Jul11
Straight lines are key to recognizing shapes that we often see in the real world: geometric figures. In today’s post, we will classify geometric figures formed from straight lines and think about where we can find them. We’ll start with the simplest: Two Straight LinesCan you make a figure with two straight lines? Well, of […]
Continue reading »Jul08
Today, we’re going to walk through some examples of adding fractions. Before you read this post, you might want to check out a previous post where we explain how to add fractions step by step. Let’s begin with the simplest of examples: Adding Fractions with the Same Denominator For example: The only thing we need […]
Continue reading »Jul07
In today’s post, we will review Ones, Tens, and Hundreds and examples of how they are used. Ones One is the smallest natural number. We are going to represent the ones’ place with unit cubes: Tens Let’s look at a bigger number: That’s a lot of unit cubes, right? Imagine how many there would be […]
Continue reading »Jul06
In this post, we are going to learn how to do addition problems with and without regrouping. How to Add without Regrouping Place the addends one on top of the other so that the place values fall in the same columns. Add each column together separately, starting with the 1s place. The sums go below each column, […]
Continue reading »Jul04
In this post we will learn to subtract with and without borrowing. Subtract Without Borrowing: The steps we need to follow are: Place the number being subtracted under the number being subtracted from so that place values in the same column match. Subtract each column separately starting with the ones Write the result of the subtraction […]
Continue reading »Jul01
In this post we are going to see some addition and subtraction calculations with decimals. In order to add or subtract decimals, we need to stack the numbers that have a decimal point one on top of the other, making sure to line up the values in the same columns. By doing so, the tens, […]
Continue reading »Jun30
In today’s post, we are going to work on proportions. This time we will look at a way of solving direct and inverse proportions: the rule of 3. What is the rule of 3? The rule of 3 is an operation that helps us quickly solve both direct and inverse proportion word problems. In order […]
Continue reading »Jun29
In this post, we are going to learn what exponents are and how to calculate them. Exponents are used to simplify multiplication problems where the same number is multiplied. For example: 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 We are multiplying the number 5 four times. In order to write it in powers, we first write down […]
Continue reading »Jun24
This post will teach you how to multiply any number by a one-digit number. Multiplication Terms The numbers that are multiplied are called FACTORS and the answer is called the PRODUCT. The FACTORS are written on top of each other. Normally, the bigger number is written on the top, and it’s called the MULTIPLICAND and […]
Continue reading »Jun23
Today we are going to look at some examples of word problems with fractions. Although they may seem more difficult, in reality, word problems involving fractions are just as easy as those involving whole numbers. The only thing we have to do is: Read the problem carefully. Think about what it is asking us to […]
Continue reading »Jun22
Rekenrek Vs. Soroban At Smartick, we use the abacus as a visual model to learn how to calculate. Some other well-known methods, like Aloha or UCMAS, use the traditional Japanese abacus, the Soroban, as a means to reach the same goal. We’ve opted for a different kind of abacus: the Rekenrek. The Rekenrek is an abacus […]
Continue reading »Jun17
In this post, we are going to look at some sequenced examples of exercises with equivalent fractions. Remember that what we mean by equivalent fractions are those fractions that although they are different, represent the same quantity. If you need to dig deeper into the concept take a look at this previous blog entry, examples […]
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