Tag: times tables

Addressing the Balance: Multiflyer Times Tables Challenge

Maths, My classPublished on3 Comments on Addressing the Balance: Multiflyer Times Tables Challenge

I have written about Multiflyer before as it qualifies as one of my top 5 Times Tables resources. We begin the year with a test of the children’s multiplication knowledge to ascertain their strengths and where they need to focus their practice, we also like to be able to see how quick they are. Using Multiflyer we can do this all and have it marked within 15 minutes.

Previously we used to give the children a paper test of 100 multiplication facts, but timing did not come into it. Although it did when we had to manually check 3000 answers from the whole class! Using Multiflyer addresses the work life balance we all battle with.

Here is how we do it.

  1. Access the site and choose Practice from the options. 
  2. Select what you want to test the children on – we choose 1-10 from both sides.
  3. Ensure that the children choose to have the Table OFF otherwise they will be able to find the answers using a multiplication grid.
  4. Clicking START will display a practice question – ensure the children know what they need to do.

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  5. Remind them that they do not need to move the mouse and that the quickest method is to enter the answers and press enter on the keyboard.
  6. We give the children 15 minutes to answer as many questions as they can. We find that this gives us a really deep picture of their times tables ability.
  7. You might like to ask them to turn their volume down before they begin as the sound effects can be off putting for children trying to concentrate.
  8. When the children have had 15 minutes, or however long you have given them, ask them to click on End MISSION. 
  9. This will display a chart displaying how they got on. We ask them to choose PRINTABLE CHART from the top.

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  10. They enter their names and the date of the test and print if needed – this could be filed in their folders or with their other maths work.

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We use the information provided in the report in a number of ways. The individual tables results reveals to us the level of understanding for each one and so we can tell the children what they need to work on. This week I have told the children their own targets for practice, the weakest of all of the results.
The overall percentage is important but perhaps the most important is the number of questions answered correctly. We enter this into a spreadsheet and divide it into 900 (the number of 

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seconds in 15 minutes) This calculation provides us a per correct answer time in seconds – we can basically see how fast they can recall their tables. We will complete this every month and involve the children in tracking their own progress.
No marking means we can focus on the diagnostic side of helping the children improve the speed and accuracy of their times tables – I would urge you to take advantage of this resource or others like it to do the same. We completed the task with the children using the class laptops but it could be easily done over two sessions in a computer suite.
Not only will it help you address the balance but also stop you getting bogged down with marking and allow you to focus on helping the children improve.

Top 5 Times Tables Resources

Maths, My classPublished onUpdated on10 Comments on Top 5 Times Tables Resources

Times tables are such an important tool in maths for primary aged children to master and there has never been a better time for online resources.

Here are my top 5 recommendations that tick all the boxes. I would be looking for resources that are engaging, have a depth of maths involved, flexibility so it can be used in different ways, perhaps an assessment breakdown at the end and give quality feedback.

All of these have been added to our school’s del.icio.us links and the children in Year 5 access them both at home and when they are using the laptops during morning activity time in class.

Multiflyer

A wonderful resource that can be used throughout a child’s practise of times tables. Engaging and very well presented by a digital designer Dan Perkins. I have been using this for a long time and still think it is one of the top resources around. It is free to play, and there is a version you can pay for with some little extras. There are lots of options to look at specific tables so you can focus the children’s efforts on their weaknesses and a printable results sheet that we will be using this term – all good for work life balance eh?! Well worth a look.

Times Attack

This is one of those amazing finds from the site multiplication.com when I was getting into Multiflyer. A standalone game that you can download that is nothing like you have seen before. A first person game that allows the player to control a character through a series of levels that test their times tables. I cannot do it credit in this description, you need to see this one! The demo is free and just allows you to play, quite adequately, on a single level. We might consider the full version if the demo is received well in school. Don’t worry the children will take to the controls far better than you! They enjoy the unique way it is presented and hardly realise they are working on their tables.

BBC Skillswise Times Tables

A classic in my mind – I discovered the great resources available over on the Skillswise part of the BBC site back in my first year of teaching. This is a clear, bright and engaging resource that is ideal for the IWB. In our school you can often hear it being played on first thing in the morning as the children are coming in. In fact I have used it during my register time, I say good morning, they come and answer a question on the IWB. Again you can be specific about what you practice so it is suitable for all ages and for individual use too. Lots of fun.

Maths Trainer

I have only recently come across the last two resources in this list, some new entries into the Top 5! This is part of a series of excellent resources from the Maths is Fun website. This works best when an individual is working on it, as it reacts to their weaknesses and can be carefully tuned to their individual needs. It is always the aim to not only be accurate but also to be rapid in your recall of the times tables, so the timing element is most welcome. In this resource you can work on different chunks of the times tables at a time, lots of flexibility which I really like and quality support too. You will also notice that there are options for the other operations, well worth exploring. Whilst you are there I would recommend looking at Speed Maths and Reaction Maths.

Multiplication Puzzle

Much like Maths Trainer this resource is flexible enough to allow you to tailor it to individual needs and offers valuable practice. It works on a missing number type puzzle within a number grid. The numbers to multiply can also be missing along the sides, so children are encouraged to use the inverse operation to check these. One of the best features which makes it stand above the rest is the way you can alter how much time the children have to work. You can change the length of time for the whole activity or based on how many questions they need to answer. This offers an excellent way to encourage those who can recall their tables accurately but need to speed up. A simple but highly effective resource that offers real depth and flexibility. In addition it has one of the best “Well Done” sound effects I have ever come across, but you will have to find that out for yourself!

I hope that you find my Top 5 Times Tables resources useful and you have fun using them in your own classroom setting. There are many, many resources for maths but there are much fewer that have the depth and flexibility that is required to be used effectively in our classrooms.

Let me know what you make of them and what successes you have, or even if you think that you have a resource I have missed that qualifies to be in my Top 5!