Advanced math success builds off mastery of basic skills

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Dear Dr. Fournier:My fifth grade daughter has always been an average to above average student, but recently I noticed that she is losing points for careless errors in math. She works through the entire problem only to get the wrong answer because of a multiplication mistake. While her teacher is giving her credit on her homework, her test grades are really dropping. How can I help my daughter stay focused on the details? AssessmentWhen it comes to your daughter, I don't think "careless" describes her problem -- "careless" means "they don't care." Is that really what you think of your daughter? I doubt it. Most likely, that is not the problem.You expect your child to have mastered her multiplication facts. Mastery of basic skills is achieved when your child uses the basic skill, correctly and automatically, without stopping to think.Many children are told they "know" their facts when they make a 100 on a timed test. Memorizing an answer for a test different from understanding and applying a skill to complex problems.If your child misses a multiplication fact, she is not being careless or lazy. She simply hasn't mastered the skill.This is not an uncommon problem for students. Many students survive elementary math without mastering their basic math facts. However, as math problems become more complex, multiple computations are embedded within each problem. Simple repetitive adding (7+7+7), when combined with other tasks, can become cumbersome within the allotted time. A solid knowledge of basic arithmetic skills is the foundation on which more complicated math is built. If your daughter does not have automatic recall of these facts, she will experience difficulties with higher levels of math and will likely become lost during classroom instruction.What to doRemember that your daughter is not careless or lazy. She simply has not mastered all of her basic math facts. Help your daughter master these skills, and she will have a better chance at success in math.When you discover a math fact your daughter doesn't know, she should write it down and create a list of facts to be mastered. Have her practice these facts each night. Place each fact on a note card and put them around the house. When she least expects it, ask her a fact and give her positive feedback if she gets it correct. If you daughter perceives learning as fun, it will take less effort.Once you daughter has mastered these facts, remember to review them occasionally. In our personal lives and careers, adults must review certain facts until we know them without thinking, and children are the same way.You daughter will soon have a strong command of these facts that will give her a solid foundation for more difficult math problems later in school. And she will learn them without labels such as "careless" or "lazy" that are unfair, untrue and can harm a child's perception of their competence to succeed.(Write Dr. Yvonne Fournier, Fournier Learning Strategies Inc., 5900 Poplar, Memphis, Tenn. 38119. E-mail her at drfournier(at)hfhw.net)