We are pleased to announce that we have produced more products to help students.  Our new products are:

1-120 board - First grade students need to know numbers to 120.  This board helps them see what happens when the count goes over 100.  In second grade students need to count to 1000.  Using this board, the teacher and student can look for patterns and identify what happens when numbers go past 100.

1-20 Number Path - Young children should be using a number path not a number line.  This line counts to 20 with one-inch squares that can be used to keep track of counting objects.  This path offers students an understanding of a number line and can transition to the number line in grade 2.

Part/Part/Whole Mat - Research states that the most important  number concept that a child needs to learn is part/part/whole.  With this knowledge, students are able to flexibly work with numbers because they have many ways to see different numbers depending on the situation that they are faced with.  For example:  if a student is adding 8 and 6 and knows that 8 and 2 make 10; then the student can make 6 into parts of 2 and 4 and see 8 and 6 as 10 and 4 or 14.  This is a much better strategy than rote memorization.

Individual Clocks to go with the Time Number Line Board - We felt it was important for each student to have their own clock when learning about time.  The mat provides a context for what the clock means and then the student can show what they know on the individual clocks.

Place and Value mat for Tens and Ones - Grade one students need to develop an understanding of our base-ten system by working with tens and ones.  This board helps the student build the conceptual knowledge by using small ten frames and also base-ten blocks.  

 Debra and I are heading down to Atlanta to present and exhibit at the national convention for NAEYC (National Association for the Education of the Young Child).  We are excited to share our knowledge and materials to be used with young children to help them develop an understanding of number.  

We will be presenting on Thursday from 8-9:30 in room B201.  We will focus on the pre-number and essential early number concepts.  We will be showing the importance and the reason behind each of the concepts along with activities that children can be exposed to.  

We will be in the convention center at booth 1042.  If you are at the conference, please stop by and see our products and say hi.  We enjoy the feedback that we get from teachers and parents who are using our materials with their students and children.  Let's give ALL children a great start in learning math!!

 Mark your calendar for October 18th and 19th.  The OCTM will have their conference in Columbus, Ohio at the Convention Center.  Debra and I will be there and will be doing two presentations and we will also have a booth in the exhibit hall.  Please stop by and say hello and take a look at our materials we have created to help students build a conceptual understanding of number and other math concepts.

 The number words can be difficult for young children, especially the "teen numbers."  A Teen number is defined as "ten and some more."  So what is eleven and twelve?  In some countries the words actually match the quantity.  China has students saying er for two, shi for ten and shi er for twelve and er shi er for twenty-two.  Compare that with our language and no wonder the United States is a year behind in math at a very early age.  Have your children or students count daily.  

The words of math are important and children need to have what is called "a stable order."  That means that the child can say the numbers in the correct sequence and does it each time. Listen for numbers that are left out and stop and help your child/student so that the error pattern does not continue.

By: LiveScience.com, staff

 Debra and I are off tomorrow to attend the NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) Conference.  We will be both presenting and exhibiting.  We are excited to share our knowledge with other teachers who have a passion to help children in their learning of mathematics.  We will have an e-workshop on Thursday where we will present all of our products to those who attend.  Friday, will be a gallery workshop where teachers will be working with our materials and will have the opportunity to take samples with them.  On Saturday, our focus will be on Place and Value with what we consider to be eight essential steps to helping teach place and value to young students.

If you are in Philadelphia, please stop by our booth (1040) and say hi.  We would love to chat about our assessment and materials we have produced to help the young student and those that struggle with math.

 We have been very busy spreading the word about developing number concepts with the young student.  We have been doing either two or three day training sessions with make and take for the teacher so he or she can go back into the classroom with some tools to use.  

We have also been in districts helping them learn about the new Common Core.  We have done a full day on the practices and another half day on the different types of problems in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  We have also helped districts look at what is new to each grade level and what can be moved or eliminated.   This has been well received by the teachers.

If you have questions and/or are interested in knowing more about training, please email us for information.  dmg6@mac.com

How do you feel about the DMA assessments and interventions?

I am so pleased to have this wonderful tool as a resource in my district.  As a Math Coach and the leader of the Math RtI Committee for our district, I am looking for tools to help identify students who struggle with Mathematics and require Intervention.  Not only does this tool give us the ability to identify these students, but the Intervention Handbook then helps us to know how to remediate these students.  The price is very reasonable, and the materials are all there for me.  I don't have to pull from here and dig around to find what I need!  I have also been told by several of the Intervention Specialists that the DMA is a huge asset in the writing of IEP goals for their Special Education students since it pinpoints areas of improvement for these students.                                                                                                                                 ~ District Math Coach