My son (now 8) has done really well with math all along ("math brained"). This year he seems to be having more difficulty, even with things he could do really fast and well and level B. When we go to lesson 86- Mentally subtracting 2 digit numbers- things really broke down. I've been flipping back through the book to find subtraction lessons to redo to help but there really aren't many. There seems to be very little subtraction and then the sudden mentally subtracting 2 digit numbers lesson which was a bit shocking to both of us. (we did not do math over the summer... but not sure it's just that)
Also wondering if he's having trouble with memory/ADHD type thing? He seems to get really upset at the idea of not writing anything but the answer for the lesson 88 review where he is given oral problems of say 123-48 and he's not supposed to write anything but the answer. I think maybe he can't remember the numbers in his head and subtract also? not sure about that.

I need advice, ideas for helping him to learn subtraction, esp. with 2 digits. Something more than the initial lessons as those didn't seem to help him. We have the card games book but sometimes I have trouble figuring out which are the best games for specific skills. (I know they are labeled by topic, but it still takes me a while to figure what each games is about.)

adding to this post- sorry it's so long! I think some of the troubles are coming from my own understanding of the subtraction strategies described in lesson 86. I guess I'm not good at subtracting myself! Is there somewhere else in the books or online files that have just a page of subtraction strategies including 2 digit and up numbers?

also- I did see just now there are plenty of subtraction card games we could be doing... but is there a list somewhere that lists corresponding card games that correlate with various lessons? I rarely remember to do card games. there are some listed on the review and practice lessons but it would be much more useful to me if I could see with each lesson, which card games correspond.

Hi, Jen.

You know, my son has dyslexia, ADHD and memory struggles. So, when we got to mental math, it was a real problem for us. What I ended up doing (to prevent the tears from both of us!) was to write the equation on the board (or on a piece of paper) so he wasn't spending 'mental energy' on remembering the equation, but on solving the equation. This took some of the pressure off. Then if he still struggled, I would give him 'hints'. For example, on worksheet 59-a, 130-19. I would write the equation on the board. Then I would ask, "What strategy do you think might help you solve this equation?" If he didn't know, I would give him further hints, like, "What is an easy number to subtract with, '19' or another number with maybe a '0' or '5' in the 'ones' place?" If he still couldn't give me the answer then I would say, 'Don't you think that '20' is easier to subtract with than '19'? Let's try. What is 130 - 20?' When he would give me the answer 110 I would then proceed by saying, "Great! But we aren't actually subtracting '20' we are subtracting 19...so what is the answer?" By walking my son through the process it helped him think through how to figure them out on his own - when he was ready!

Strategies, well, all of us have our 'favorite' strategies - ones that stick. Other strategies that are taught may not be 'natural' for us. As I taught strategies to my kids, I was amazed how some of my kids picked up on some strategies and my other kids picked up on other strategies. Same thing for you and your son. You will have strategies that will resonate with you and other strategies that will seem easier for your son. It is important to teach them all so he can use the ones that work for him.

As far as a list of strategies, I use the Table of Contents to help my kids remember them. The strategies are listed 'generally' in the titles of the lessons.

If you have any further questions, feel free to post again on this forum or you can email us at info@rightstartmath.com.

Have a fabulous day!
Rachel