This is the student version of the book. It does not contain answers and can be handed to the student to read and answer the problems.
Verbal math, also known as mental math, is a practical and time-honored method of solving math problems. Written math is essential, but for children, handwriting is an additional difficulty that often slows them down. Many children dislike math because of the tiresome and seemingly endless worksheets requiring more effort from the child than math itself.
Basic mathematics is primarily a mental exercise and not meant to be a challenge for hand-eye coordination. Verbal math, an approach we follow in this book, teaches shortcuts and computational tricks, and the child builds the skills by doing math in her head and skipping tedious work.
The Verbal Math Lesson series offers a step-by-step path to mastery of basic math facts and concepts. This book is the third in the series, suitable for children in third and fourth grades. The first two books, Verbal Math Lesson One and Two, cover addition and subtraction of single and double-digit numbers, single-digit numbers multiplication, and division under 100. This book, after a brief review, introduces two and three-digit addition and subtraction, multiplication and division of two-digit numbers by one-digit numbers, and basic fractions. It's all easier than it sounds!
We also briefly introduce concepts of rates and ratios, explain remainders (in division), teach about factors, and talk about the addition and subtraction of simple fractions. In each lesson, your child will apply basic mathematical patterns to solve everyday problems.
With this program, your child will advance in a steady, step-by-step manner, smoothly moving from simpler concepts to more complex ones. The word problems section reinforces the concepts introduced at the beginning of each lesson.
This book was written for parents and teachers and you should not be hand it over to the student. The answers after the problems are only for you. If you want your child to see and read the problems, which can be helpful for some children, consider the student e-book version. That e-book has the problems but not the answers, and you can find it on our website.
The Verbal Math Lesson should be a fun activity and is not supposed to replace schoolwork or a comprehensive math program. Instead, it aims to reinforce and illustrate new concepts, make them real and practical. It will also advance the skills of a child who shows good math aptitude.
Most children already know math facts, such as multiplication and division tables. Still, they might be weak in applying these skills to word problems. Our verbal math program helps your child master word problems early on, so she will find such problems easier to tackle in the upper grades and on proficiency tests in the future. Our goal is to advance automaticity and help your child transfer dry math facts into real life.
Many word problems in the Verbal Math Lesson come with explanations. Some are just hints; others offer full solutions. The solutions help you talk through new or harder problems and teach her to approach them mathematically. The solutions serve as a model for similar problems in the lesson. However, if your child has already grasped the concept and consistently comes up with the right answers, omit the solution part of the question and move on to the next problem.
There are twenty-eight lessons in the book. Some children can do a lesson in 2 or 3 days. For others, it may take longer. You can create a ten or fifteen-minute daily program or do only a few problems at a time. Some problems are challenging, and you might have to repeat them once or twice. At times, repeating the lesson might be necessary before moving further. Make sure your child can do all problems correctly and speedily before moving on to the next lesson. You know your child better