Chocolate Math

Super Speed Math:
Why do students struggle in math? Well Chris Biffle has an idea about where we could be going wrong. It's not that students are unintelligent or that teachers aren't doing a great job teaching, it's that students are missing some key components to make them successful. Here are some of the thoughts about why students make silly mistakes:

Too few reps
Error corrected late
Zero fun
Non-motivating rewards

So what do we do? Oral practice of basic math facts using Super Speed Math-2.0. Genius! Here's a rundown of this program with the challenges I have seen.

You pair students up together. Coach B referred to these students a Salt and Pepper. Both students have a copy of the Super Speed Math packet. Salt looks at the math facts without the answers while pepper looks at the answers. This involves both students practicing their facts and receiving immediate feedback or help with answers. No writing on the paper! Only oral answers. The teacher begins a minute timing. Students say the problem including the answer,orally, as fast as they can. DO NOT ALLOW THEM TO ONLY SAY THE ANSWERS. They have to say the entire problem and the answers. If students answer a question wrong or needs help then they put a dot next to the problem and go back 2 problems to review and hopefully get the answer correct and continue until the minute is up. Once the minute is up, student salt circles the last problem correct and reviews with pepper the personal gnarlies. Then the minute timing begins again and salt tries to break their previous record in 1 minute. Once the students switch and pepper goes through the same 2 rounds of timing then students are awarded with breaking of previous goals and setting new goals. New goals are written in the stars at the back of the packet. Super improver stars are awarded and 10 finger woos go flying around the room!
If a student breaks their previous goal they will begin on the line down from their previous starting line. Always start on column A. And this continues so student can make it through all the problems. AMAZING!

Level 2 is FUN! All of the numerical problems have been mixed up and the gnarlies are on top. Yup! You see it. The challenging problems are first!! The same format of 2- 1 minute timings per student remain the same. Coach B suggests for older learners that you do a weekly schedule.
Monday: addition
Tuesday: subtraction
Wednesday: multiplication
Thursday: division
Friday: fractions or gnarlies.

Now, how does Coach B suggest we reward students? Well that goes back to the super improver wall! Each improvement is charted for their personal improvement and students are begging you to allow them to break their personal goals!!

But wait. As it that wasn't enough...Coach B brings in Chocolate Math!
Chocolate math is an amazing way to use a 10 by 10 grid or hundreds chart to PROVE math facts and fractions in a visual way! This method involves the students drawing on laminated copies of the chocolate squares. Coach showed. How to use this for addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and critical thinking or word problems! Just amazing.

In reflection of these programs I have found Super Speed Math to be an incredible resource for my classroom to use. We follow the suggested weekly plan and on weeks where we don't have 5 days, we double up and do more than one. The only difficulties I have had with this program were management issues on my part. I had printed off level one in a packet and then was going to wait to print level 2. So I had students who were ready to move to the next level when others were not finished yet. Now I am in the troubles of having students finished with level 2 and other students not finished with level 1. What do you do when a student has mastered both levels? In this case I have partners where only one child is doing all the practice on addition and subtractions ( so Mon and Tues the students at level 1 practice a total of 4 times and the other student gets to wear the coach hat! Since none of my students are finished with all of the fact practice pages we continue on with those days the same as we have.
Watch the momentum in your class soar and keep in mind it's all about how you present this to your class! The more excited you are the better they will feel. Every now and then I will add a few seconds to the timer to allow some of my more challenging students to be successful! It adds a little fun and I always have questions if it was a bonus time day. But make them earn the bonus time days by having positive attitudes all week!