April 2001 Issue

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An Online Educational Community

A newsletter that educates parents, teachers, and
students.

April 2001 Issue #21
Zigmond Snook, Editor,
mailto:editor@innovamultimedia.com
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Welcome to the twenty-first issue of "An Online Educational
Community". To read past issues of our newsletter, visit
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/archive.html or to learn
more about us, check out our website at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com

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Each month we will focus on a different educational theme
and base our feature article and learning tips around that
particular theme.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> Feature
=> Contest - Win a Whale
=> This Month’s Free Lesson Plans
=> More Great Education Web Sites
=> Whale Links for Whale Lovers
=> Webmaster’s Wanderings
=> Feedback

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FEATURE
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Mastering Multiplication Facts

Students are exposed to and expected to learn the basic
multiplication facts or times tables up to nine times nine.
Mastery of these tables forms the foundation for each child’s
subsequent success with the mathematical operations of
multiplication and division.

Many children very quickly become quite proficient in
achieving mastery of the times tables, evidenced by their
rapid oral and written responses when quizzed on their basic
facts. However, for a considerable number of children,
frustration levels mount as they struggle to complete
multiplication and division exercises. What can be done to
help these children?

Here are several strategies, for parents and teachers, to
help these children achieve mastery of the multiplication
tables:

Pre-test the child, with a randomized 50-item
multiplication fact worksheet, to determine which facts they
have already mastered. Observe them as they complete the sheet,
noting such things as: the order in which they complete the
items; their frustration levels; and, which items they spend
the most time trying to solve. When they have finished the
sheet, correct it and be sure to praise them for the number
of items they have correct. Inform them that together you are
going to work to improve their basic facts.
Start with small tables of facts first. Use pictures
and manipulatives such as jellybeans to show the child that
3 X 2 means 3 groups of 2 (jellybeans) and that 2 X 3 means
2 groups of 3 (jellybeans). The child soon realizes that
3 X 2 is the same as 2 X 3 (commutative property of
multiplication) and the answer for both is 6.
As the child becomes proficient with the small
multiplication tables, begin using games to reinforce their
learning. For example:
1. Roll the Dice - The child rolls 2 dice and multiplies
  the 2 numbers that are displayed.
2. Spin the Wheel - Design a circle wheel (chart) with
  ten sections numbered 0-9 and insert
  a spinner in the center of the wheel.
  If the child has just learned the
  six times tables, tell them that
  whichever number they spin must be
  multiplied by 6 in order to get an
  answer. Next, combine a six-sided
  die with the wheel to practice the
  rapid recall of all times tables up
  to 6 X 9.
3. Egg Carton - Number the inside bottom of an egg carton
  with the digits 0 - 9. Place 2 jellybeans
  in the egg carton, close it, and have the
  child shake the carton. Next they open the
  carton and multiply the two numbers.
  Each time that they successfully answer
  three multiplication facts in a row, they
  win the jellybeans. To speed up their rapid
  recall of the facts, place a time limit
  on how quickly they have to respond.
4. Soccer Ball - Place a basic facts multiplication answer
  on each panel on a soccer ball, for
  example: 8, 12, 20, and 32, consistent
  with the multiplication facts that the
  child has been learning. Have the child
  provide 2 numbers that, when multiplied
  together, will result in the number on
  the panel.
5. Flash Cards - Design, or buy, a set of multiplication
  flash cards. Be sure to remove those cards
  that the child hasn’t mastered yet. Once
  the child has learned the basic facts, the
  flash cards will greatly increase the rapid
  recall of the facts.
6. Car Games - When travelling on vacation, or just going
  to the store, spend some time quizzing your
  child on the multiplication facts: 4 X 3;
  6 X 5; 2 X 9; ... Break the monotony by
  requesting that they provide 2 numbers that,
  when multiplied together, will equal: 15;
  21; 9; ...
7. Internet - The information superhighway is ripe with
  instructional aids for learning multiplication
  facts - worksheets, games, as well as other
  items. Here are some of our favorite sites:

Once a child has a good basic knowledge of the multiplication
facts, all that remains is periodically practicing them in
order to acquire the rapid recall skill necessary for their
subsequent success with higher mathematical operations.

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Contest - Win a Whale
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INNOVA Multimedia Ltd. is giving away TEN of our "A Whale of
a Tale" educational software lessons and the latest version
of LessonBuilder, a custom course creation utility, as a
FREE DOWNLOAD on our website! Visit
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lbuilder.htm to download
your free copy. When you download LessonBuilder you are
automatically entered in our contest to win a free CD-ROM
from our "A Whale of a Tale" series. Good Luck!

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This Month’s Free Lesson Plans
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Teachers, check out free "A Whale of a Tale" lesson plans on
our website at http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lp_index.html

Surf into Science 2 - "Butterfly Fun" at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/sci2a.html encourages
children to develop an awareness of colour by identifying the
primary colors and exploring the formation of secondary colors.
Also to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of colour
in life, e.g., animal camouflage depends on colour.

Surf into Science 2 - "We’re Going on a Rock Hunt" at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/sci2b.html encourages
children to explore and recognize the different attributes of
rocks, compare and measure the mass of rocks, identify rocks
which can be used as writing tools and research how rocks are a
valuable natural resource in society.

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More Great Education Web Sites
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Check out some of these INNOVA recommended resource sites:

Have a Cow Dude
http://www.10acresbackyard.com/
Join the Mattingly family on this fifth generation dairy farm,
a great place where kids can learn and join in country life.
Show them milk doesn’t come from the grocery shelf but from
a cow, their cow. This is a really great site for kids of
all ages. The newsletters will keep kids following their
favorite cow. There is also a wonderful virtual field
trip for schools.

Book It!
http://www.bookitprogram.com/
The BOOK IT!® National Reading Incentive Program motivates
children in grades kindergarten through sixth grade to read
by rewarding them for their reading accomplishments. Its
purpose is to develop in children a lifelong love of reading.
Teachers set monthly reading goals. They can set a different
goal for each child in the class and they can vary the goal
from month to month. Goals can be number of books read,
number of pages or chapters read, number of minutes read, etc.
For children who haven’t yet learned to read, or for those
who have difficulty reading, teachers can set monthly goals
for the child to be read to by others. When a child meets a
monthly reading goal, the teacher gives him or her a Pizza
Award Certificate. The child brings the certificate to a
participating Pizza Hut® restaurant, where he or she is given
a free one-topping Personal Pan Pizza®. Available in Canada
and the United States.

Cyber Safari
http://www.cybersurfari.org/
A free, fun, and safe Internet treasure hunt.

Children’s Storybooks Online
http://www.magickeys.com/books/index.html
This great site has stories online for young children, older
children, and young adults.

MusicStaff.com
http://www.musicstaff.com/
MusicStaff.com is a service which enables parents, students
and musicians to find music teachers, music schools and music
lessons anywhere in the United States.

The Drama Teacher’s Resource Room
http://www3.sk.sympatico.ca/erachi/
A place where you can kick back and find some ideas for your
classroom or production. At the Drama Teacher’s Resource Room
they are striving to make it easier for you to encourage
creative and challenging experiences for students in your
drama classroom.

Frogs http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/mainstory/index.html
Imagine traveling back through time millions of years to the
age of the dinosaurs. Pterodactyls glide above a soggy marsh.
Nearby, a colossal 80-ton Brachiosaurus munches on a tree.
On the ground at its feet, something strangely familiar hops
by: a frog.

Webmonkey For Kids
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/kids/index.html
Offers lessons, projects, and tools that help kids build Web
pages and put them online. The "Playground" area offers some
fun ideas for Web sites. The "Planning Guide" section,
designed for parents and teachers, offers help and advice for
using the Web as a teaching tool. (EdGate)

Language Arts: Cosmic Rays
http://sunshine.chpc.utah.edu/research/cosmic/rayinfo/
A unique online story crafted in the mold of a
choose-your-own-adventure book, Cosmic Rays is truly an
engaging learning quest. The story begins when the reader
is presented with the opportunity to travel to Alaska. What
happens next is in the hands of your students, who can opt
not to continue the journey to Alaska or can commence the
adventure with the prospect of learning more about the
state’s unique atmosphere and ways of life. (EdGate)

Reader’s Digest
http://www.readersdigest.com/
Has useful information for parents and fun sections for
kids!

The Glossary of Genetic Terms
http://www.nhgri.nih.gov/DIR/VIP/Glossary/
Provides an online talking glossary, useful for middle and
high school students. Each entry has a definition, a
pronunciation guide, a detailed audio explanation, and
links to definitions of related terms. Some sections of
this site require RealPlayer.(EdGate)

Tarantulas
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/tarantulas/frameset.html
Underground in burrows or above ground in trees, the secret
realm of the tarantula often goes unseen. Interact with the
tarantula’s world by following its Life Cycle, then see the
diversity of tarantulas in Species.

The National Atlas of the United States of America
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/
Work on a new National Atlas of the United States® began in
1997. This Atlas updates a large bound collection of paper
maps that was published in 1970. Like its predecessor, this
edition promotes greater national geographic awareness. It
delivers easy to use, map-like views of America’s natural
and sociocultural landscapes. Unlike the previous Atlas,
this version is largely digital.

Language Arts: Absolutely Whootie: Stories to Grow By
http://www.storiestogrowby.com/
As the world becomes smaller, educators have learned to
include lessons from other nations and cultures. This site
offers a wide selection of stories and folk tales derived
from cultures around the globe. Not only can students and
teachers investigate stories from locations as far away as
East Africa and Afghanistan, but classrooms can also view
the student gallery, contribute their own interpretations,
and download story scripts for theatrical performances.
(EdGate)

Archaeological Adventure
http://library.thinkquest.org/3011/
The information and design for this site was brought to
you by Ryan Huebsch, Jason Meltzer, and David Nussbaum,
and their advisor Mr. Harold Shaver. They designed this
site to help people throughout the country and the world
to join together and learn about a very important field of
science and history. Although it may not always be
glorious work, archaeologists provide key insight into who
we are, where we came from, and where we may be going.

History of Inventions
http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/the-lab/history-of-invention/default.html

A timeline of inventions from pottery to the computer.
A very interesting site for kids and adults.

Science Projects
http://setmms.tusd.k12.az.us/~jtindell/
A great site for kids to acquire the skills they need to
create a winning science project. The site has useful
information to help you start a project and how to
progress successfully.

Lewis and Clark
http://www.edgate.com/lewisandclark/
These days, you can fly across the United States in six
hours. Even if you have to take a car, you can do it in
six days. But imagine what it would have been like two
hundred years ago, when Meriwether Lewis, William Clark,
and the other members of the Corps of Discovery traveled
3,700 miles from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean
in non-motorized boats, on horseback, and on foot. Not
only did they have no cars or airplanes to travel in, they
also had to do it with no reliable map -- and they had to
make their way through territory inhabited by Indian
nations who couldn’t necessarily be expected to smile
upon a band of armed explorers.

Fire Ecology
http://www.fire.nps.gov/fire/ecology/docs/toc.html
The appropriate use of public lands should be of concern
to each of our students. Use of public lands is an
important social issue and lends itself well to classroom
discussion. A theme for these activities could be that
each of us has a vested interest in caring for our natural
resources. Students need to learn about land management
issues, such as fire ecology, and have ownership of these
important issues in order to become informed decision
makers and voters. Fire ecology is one of the hottest
topics in natural resource management today.

National Marine Sanctuaries
http://www.sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/welcome.html
Welcome to the National Marine Sanctuary System’s web site.
Here you’ll find important information about our nation’s
marine sanctuaries -- how they were established, how they’re
managed, their scientific and educational programs, and the
many exciting events that occur in them throughout the year.

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Whale Links for Whale Lovers
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Check out these INNOVA recommended whale sites!

Organisation Cetacea (ORCA):
http://www.orcaweb.org/
ORCA is a whale and dolphin society established to promote
enjoyment of cetaceans and participation in whale and dolphin
research.

Whales-online:
http://www.whales-online.org/
Whales-online is an information site dedicated to the conservation
of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the Southern Hemisphere.
They provide information about where the whales and dolphins are,
what they are doing, where you can see them - with some other
interesting facts along the way.

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Whale Trivia:
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Baleen whales are always born head first.
Humpbacks are found in all four oceans of the world.
The Humpbacks life-span is 45-48 years.
There are approximately 25,000 Humpback Whales in the world.
A baleen whale, the Humpback, is a member of the Balaenopteridae family.
The length of the Sei whale is 50-60 feet long.
At birth, the Sei calf weighs approximately 2000 pounds.
There are 320-380 plates of baleen on each side of the Sei’s mouth.
The present population of the Sei whale is 50,000-80,000.
Sei whales blow through their blowholes every 1-2 minutes.

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Webmaster’s Wanderings
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Learning Outcomes
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/outcomes.htm
Our A Whale of a Tale software is based on standardized learning
outcomes. Our curriculum expert has ensured that the lessons in
our software are based on educational learning outcomes rather
than entertainment value. Teachers and parents can view the
learning outcomes that children will master once they complete
on of the CD-ROMs in this series.

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Feedback
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