The Five-Minute Practice Habit

The Five-Minute Practice Habit Master Basic Math Facts & Get Better at Everything You Do For Grades 2-6 by Mitchell B. Mark Contents Note from Author....Page 2 Five Steps to Success...Page 3 How to Choose Facts to Practice...Page 4 Setting Goals with a Practice Chart...Page 5 How to Practice Well...Page 6 Learning New Facts...Page 7 How Learning Happens...Page 8 SmartStories...Page 9

Hello Boys and Girls, Do you ever wonder why some people are really good at things? How do professional athletes get so good? How do players in a band learn to play so well? How come some of the students in your class always know the answers? Everyone learns differently. Some people seem to learn things quickly and easily. For others, it takes more time. However, no one gets good at anything without practicing. Not all practicing is the same. If you practice well, you get better. If you do not practice well, you may not get better. You do not need to practice for hours and hours. If you practice well for five minutes, every day, you will make consistent progress. If you have struggled to learn math facts, it may be because you have not learned to practice well. I have good news for you: It s not hard to learn to practice well. This guide will show you how. When you know how to practice, you will learn math facts much easier, and much better. Here is the bonus: The same things you do to learn math facts will also help you get better at sports, music, dance anything. If you want to get really good at something, simply learn to practice well, and put in the time. If math is not your favorite subject, but you love soccer, think about this: By learning to practice math facts well, you will learn the keys to getting good at soccer, (or baseball, football, guitar, piano, drums...anything!) If in the past, you have had trouble learning, it s time for a fresh start. It s time to believe in yourself, and your ability to practice and get better. I guarantee that if you follow the simple steps in this guide, you are going to get better at math facts, and everything else you practice. Have a great time growing stronger every day! Best wishes, Mitch

Five Steps to Success 1) Showing Up: How to set goals and form a practice habit. Set an alarm to remind you to practice. Try to practice at the same time and in the same place. Create persistence and achievement goals (see page 5). Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart. Confucius 2) Practicing with effort: Developing perseverance and grit. The more effort you give to focusing and concentrating, the better you will get at practicing. Keep practicing for the full five minutes. Do not quit. If you experience failure, (missed practice, failed test), review your goals, and try again. Fall seven times, stand up eight. Japanese Proverb 3) Learn how to learn new facts: Using curiosity and creativity to self-teach. Read the strategies on page 7. Create your own SmartStory (Page 8). The time is always right to do what is right. Martin Luther King, Jr. 4) Practice well. Identify which facts (Page 5). When you see a fact, resist counting. If you do not know the answer, use strategies to figure it out. If your answer is not correct, look at the back of the card. Think of ways to remember it next time. Practice with all the effort you have. Spend time learning from incorrect answers. You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who ll decide where to go Dr. Seuss 5) Measure your progress once a week. Review the facts you know. Identify new facts to practice. Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood. Helen Keller Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That s why we call it The Present. Eleanor Roosevelt

How to Choose Facts to Practice Which facts? If your teacher assigns facts, use those. If not, choose from this list to the right. Do not choose facts that you already know well. Do not choose the hardest facts. Choose the easiest facts that you do not know well. As you learn more facts, it will be easier to learn the harder facts. Start with six facts. If you are using FastFacts Math, tap INDIVIDUAL. (See below) Select the facts. Select Multiple Choice. Turn Speed Mode off. Set the time to answer to 15 seconds. If you are using flashcards, choose the cards. Once a week Test yourself on the facts you have been working on, and the facts that you already know. If you are using FastFacts Math, enter the facts. Set the timer to answer to three or four seconds. That is plenty of time if you know these facts really well. Choose Exact Answer and turn on Speed Mode. If you miss any, include those facts for practice the following week. If you are using flashcards, go over the cards you have been practicing, and review the cards you know well. If you miss any, include those facts for practice the following week. For the following week, decide if you are ready to add more facts. If you missed several facts on your test, you may want to practice those for another week. If you did well, you can choose more facts to practice. Choose Individual Choose Facts For Practice Multiple Choice On Speed Mode Off Timer: 15 Seconds For Testing Multiple Choice Off Speed Mode On Timer: 3 Seconds Print Instructional Flashcards and learn more about FastFacts Math at studysmart.com

Setting Goals with a Practice Chart Persistence Do you know the story about the tortoise and the hare? The tortoise wins the race even though the hare is much faster. The tortoise was persistent. He kept going. He stayed focused. If you practice every day for five minutes, and you try your hardest, you will make progress every day and every week. Goals 1) How many days will you practice? If your goal is to practice every day, write 7. 2) How much effort will you give to your practice? After each practice session, rate yourself on effort. Use a scale from 1-10, (10 being the highest). A perfect week of 10s would be 70. (7 x 10) What is your goal for the week? Here are some questions to ask when you rate yourself on effort: 1) Did you practice on your own, without being reminded? 2) Did you concentrate as hard as you could? 3) If your answer was not correct, did you try to learn the fact? 4) Did you practice the full five minutes? 5) Did you count? 3) How well will you do when you test yourself at the end of the week? If your goal is to get all your facts correct, write 100. Goals Days: 7 Effort: 70 %: 100 Practice Chart Name: Goals Days: Effort: %: Facts: Date: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Start End Effort Total Effort: Parent: Facts Write the facts you are practicing on the two lines. Date Write the date for Monday. Time Each day, record the time you began practice, and the time you ended. Try to practice for at least five minutes each day. At the end of the week, ask a parent to sign your chart. Bring it to school. Effort, persistence, self-control, and responsibility are all things you can develop. These are the traits of great athletes, artists, musicians, and business leaders. The better you practice, the better you perform. Set your goals and strive to reach them. Parents, Please sign your children s Practice Chart at the end of the week. There are things you can do to help your children build and strengthen their practice habit. Find out how to: Help your children establish a daily practice routine, one they do on their own. Follow and recognize their progress and accomplishments. Provide support, encouragement, and reinforce their success. There is a video and a guide for parents, The Five-Minute Practice Habit, along with printable instructional flashcards, at studysmart.com.

How to Practice Well Before you practice. Practice at the same time, in the same place, as often as possible. Review your goals. Put on your game face. Take several long, deep breaths. Get focused. Establish a pre-practice routine. Play a song that inspires you. Prepare your materials. Set a timer for five minutes. Never stop before the timer goes off. Practice extra sometimes. The keys to successful practice. Resist the temptation to count. This is a time to break the counting habit. Always check the back of the card. Not checking is a common mistake. When you are correct, confirm the answer to yourself. Use self-talk. That s right. 6 + 7 is 13. If you think you know the answer, go with it. Do not be afraid to be incorrect. If you are incorrect, take time to look at the back of the card, and think. Say the question and answer several times. Think of why the fact is true. Think of ways to remember it next time. If you have a SmartStory, review it. Stay confident and focused. When you think you know the facts well, keep practicing. Reduce the time to answer. Switch to Exact Answer. Try to beat your best time. When you think you know the facts well, say all the facts in the family. For example: you see 6 x 7, you say: 6 x 7 = 42, 7 x 6 = 42, 42 6 = 7, 42 7 = 6 After you practice. If you are using a Practice Chart, write your times and your effort score. Put your materials away. Feel good. Know that you have done two important things: 1) You have learned your math facts better. 2) You have gotten better at practicing, focusing, and concentrating. When you think you know the answer, go for it. Do not be afraid of incorrect answers. When you try your hardest, and learn from mistakes, that is when you get the most out of practice.

Before you begin practicing with facts in the No Idea column, take a few minutes to understand what the facts mean. Understanding makes it easier to recall the answers. Identify all four facts in the fact family. This will help you understand the facts, and learn four facts at once. Draw a picture to illustrate each fact. Use facts you know If you know that 6 x 6 = 36, then look at 6 x 7 as: (6 x 6 = 36) + 6 = 42 If you know that 5 + 5 = 10, then look at 5 + 7 as: (5 + 5 = 10) + 2 = 12 Use strategies For addition 9s, add ten and subtract one. For example: 5 + 9: (5 + 10 = 15) - 1 = 14 For addition 8s, add ten and subtract two. For example: 4 + 8: (4 + 10 = 14) - 2 = 12 Learning New Facts Use things you know and like to create a SmartStory. Use food, time, sports, etc. See the story about Max and treats on the following page. Watch Video Flashcards Video Flashcards are 15-second mini-lessons that help you to understand and recall math facts. You can watch them online at studysmart.com. Each video has eight facts, and is two to three minutes in length. You can watch a video while you brush your teeth. Answer appears after several seconds. Answer appears after several seconds Videos include a variety of presentations to promote understanding, recall, retention and application. Children can write their answers on scratch paper, and receive immediate feedback after each answer. Videos include eight facts and are about three minutes in length. Children can watch them at home for practice, and then again in school. There is no preparation, and nothing to correct. Just press Play.

1) I know this. How Learning Happens When you look at a flashcard or a question appears on an app, you can have three reactions: Response: Answer the question immediately. Avoid: Hesitation or counting. 2) I think I know this. Response: Answer the question immediately. Learn to trust your first reaction. Learn to be OK with incorrect answers. Avoid: Hesitation or counting. 3) I do not know this. Get better at: Staying calm and focused. Not worrying about incorrect answers. Not worrying about time pressure. Trusting your brain. Believing in your ability to learn. Response: Relax. Think of a strategy. Avoid: Panic or counting. It s OK to not know the answer. As soon as you see the correct answer: 1) If correct: Confirm. Say something like, That s right. 6 x 7 = 42. 2) If incorrect when you thought you knew it: Stay calm. Look at the back of the card. Figure out why your answer was not correct. Say the correct question and answer several times. 3) You did not know the fact. Look at the back of the card. Look at the page in the Student s Guide, Learning New Facts. Use the suggestions there. It s OK to take some time here. When you understand a fact, it s easier to remember it. Be curious. Be creative. Think, What does this fact mean? Where do I see it in my life? Keys to Success Stay calm and focused, whether your answer is correct or not. Self talk is helpful. Coach yourself. The more effort you put into practice, the better you will learn the facts, and the better you will get at practicing. If you feel like you are getting tense, take a long, deep breath.

Learning Facts with SmartStories. Family Facts 6 x 7 = 42 7 x 6 = 42 42 6 = 7 42 7 = 6 Create your own SmartStory. When you begin learning a fact in the No Idea category, consider making a SmartStory. Identify where you see the fact in life. Draw pictures. Write a story. Just by making the story, you will be more likely to remember the fact. You can review your story as needed. Your story can also help others learn the fact. My dog Max loves treats. One day I bought a box with 42 treats. I left them in the garage and forgot about it. Max found the treats. He is a smart dog, and decided that he would get sick if he ate all the treats at once. So every day for a week (7 days), Max ate six treats. By the end of the week all the treats were gone. I did it again. I got another bag of treats. When Max saw the bag, he distracted me by howling and rolling on his back. I dropped the bag of treats and forgot about them. This time, six treats weren t enough for one day. Max ate seven treats every day until they were gone. This time the treats only lasted six days. Max likes treats to eat.