• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: May 23, 2011
• Written by: Susan

On June 18th, 2011, I will be in the Beaverton, Oregon location of the Learning Palace educational store. If you live in the area, and are looking for strategies to teach math facts, or if you would like a signed copy of one of my workbooks, stop by between 11 AM and 12:15 PM that day.

These books are perfect during the summer break for giving children a boost on learning addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts.

The books are meant to be used for any age child who is still counting to get answers. It is easy to individualize a math facts program using the instructions and the many reproducible workbook pages.

The books are used by classroom teachers, teachers in resource rooms, and homeschool families.

Learning Palace
Canyon Place Mall
3861 SW 117th
Beaverton, OR
503.644.9301
For directions to the store: www.learningpalace.com

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: March 13, 2011
• Written by: Susan

Today, my husband and I walked around the Tucson Festival of Books on the University of Arizona campus. It was a beautiful Arizona day, and we enjoyed being back on campus where we met and went to school together many years ago. There were 1000s of people of all ages having a wonderful time discovering books, hearing authors speak, enjoying the countless activities that were free for the public, and so much more. I loved seeing the families, the excited and happy children, and the many adults who were enjoying the day. I was impressed with how well-organized this huge event was. Congratulations to the TFOB committee and its supporters for this amazing successful event.

LINK to the Tucson Festival of Books bookstore: http://uabookstores.arizona.edu/RS/0311/TFOB.html
Hit: Learn More about the Events.
Hit: Sunday Events, Alumni Authors, and you can see information about me and Five Times Five Is Not Ten at the 12:30 PM time.

We sat in to hear several authors speak, walked most of the mall, stopped at so many of the booths, had some yummy refreshing ice cream from the little market on the outside of the Student Union near the UA Bookstore, and checked out the UA Alumni Author tent where I will be speaking tomorrow, on Sunday, March 13th at 12:30 PM. I hope parents, grandparents, teachers, and maybe even some old acquaintances from our college days come to hear me speak about Five Times Five Is Not Ten: Make Multiplication Easy.

If you want a copy, check with the two Barnes & Noble Tucson stores. I noticed that the UA Bookstore tent on the mall has only a few books, but there will be more available in the UA Alumni Author tent during my talk tomorrow. If you own a copy, bring it, and I’ll sign your book.

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: March 3, 2011
• Written by: Susan

The University of Arizona Bookstore currently has a limited number of copies of Five Times Five is Not Ten: Make Multiplication Easy, so if you are on campus, you can purchase a book now! Tucson Barnes and Noble stores have copies too! Bring your copy to the Tucson Festival of Books U of A Alumni Author’s tent at 12:30 pm on March 13, hear me talk about the book, and I’ll sign your copy.

Also, I just spoke with someone from the University of Arizona Alumni Association, and copies of Five Times Five Is Not Ten will be available for sale on March 13 at the Tucson Festival of Books in the U A Alumni Author’s tent during my time to speak.

There will also be a few copies of the addition and subtraction book, Two Plus Two Is Not Five: Easy Methods to Learn Addition and Subtraction available for purchase.

I am donating 100% of the sales of my two books to the University of Arizona Alumni Association during my scheduled time in the University of Arizona’s Alumni Author’s tent: March 13, 12:30 – 1:30 PM. Limited to books on hand.

Buy both books to help your children learn addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts!

If you have questions about the books, the Tucson Festival of Books, or my talk on Five Times Five Is Not Ten, go to www.TwoPlusTwoIsNotFive.com and inquire by email.

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: February 28, 2011
• Written by: Susan

Two more reviews of Two Plus Two Is Not Five can be viewed at Amazon.com.

Go to http://amzn.to/hXORzc to see all the reviews, or look below for the three most recent reviews. If you or a friend have used Five Times Five Is Not Ten: Make Multiplication Easy, please post a review at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com.
Thanks!

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Plus Two = YAHOO!, February 23, 2011
By Nancy (West Coast FL) – See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Two Plus Two is Not Five (Easy Methods to Learn Addition & Subtraction) (Paperback)
GREAT book for my struggling 2nd grader! At long last, after weeks of class-test failures, this is the one that brought the light to her sweet face. The tricks are pretty cool and mostly very helpful. For us, a few tricks were a little cumbersome to use. Nevertheless the arrangement of the lessons and the repetitions and refreshers together made it all WORK!

For those who want to hear the tricks that were hard for my child: Number In The Middle such as 8+6 is the same as Doubles 7+7. While this is useful and needed information, I think conceptually, this was a lot for my 7-yr old to switcheroo. Also a bit hard, Magic Nine, BUT she already had a handle that if she subtracts 10, then adds one back, she’ll have it. So here, my girl had her own trick, and one shouldn’t mess with what works. Nevertheless, DON’T let these minor criticisms deter you from buying–your child may love these tricks too OR you’ll work through them like I did. The point is that IF you run into a difficulty like mine, you can manage it. A great, very well put-together book! I thank you wholeheartedly Susan R. Greenwald! (And shortly, on to the Multiplication book!)

5.0 out of 5 stars very helpful book!, February 12, 2011
By Kristen Lavalley “mom2jandc” (Madison, MS) – See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Two Plus Two is Not Five (Easy Methods to Learn Addition & Subtraction) (Paperback)
My son has dyslexia and has always had a “block” for memorizing his addition and subtraction facts. We are about half-way through the book and my son is remembering all the “tricks!” It is a very helpful book and even had my son saying, “I love math!” Wow!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Report abuse | Permalink
Comment Comment

5.0 out of 5 stars Transformed math for my child !, November 3, 2010
By R. Robinson (California, USA) – See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Two Plus Two is Not Five (Easy Methods to Learn Addition & Subtraction) (Paperback)
I ordered this book because my second grader was struggling in math, failing to remember basic math facts and becoming more and more anxious about math in general. Susan Greenwald’s book has been a revelation. I started working with my daughter immediately and now two months later, we have worked through tiers one and two. The book has empowered me to be able to teach her various ‘tricks’ to structure her math fact learning and has allowed my daughter to build confidence with each practice sheet. We still have a number of sections to work through, but already I can see that math is now fun for my daughter. We enjoy learning new tricks and she is feeling much more confident as her math skills improve each week. We now look forward to math time.

I have used many tools with my daughter – workbooks, computer games, flash cards, board games, DVD’s, but this is the first time that there have been any results. I only wish I had found this book earlier. I will definitely start working through it with my Kindergartner and will be ordering Susan’s similar title on multiplication in the future.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a child struggling with math facts, or if you want to give your child a head start, or plug any gaps that may exist. This book has transformed math in my home and provided us with an answer when we did not know what to do next.

My daughter + math + 2+2 is not 5 = confidence and smiles 🙂

Thank you Susan for writing this book!

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: January 18, 2011
• Written by: Susan

Today I received an update from the University of Arizona. The link below tells about the authors, and when they will be speaking. I am very excited about presenting on Five Times Five Is Not Ten. If you will be at the Tucson Festival of Books on Sunday, March 13th, please stop by the UA Alumni Authors Tent at 12:30 PM, and hear me speak.

www.arizonaalumni.com/Bookfest

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: January 6, 2011
• Written by: Susan

As noted in an earlier post, my third book, Five Times Five Is Not Ten: Make Multiplication Easy, was selected for participation in the University of Arizona’s Alumni Authors tent at the 2011 Tucson Festival of Books. I am scheduled to speak on Sunday, March 13th at 12:30 p.m., and I will be giving a brief presentation on the book, and tell why I wrote it.

For more information about the Tucson Festival of Books, please visit their website: http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: December 28, 2010
• Written by: Susan

This is the actual review that was posted:

5.0 out of 5 stars
Transformed math for my child ! November 3, 2010
By R. Robinson (California, USA)
This review is from: Two Plus Two Is Not Five (Easy Methods to Learn Addition & Subtraction) (Paperback)
I ordered this book because my second grader was struggling in math, failing to remember basic math facts and becoming more and more anxious about math in general. Susan Greenwald’s book has been a revelation. I started working with my daughter immediately and now two months later, we have worked through tiers one and two. The book has empowered me to be able to teach her various ‘tricks’ to structure her math fact learning and has allowed my daughter to build confidence with each practice sheet. We still have a number of sections to work through, but already I can see that math is now fun for my daughter. We enjoy learning new tricks and she is feeling much more confident as her math skills improve each week. We now look forward to math time.

I have used many tools with my daughter – workbooks, computer games, flash cards, board games, DVD’s, but this is the first time that there have been any results. I only wish I had found this book earlier. I will definitely start working through it with my Kindergartner and will be ordering Susan’s similar title on multiplication in the future.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a child struggling with math facts, or if you want to give your child a head start, or plug any gaps that may exist. This book has transformed math in my home and provided us with an answer when we did not know what to do next.

My daughter + math + 2+2 is not 5 = confidence and smiles 🙂

Thank you Susan for writing this book!

• Category: addition and subtraction differentiation IEPs learning disabled multiplication facts Tucson Festival of Books University of Arizona word math
• Published Dated: December 28, 2010
• Written by: Susan

I received word that my third book, Five Times Five Is Not Ten: Make Multiplication Easy was selected for participation in the University of Arizona’s Alumni Authors tent at the 2011 Tucson Festival of Books.

The event takes place March 12-13, but I have not been assigned a time yet. I plan to talk about the benefits of Five Times Five Is Not Ten, show how it is different than other multiplication practice books, and explain how both teacher and parents can use it to help children become automatic or fluent with multiplication facts. Students need to memorize math facts to be able to succeed in higher level math.

Five Times Five Is Not Ten introduces the multiplication facts with various strategies, and then the facts are practiced throughout the book. New learners would start at the beginning of the book, and children who already know some of the facts could be placed at an appropriate place for their level. The record-keeping pages show where to start in the book, and can be used to monitor progress as well. This book is perfect for teachers who are using differentiation in their classrooms, and special education teachers can use this material to satisfy IEP goals in math. The strategies and math facts program were originally created to help my learning disabled and cognitively handicapped students learn, but all students benefit from learning techniques to memorize math facts.

There are lots of practice pages to review taught facts. Not all students will need to do all of the pages. Another added feature is that some of the pages have review of some addition and subtraction facts. For example, when 7×8 and 8×7 are introduced, there is a practice section with 8+7, 7+8, 8-7, 8+8, and 7-7 mixed in so that students need to focus on the what the fact sign is, and so that the addition and subtraction facts are practiced while they learn the new multiplication facts.

• Category: Uncategorized
• Published Dated: November 23, 2010
• Written by: Susan

My adult daughter is making the Thanksgiving dinner this year, and I will be helping her. She’s expecting to seat 11 people and this includes her boyfriend’s family. She created the menu, I supplied a list of ingredients and estimates needed, and sent money to help pay for the items.

Yesterday, she asked me what time I wanted to come over to help on Thanksgiving Day. She plans to have guests over anytime after 1 PM, will serve snack food early, and then dinner at 4:30 or 5:00 PM. (Personally, I think 1 PM is a bit early to have people over, but I DIDN’T say one word about that.)

What amazes me is how much math involved in the preparation for a Thanksgiving dinner party! This would never be something I ever think twice about, but did because of what I wrote yesterday in my blog.

I suggested she decide which definite time she wants to start the buffet, and then to work backwards to figure out when to start preparing certain items, setting tables, etc. including time to get dressed and ready. She also needs to figure out what she wants to have prepared by 1 PM before the company arrives-including putting fresh hand towels for the bathroom, and having ice for the drinks ready. (I reminded her, the frozen turkey needs to have been thawing out already.)

Even though I know my daughter didn’t need me to do this for her, I am a mom, and so I gave her suggestions for “THE LIST.”

The key to a successful Thanksgiving Dinner is “THE LIST.”
This list includes;
Times to start preparation for each menu item
What and how much will be needed
Times to remove items from stovetop or oven
Number of serving bowls, platters, pots, measuring cups, serving utensils needed…
The menu of each item and time it goes on the buffet table.

This “LIST” is also important, so that when the guests are leaving, you don’t first discover that the huge bowl of fresh fruit you prepared is still in the refrigerator or you forgot to put out the pickles!

By the time I was done writing up “THE LIST” with suggested time frames, I was exhausted just reading all we have to do, and how much math is involved!

Look at just a few examples of the numbers to consider for a Thanksgiving dinner:

1. When to start preparing the turkey: Number of pounds the turkey weighs multiplied by 15 minutes per pound divided by 60 minutes = actual baking time in hours and minutes. Add on minutes to first wash and season the turkey, and time at the end to carve the turkey. Get total time. Subtract that time from the time you want to serve the turkey, and you get your start time.

2. Estimating the amounts of vegetables to buy. Figure 1/2 cup per person x number of people divided by 2 = number of cup amounts. Or 1/4 pound per person x number of people divided by 4 = number of pounds to buy.

3. How many packages of rolls to buy? Figuring on only 1 roll per person, because there will be so much other food, x 11 people = 11 rolls. Bread rolls might come in packs of 4, 6, 8 or 12. Have to do the math to figure out best packages to buy.

4. Then there’s estimating the cost, particularly if someone is on a budget. Need to look at pricing and do some division. If say, and let’s use the 11-needed bread rolls example: A package of 6 rolls cost $3.00 on sale, but a package of 12 rolls might be only $5.50. Then the 12-pack would be a better bargain for the same number of rolls. What if an 8-pack was selling for $3.25? This would be an even better price per roll for your money, but you would spend more in the long run to purchase enough rolls. (By the way, I have no idea how much packages of ready-made rolls cost!)

5. Another math problem to consider is logistics. What size is the oven? How much space is in the interior and can both a turkey and a casserole dish fit in at the same time?

(I did email my daughter this question last night. If not, we’ll have to figure out how we are going to heat the casserole dish-which will have the stuffing in it- and have it hot enough to eat in time with the rest of the food.)

Not to worry, even if you didn’t do the math, you will have a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, because it will be about the enjoying the people you are with, and appreciating what you have!

• Category: differentiate Five Times Five Is Not Ten Holiday homeschool IEPs learning addition multiplication problem solving special education subtraction Two Plus Two Is Not Five
• Published Dated: November 22, 2010
• Written by: Susan

No one ever said to me, “Your books will make a wonderful wrapped birthday or holiday gift to open,” and I agree. However, Two Plus Two Is Not Five and Five Times Five Is Not Ten are two books which would be wonderful gifts-the gift of math, the gift of learning math facts so as to be successful and confident in the next levels of math.

Too many children, and even some adults who admit it to me, struggle with math, or are afraid of math. Math does not have to be scary. The entire basis for success in math is understanding what numbers mean, the relationship of numbers to each other, and learning, really learning, the math facts so that answers are automatic.

Learning to memorize all the 81 addition, 81 subtraction, and 81 multiplication facts (excluding zero) may sound overwhelming. If taught systematically, and over a period of time, with strategies to help recall the answers, then, no, it becomes easy! My books include the instructions on how to assess known facts, to record which facts are known, and then where to start in the books. (New learners start at the beginning.)