This book by Dina Migachyov, a retired math teacher with more than 20
years experience, is a gentle introduction to
the very basics of
arithmetic - starting out with counting to 10 and ending with the
multiplication table and adding and subtracting large numbers. It
was written for homeschooled students as a summary of the most
important skills they need to master in order to progress, but it is
equally good for schoolkids as a way to ensure that they know the most
important arithmetic
concepts before going on to more advanced
math. The book is divided into two parts: a Textbook and a
Workbook. The textbook supplies explanations for the various
mathematical concepts the child needs to know, at the child's level,
with plenty of examples, practice problems, and colorful pictures; the
workbook provides many practice problems for the child to do to test
his or her mastery of the concept.
The book progresses in order from simple concepts to more complex ones;
as the author explains, math cannot be taught in random order.
Each concept is explained thoroughly, and then smoothly progresses to
the next concept.
The subjects covered in the book are: counting, comparing numbers, odd
and even numbers, addition, subtraction, adding and subtracting larger
numbers (1-100), multiplication, division, division with remainder, and
adding and subtracting very large numbers. The book
contains a lot of word problems, because, as the author explains in the
introduction, word problems are the most important part of elementary
math, as they ensure understanding of the subject. Every chapter
ends in a "Word Problems" section.
The book also covers many methods for basic addition that do not get
covered in most American schools (where kids end up counting on their
fingers all the way through high school). For example, it shows a
method for "breaking apart numbers", where in order to add 8+5, you add
8+2 to make 10, and then add the remaining 3 to make 13. This,
and many other useful tricks, help the child add and subtract quickly
and confidently.
The tone of the book is friendly, encouraging, and upbeat; it would be a great study aid for a young child.