Love Divine

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Did your device hide the video? Find it on YouTube here.

Isaiah 9:2-7

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.

… For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV.org.

Taking a Break

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

I’ve had fun with this blog posting streak, but I’m ready to take some time off. Besides, my computer is acting up, and I’m not sure what to do with it.

So this ends the streak at 56 days. Maybe I’ll try to beat that in January — or maybe not. I’m still deciding on plans and goals for 2021.

Anyway, have a great holiday season!

Hanging on to a Streak

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Posting a placeholder, if our ancient rural internet can stick with us just a tiny bit longer. I’ve managed to post at least a little something for 53 days in a row.

The ‘net has been off and on all day, but mostly off. We need to get a repair guy out here to see if he can do anything with these rusty old phone lines (or even better, convince the phone company to run new lines — but that’s probably a pipe dream).

But in the meantime, the streak still holds…..

He Humbled Himself

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Did your device hide the video? Find it on YouTube here.

Philippians 2:5-11

Christ Jesus who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.

So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV.org.

What Is Multiplication, Anyway?

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

At some point during the process of teaching multiplication to our children, we really need to come to terms with this question:

What IS multiplication?

Did your device hide the video? Find it on YouTube here.

“What’s my answer? It’s not one that society’s going to like. Because society expects — demands, even — that mathematics be concrete, real-world, absolute, having definitive answers.

    I can’t give a definitive answer.

      Multiplication manifests itself in different ways. So maybe the word ‘is’ there is just too absolute. And it’s actually at odds with what mathematicians do.

        Mathematicians do attend to real-world, practical scenarios — by stepping away from them, looking at a bigger picture.”

        —James Tanton, What is Multiplication?

        For Further Study

        You may also enjoy these posts from my blog archive:

        Memorizing the Times Table: A Life Skills Approach

        Posted on by Denise Gaskins

        Continuing on my theme of times table facts, here’s the inimitable James Tanton:

        Did your device hide the video? Find it on YouTube here.

        “If our task is to memorize this table, please make it about mathematics — about thinking your way through a challenge, and what can I do to make my life easier.”

        —James Tanton, Making Memorising Multiplication Facts (if one really must) a meaningful Life Skill Lesson

        For Further Study

        You may also enjoy my blog post series about working through the times tables, paying attention to mathematical relationships (and a bit of prealgebra) along the way.

        Times Tables Series

        Click the button to see the whole series. Scroll down to the first post to go through it in order.

        Happy Mathy Hanukkah

        Posted on by Denise Gaskins

        Hiding among all the other winter-themed activity ideas, I found a few posts for those who celebrate the Festival of Lights.

        For More Holiday Math

        CREDITS: Candle photo (top) by Enrique Macias via Unsplash.com.

        Only Three Facts to Memorize

        Posted on by Denise Gaskins

        A comment from a friend got me playing around with multiplication. I found a few videos from some of my favorite math people, so I’ll be sharing over the next few days.

        Here’s one from Sonya Post of Learning Well at Home. Also, Sonya just hosted Playful Math Education Carnival #143, which is well worth your time to explore!

        Did your device hide the video? Find it on YouTube here.

        “When students have to drill multiplication facts, it’s frustrating, unproductive and it makes them hate math. A better way to master the multiplication table is work on the skills that allow students to multiply quickly and efficiently.”

        —Sonya Post, Why We Don’t Drill Multiplication Facts – What We Do Instead

        Doubling and Halving

        Making doubles and halves are a great foundation for all sorts of math.

        Do you ever play the doubling game with your children? One player picks a starting number, and then you take turns doubling it until your mental math skills run out. How far can you go?

        Or try the halving game: One player chooses a starting number, and you take turns cutting it in half. How tiny can you go?

        As Sonya demonstrated, these skills help your child master their multiplication facts. And they are fantastic preparation for exponents and logarithms, too!