Math didn't change. How we teach it did.
Plain-English help with the math your K–5 kid brings home, from number bonds to area models. No jargon, no judgment, and you don't need to remember any of it from school.
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Strategy · Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd gradeWhat is a number bond?
A number bond is a simple picture that shows how a number breaks into two parts. The whole goes in the top circle, and the two parts go in the circles below…
Article · 2nd grade, 3rd gradeWhy does my kid's subtraction look so different?
Borrowing is now called regrouping, and kids learn it with blocks and number lines before the shortcut. Here is what they are doing and how to help.
Article · 3rd grade, 4th gradeMultiplying 23 × 14 without "carrying the one"
The area model turns a hard multiplication problem into four easy ones. Here is how it works, why teachers love it, and how it connects to the method you lea…
Worksheet · Kindergarten, 1st gradeMaking 10 with number bonds
Twelve number bonds where the whole is 10. Your kid fills in the missing part. A great 10-minute warm-up for kindergarten and 1st grade.
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Strategy · 5th gradeHow do you add fractions with different denominators?
To add or subtract fractions with different denominators, kids rename them so the pieces are the same size. 1/2 + 1/3 becomes 3/6 + 2/6, which is 5/6. Fracti…
Strategy · 5th gradeHow do you graph points on a coordinate grid?
A coordinate grid is two number lines that cross at zero. An ordered pair like (3, 4) gives a point's address: start at (0, 0), go over 3 along the bottom (t…
Strategy · 4th grade, 5th gradeHow do decimal grids (hundredths grids) work?
A decimal grid is a 10-by-10 square that stands for 1 whole. Each column is one tenth (0.1) and each small square is one hundredth (0.01). Kids shade squares…
Strategy · 5th gradeHow do 5th graders divide fractions?
In 5th grade, kids divide only with unit fractions (fractions with 1 on top, like 1/3). They answer two kinds of questions with drawings: "How many 1/3s fit…
Strategy · 5th gradeWhy is a fraction the same as division?
In 5th grade, kids learn that a fraction is a division problem: 3/4 means 3 ÷ 4. If 3 pizzas are shared equally by 4 people, each person gets 3/4 of a pizza.
Strategy · 4th grade, 5th gradeHow do you make a line plot with fractions?
A line plot shows data on a number line, with an X above the line for each measurement. In 4th and 5th grade the measurements are fractions like 1/8, 1/4, an…