Memorizing multiplication facts can be boring. In fact, I never learned them. Yes. Yes I did just admit that! To be fair though, Nobody ever taught the multiplication tables in any class I was in. But, with the Online Times Alive subscription from City Creek Press, Inc. YOUR students (and you!) can learn math facts by watching videos and practicing math facts.
For many people, learning facts (of any sort) is easier using rhymes or songs. Based on the best selling book Times Tables The Fun Way Book for Kids, Online Times Alive uses both of these, along with short stories to teach the multiplication tables. Mnemonics have always been a great help to me ( “In 14 hundred and 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue” ring a bell? )
Here is a quick little video to give you an idea of the fun way students are brought to a knowledge of multiplication facts:
I decided to have “The Artist” be the student on this one. Both “The Batman” and “The Puzzler” are very delayed in math skills, and are still trying to learn basic addition and subtractions. With their developmental delays, this may take a long time, or may never happen, but we do keep trying. “The Artist,” however, has had some work in Pre-Algebra, but definitely needs to learn multiplication facts. He (and I) know how to multiply, but memorizing the multiplication table certainly helps to get to the answer quickly.
The thing I like the best about Online Times Alive is that “The Artist” was able to be totally independent! Once logged in for the first time, the program gave him a pre-test, after which the program gave him a set of lessons in a table.
At this point, “The Artist” simply clicks on the lessons in the order given, and away he goes! The filled in circles indicate completed lessons, while the white, unfilled circles indicate that those lessons have not yet been started. If a circle is half filled in, it is a lesson which was begin, but not yet completed.
This is the beginning of the lesson for 8×8. I just asked, and “The Artist” says that he remembers this fact (8×8=64) because the snowmen look like 8’s and the fire at the end has flames which look like 64. There is also a sign by the fire which says sticks (6) are for (4) the fire.
The program keeps his records, but it is important for you to be aware that the student must use only the device he or she initially logged into, and remember what neme exactly they used to log into. The records and progress are kept on the one device, so this is important. I do wish that they were kept online, because at some point after beginning the review period “The Artist” received a Chromebook specifically for school use and switching him over meant he had to start all over.
Speaking of records, as you can see in the above picture, there is a red bar at the middle bottom of the screen. Clicking on that got me this:
The picture below is what “The Artist” sees after watching the video in any given lesson. He tells me that this excercise is to see if he remembers what the lesson taught.
He says that periodically the program gives a comprehension quiz or a test. The Artist really has been enjoying this! He also has some developmental delays, thoughv he’s not quite as delayed as his brothers, and this has been a great fit for him! Check out Online Times Alive and see if it’s a good fit for you! The cost is $9.95 / month with an initial $6.95 sign-up fee, but my readers can use the code lovetolearn to have the sign up fee waved.
Please click on the banner just below to read what 44 other reviewing families think of Online Times Alive!
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