A Review of Evan Moor’s Math Fundamentals Grade 1

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Last year I had the opportunity to try out Evan Moor’s Reading Comprehension Fundamentals Series and loved it. My first grader’s reading comprehension skills have really benefited from using this series. Click here to read my review of the Reading Comprehension Fundamentals Grade 1 book. This year, Evan Moor has created a Fundamentals series for math skills. I was excited to try it out due to how much my child benefited from the Reading Comprehension Fundamentals. I received Evan Moor’s Math Fundamentals Grade 1 book in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

The Subtraction Problem

My autistic first grader was struggling with subtraction skills. Addition skills developed naturally with our chosen math curriculum, but we hit a road block with subtraction. I taught her older sibling subtraction using Touch Math, but she wants nothing to do with numbers that have dots drawn on them. We use a lot of manipulatives during math during instruction time, like an Abacus or Cuisenaire Rods, but she likes to just know the answers. I hoped the Evan Moor Math Fundamentals book would help and I was not disappointed.

The Evan Moor Math Fundamentals Solution

After downloading my e-version of the Math Fundamentals book, I immediately printed out every page on subtraction. During our math time, we started going through one page per day. The pages are divided into three types:

1. Math Model Reference Pages
2. Skill Practice Pages
3. Problem Solving Activity

Math Model Reference Pages

First, a specific procedure is presented, such as “counting back,” to solve the problem. Then multiple ways to solve the problem are demonstrated through pictures and words. For example, using a diagram, drawing counters, or making jumps on a number line.

Skill Practice pages

The practice problem pages begin with an example reviewing the various ways to solve the problem that were already presented. Then there are practice problems for the child to solve. The child is encouraged to solve the problem using one of the methods presented.

Problem Solving Activity

The word problem pages help the child determine what information they are really looking for before attempting to solve the problem. Multiple choice questions about the word problem help the child really think about the information they need to solve the presented problem.

Real Life Benefits from Evan Moor’s Math Fundamentals

Even with only using the Math Fundamentals book for a short time, my daughter learned new solving strategies. The program taught her to figure out the answers to subtraction problems based on math facts she already knew. She was presented with a variety of problem solving strategies and is now able to use the ones that make the most sense to her.

Uses for Evan Moor’s Math Fundamentals

The Math Fundamental Series can be used:

1. …to Target Specific Problem Areas, like I did with my daughter.
2. …in companion with Evan Moor’s Daily Math Practice book. The daily math practice is used for review and mastery. As a companion, the Fundamentals book can be used to reteach skills based on what a child misses in the daily math practice activities. I recommend the Daily Math Practice series as a top pick for supplementary math curriculum.
3. …as A Core Resource. Each book includes a recommended sequence for core instruction. CLICK HERE to read my evaluation of Evan-Moor’s Math Fundamentals as a core math curriculum.

 

Conclusion on Evan Moor’s Math Fundamentals Series

The first grade Math Fundamental book effectively taught my child new ways to approach problem solving. Her subtraction skills improved. I would recommend the Evan Moor Math Fundamental Series for struggling learners or as a core resource for all children. The books are available for grades 1-6. The Math Fundamental series can be previewed on Evan Moor’s web site.

If you purchase the e-version of a math fundamentals book, print only the pages you need to write on and view the other in your Kindle app. CLICK HERE to learn how to access your PDF files in Kindle.

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