Freak369's Full Review: Martha Palmer - Addition and Subtraction Grade 1: ...
Learning the basics of addition and subtraction sets the groundwork for multiplication and division, basic algebra skills and calculus. While it might be hard to imagine that something as basic as adding and subtracting numbers could be the building blocks of advanced math, it is. My boys have all had a love of math, science and space since they were very young and I tried to provide them with tons of fun workbooks, educational worksheets and a constant challenge so they wouldn’t get bored with standardized learning. Along the way I discovered a great series of books from School Zone that starts with the Pre-K basics and goes through to the sixth grade. The books are designed to make learning fun, provide a supplement for regular lessons and reinforce things that have already been taught. If you are a homeschooler or looking for some alternative learning books, I highly suggest checking out the School Zone series for your child.
My boys are a little too old for this type of workbook however my neighbor’s daughter is working on the first few pages of the book. I suggest this book for children that have expressed and interest in learning the basics of addition and subtraction and have mastered counting to 100. Since each child learns at a different pace the ‘grade 1’ level may or may not apply to your child so be sure to look through the book to see if it is too easy or too hard for them. I’ve found these at both Target and Wal-Mart however Target seems to have a better price [$2.39 each] and the selection seem larger and the books are a little more organized and show a lot less shelf wear. I really wish that I would have come across this book when my boys could have taken advantage of it because it is not only well organized but extremely entertaining.
Addition & Subtraction, Grade 1
When you first pickup this book and start looking through it you might dismiss it as juvenile or too basic for your childs needs. The circus type theme is evident on almost every single page and while this is entertaining it might be a little distracting for younger kids. Through out the book you’ll see lions, bears, circus seals, clowns and all the other people, props and animals you might find at a circus. The pages all feature color illustrations which makes it a little hard when you are trying to photocopy them but since this is an inexpensive workbook, picking up another copy won’t break the bank. The pages are not perforated so if your child prefers to work on individual pages rather than from the book, a little adult assistance might be needed. The pages are thick so your child can use markers, pens, crayons or pencils without having to worry about them ripping or the ink bleeding through to other pages. If you have any doubts about a specific marker or pen, give it a try on one of the answer key pages to see if they’ll be the best choice.
The first few pages are single digit addition and subtraction problems where a child is required to provide the correct answer in the designated area, count the number of objects and create their own addition and subtraction equation and then decide if a single digit problem is an addition or subtraction problem meaning they have to look at the three numbers [3 4 = 7] and decided which sign [ + or - ] goes in the space. From there it advances to lower double digit problems then shows a child how to add quicker by using the ‘advance math count on’ principal where you take the largest number in the addition problem then add the smaller number to it. This really confused me at first since this is something that I felt should have been covered earlier in the workbook but after going through all the different exercises I saw that learning pattern that they were trying to establish.
The next section really challenges a child with both addition and subtractions problem being combined into one long exercise. Example: 8 + 2 = [write in the answer] – 8 = [write in the answer] + 7 = [write in the answer]. When you are done with the problems on the page you take the answers from each of them and look at the corresponding chart at the bottom of the page to find the secret word. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more fun you get to add three numbers instead of two [2 + 6 + 6] which gives kids a good drill on basic addition skills. This leads up to double digit addition where the sum is greater than 50, a good follow up to the previous pages where the largest sum they were dealing with was in the 20 – 30 range. The problems vary from two digit and one digit combinations [34 +9] to double digits [66 + 14] - this also repeats on the following few pages for subtraction.
Things To Know
There are anywhere from eight to fifteen problem per page with the exception being the last page that is a cumulative drill of all the exercises covered in the book. This asks your child to complete different problems, both addition and subtraction, to help the lion trainer get from the start of the puzzle to the end using all the skills that they learned on the previous pages. The answer key is the last section of the book and gives you all the answers to all of the pages and problems. This is one part of the book you might want to remove if you have a curious child so they don’t come across it and check out the answers.
The Bottom Line
My neighbor’s daughter has been working on the easier problems in this book and with the help of my two youngest sons she is making some real progress with addition and subtraction. She still uses her fingers to count up the numbers but she is picking up the basics. You can hear her giggling from a few rooms away when she flips through the pages and recognizes all the animals that are illustrated in the book and in my opinion when something is fun and entertaining but also educational – kids seem to retain more of what they are exposed to. If you are a homeschooler or just want to supplement what your child is learning in school the entire School Zone series is a great investment. You have the choice of purchasing them individually or in packaged sets according to grade levels and age groupings. In addition to workbooks, School Zone also offers software titles for every age group.
School Zone Publishing
PO Box 777
Grand Havens, Michigan 49417
[800] 253-0564
www.schoolzone.com
Stats
Name: Addition & Subtraction, Grade 1
Published By: School Zone
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0-938256-29-7
UPC 076645 02029
Price: $ 2.39
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