Math Made Easy: Fifth Grade Workbook

Yes, I am astonished at and delighted by the topics and techniques shown in this book. I love this book; I wish I had written it.You'll want to read Rebecca's list of topics and her compliments. She's right. Pam Tee criticizes the book for its sparse explanations. She is correct that this book supplements a textbook and is not a "stand-alone" book. As such, it is top-notch. Below I will offer a couple of changes for your consideration. It is not nearly as cluttered as most textbooks which feature laborious explanations, which is a virtue.This book will prepare your child to succeed in Algebra One with only a little further supplementation. Don't be so concerned with the "state tests;" help your child lay a solid computation foundation to score high on the SAT's. The authors do not offer any such guarantee, but 5th grade is the right age to start, with one page a day of this book at home.When your book arrives, spend 30 minutes reading the answer pages in the back. You will see 8 pages at once, and will get an overview which will help you see how one lesson leads to the next. You will also find some helpful hints for parents, which helps to overcome Pam Tee's objections. Here follow my own hints.Page 3 has a wonderful introduction to equvalent fractions.Pages 28 and 29 are super. These are good pages to hand your child a calculator and show how to turn a fraction into a decimal. Do NOT write the decimal, but do write the percent near each fraction. Older students often do not see that a fraction, a decimal, and a percent are all identical; you just use the most convenient form for the job at hand. Maybe percent could be added to the given decimals on pages 68 and 88 when you get there; your child should not need the calculator here.I love the three lessons on "Simple Use of Parentheses." Most books rush children into "Order of Operations," and seldom show why those rules follow from everyday use of math: I buy 3 lbs of apples @ 97 cents a pound, plus a 5.6 pound chicken @ $1.29 a pound, plus 2 pounds of carrots @ 78 cents a pound. To find my total, I multiply before I add. So this book teaches children to work with groups, and later they can see the groups without the parentheses. Super lessons.Division starts on Page 100. Division is the most important operation, because all of the advanced math and science problems are division problems. I'll skip my usual list unless someone asks for it. I recommend that students learn short division with single-digit divisors. And with this book's earlier practice with basic facts, your child will be ready for short division. Zoom!!! I am not sure if it is worth struggling with your child over the two-digit divisors on page 102. Save those for 6th grade if it begins a battle between you and your child.I don't care for teaching the Mean, Median, and Mode together, but page 120 does the job as well as anyone I have seen. Page 122 has Co-ordinates. At the top of the page, have your child write (right, up) and burn it into their brain. The textbooks all belabor this important topic. (RIGHT, UP) say it 3 times. It's your new mantra.Page 128 begins a great, spaced sequence on Factors. I would encourage your child to write the factors on another sheet of paper, in the form of a tee chart. That allows an orderly search for factors. All I know is I learned write tee charts from my 8th graders the first year I taught. Thanks again, Kids. This would be a good time to have your child memorize the first five prime numbers: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11. Very valuable. Right up there with (right, up).Page 134 has great Elapsed Time problems. Be sure to teach your child which way the hands turn. Not every 5th grader knows "clockwise."Page 143 is a good lesson on finding the GCG. Helpful hint: Only write the factors of the smaller number and search that list for the GCF. Second hint, if the two numbers are close to each other, find the factors of the difference between the numbers and search that list for the GCF.Page 145 is a great place to use the calculator again to find percents for each fraction and write them on the pictures. Please see my notes on pages 28 and 29 again.This review pays homage to the authors of this marvelous workbook. I wish I had written this book and I salute you authors. You parents can help your child for a small investment of time and money. Don't hesitate. Don't skip anything except maybe the two-digit divisors.Be sure to make up some problems such as 4 minus 7 to get your child started on negative numbers painlessly. And please draw vertical number lines instead of horizontal lines.

Ok - I admit it - I love this series. I've used both the US and the Canadian versions - plus what seems like dozens of others - and this series is the best I've found. Math Made Easy: Third Grade Workbook (Math Made Easy) Math Made Easy: 1st Grade Workbook, Ages 6-7 Math Made Easy: Second Grade Workbook (Math Made Easy)The entire series is low on pretty graphics (they are useless anyway) and high on drill and practice and more drill and more practice. But there are also plenty of word problems as well. In fact, there's a great variety of all types of math activities, all grade appropriate - and I find the reward sticker page highly motivating.The answer key in the back allows the student to self grade and correct if desired.A note on content - the US version differs from the Canadian version primarily in the use of metric vs non-metric measurement activities, and of course the money is a bit different. But otherwise they seem the same.

These could be very usable but there is not tge greatest amount of instruction provided to the child.

I got this book for my son that is going to 6th grade. We're re-locating overseas and to register him at the school overthere, he needs to pass a math exam, among other tests. This book is wonderful. It starts easy, reviewing basic math... multiplication, division, rounding numbers. It becomes more challenging later on. Every excercise page has an empty star on the top corner. The book comes with a page of golden star stickers. Once the kid has completed a page, that empty star on top is filled with the sticker. Also, you can keep track of the star reward system at the beginning of the book. The star reward system is working wonderfully for my son. I recommend this book to any child that needs an extra practise in 4th and 5th grade math.

Great resource for teachers with lots of multiple practice sheets...students loved working in this book

Not all that thrilled with it but it will do. I will be getting another math book in a different publisher when we get thru this. It is great for multiplication but unless you the parent remembers everything you learned in 5th grade you might have to think a little to help them thru it...but yet, at times it feels like its too easy...I know, I sound like I can't make up my mind-- that's how this book makes me feel.

My daughter is in the 5th grade and struggles with her Multiplication tables and some other basic Math functions. It has been causing her to struggle for the past 2 years. I've sent her to a Math tutor and have had a hard time finding something that is fun and will keep her interested and excited. This workbook is it!She's a positive reinforcement learner and the gold stars and progress report pages after each short section really give her a sense of accomplishment. She asks to practice more and more and this is during track out time from school. I bought another workbook and it overwhelmed her and she said "Mom this isn't fun!" Great tool for parents and kids!

PROS: Math grade level is spot on. Questions and presentation very nice.CONS: Visually "blah" (no color graphics - all "two tone" lavender), pages too slick to write on with a standard pencil.I returned them and Amazon credited my account the very day. Awesome customer service!