Anyone has ever battled math and came out ahead knows that to even
begin to succeed one must first master math facts.
I feel like there should be ominous music in the background. Feel free to find some to play now.
This is something Josiah has struggled with. There is a percentage
of kiddos with dyslexia who also struggle with math. In the early years, we
faced quite a bit of frustration.
Flash cards were used daily, but what Josiah might have seemed to
have mastered one day he would forget the next.
I haven’t learned the secret of teaching Josiah math, but I have
learned that consistency (among a few other tricks) is key. He has a terrific
long term memory so I knew that if he had mastered those math facts he would
remember them for life.
Waving around flash cards every day can get fairly monotonous. This
why I was thrilled to be able to review a math review mastery program from UberSmart
Software called UberSmart
Math Facts
What I Received
I received a software program (download) of UberSmart
Math Facts. This program is intended for grades k-6th,
but it is wonderful for those kiddos (like mine) who need extra practice.
You will need Windows 7, 8, XP and Vista to run this program.
It costs $24.95 which is a good deal considering you can add up to
8 students to your account. The program works on addition/subtraction up
through the 9’s and multiplication/division all the way up to the 20’s.
How it Works
I want to take you through some screen shots of our program. that little tab you can't see is the Report tab. I'm not sure why it's all scrunched up.
The LEARN tab teaches
math facts. You are able to choose between beginner and intermediate. The
beginner flashcards are called dot cards. We didn’t use this option, but you can
see in the picture below what it looks like.
The Intermediate option let me choose what he needed to work on ever day.
The screen would randomly bring up a flash card (in this case the 2's) and the student pushes "show" to see the answer.
The PRACTICE section of the program was where Josiah spent the last part of his summer.
Oh yes he did! You are able to choose again between beginner and intermediate.
I had Josiah use the timed feature. He has gotten frustrated. I probably need to give him just a few more seconds. It is pretty fast. You can see in the card below I have not answered at all and the program showed me the correct answer in green. If has a "check" button to click after answering, but I was unable to catch all that in a screen shot.
The TEST portion of the program is all about (you guessed it) Tests!
The idea is to beat the red time line. this program also gives you a look at the next flash card. I like that. It helps the student get their brain ready.
After the test there is always applause (which I need on occasion) and the student is able to go back and look at what he or she missed.
Man! Such an easy one. If the student clicks the "show" button it will give him the right answer.
We didn’t use the COMPETE portion of the program very often. It is a timed flashed card test, but the results include what percentage the child falls with the average population. I didn’t want to scar Josiah for life. He’s just not ready for it. He can beat the average population with his freestyle stroke…not his multiplication tables.
You can see from this picture how you are able to set up the student for the competition.
The Report portion of the program is super helpful. This was early in Josiah's journey. This was when he realized that he couldn't just put in any old number. I would find him out. Nobody likes a red frowny faces. Every color means something different. The dark green smiley face means that the student has mastered the fact.
The Report section has all manner of handy tools available to help you keep track of your students progress.
How We
Used It and What We Thought
When
I first received the download I set up Josiah’s account. Under the MAINTAIN tab
I was able to customize it for Josiah. It allowed me to even set how many
seconds he was given to complete a problem. I like that I can change it at any
time. It doesn’t require major set up on my part. It also requires a password every time to get into it.
As
I mentioned this is program we have used quite a bit. Josiah does have a math
book we go through daily, but this gives him the extra practice he needs. In
fact, UberSmart
Math Facts has become part of his daily independent
assignments.
I
need notice that initially he was so freaked out by the timed portion of the
tests that he started to guess. He just wanted to beat that red line. Punching
in numbers doesn’t get anyone a good score. He was appalled to know that I not
only could look up his score, but he would need to take the test over and over
if need be.
I
have noticed a difference in Josiah’s ability to recall his math facts in
general. I really am thankful to have been a part of this review. This has been
a valuable tool for us.
I
also appreciate that Ubersmart doesn’t rely on bells and whistles. It is a
straight forward program. Josiah can sometimes get distracted by too much going
on. This time he focusing on Just the Facts! (ma’am)
It is a product that we are going to keep in our daily rotation. There is a 30 day free trial available.
It is a product that we are going to keep in our daily rotation. There is a 30 day free trial available.
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