quick lesson plans in the classroom. Carolyn breaks the lessons up and includes various parts that are easily organized for you. I actually tried lesson 1 in the room while folding clothes. It was a hoot! Sean and my dog just looked at and and were wondering why I had a laundry basket and talking in Spanish to them. 
