Rod & Staff Arithmetic Grades 1-8

by Lisa
(Texas, USA)

Rod and Staff Arithmetic and Mathematics series for grades 1 through 8 are great resources for teaching beginning arithmetic to more advanced mathematics.

Each level comes with a series of teacher’s manuals and several student workbooks. Rod and Staff publishers have created a great resource that combines academics and Christian living all into one.

The textbook series uses certain bible stories throughout books 1-8, in order to help children learn not only about the fundamentals of math but also about biblical history. Both teacher’s manual and children’s workbook are set up in an easy-to-learn format.

In books 1-5 the teacher’s manual is set up for both beginning and advanced teaching methods. The books provide step-by-step instructions (which I LOVE) on advised teaching methods and exercises which vary in difficulty level. Each lesson plan has different exercises that help children learn the material in both independent activities and group exercises. These lessons are divided up into “before class,” “class time,” and “after class.”

The “before class” section is meant for the instructor and advises the gathering of materials and the preparation of arithmetic examples on some sort of display. The class time section is divided into “review drills,” “new concepts,” and new assignments. The “after class” section is for the student to practice what he/she has learned during the lesson.

Books 1-5 offer similar qualities. They all provide help for the teacher as well as for the student, whether it is teaching advice or homework assistance. Teacher’s manuals are all equipped with detailed instructions for each lesson plan and also provides the answers to all of the questions that are featured in the children’s workbooks.

The illustrations in the entry-level children’s workbooks make it fun and easy to do arithmetic work. The use of large font and large numbers also makes it easier to work in. The workbooks feature a variety of fun exercises, such as tracing over numbers, fill in the blanks, counting of U.S. currency and much more. Workbooks 3-5 are a little less illustrative and a bit more advanced in terms of academic appeal. However, the books are still user friendly and contain helpful exercises, which help the student to understand the new material being taught.

Workbooks 6-8 are not very illustrative at all; they are filled with reviews of material from the previous chapter, introductions to new material, and sample problems. However, the exercises they provide are beneficial to the student. The constant drilling of material and questions is bound to benefit students and guide them to academic progress.

Rod and Staff’s mathematics teacher’s manual 6-8 are structured a bit differently than 1-5. Each teacher’s manual contains roughly 170 lessons and within each lesson plan there are reviews and objectives. The reviews go over what was learned in the previous lesson so that the objectives for the new lesson do not seem as difficult. After all, math is a subject that builds upon what has been learned.

Similar to the arithmetic books 1-5, the teacher’s manual for the mathematics books 6-8 are still user friendly. The “general class procedure” gives advice, if one chooses to take it, on how to structure the lesson plan for the day. The manuals also feature suggested further study books that one may want to review before teaching, in order to attain a better understanding of the material and of teaching methods.

Rod and Staff also provides quizzes and chapter tests as part of their learning experience. The quizzes, which are found in a separate booklet that is supplied, contains 22 quizzes and speed tests which are numbered the same as the lesson plan. These quizzes help teach the students how to apply the material they have learned in the lesson.

Chapter tests are also included at the end of each chapter. The teacher’s manual provides instructions on how to deliver the tests and what materials the students will need. It also provides the answers to all of the questions for quicker grading.

Speed tests are also provided. These speed tests are designed to test students’ ability to solve problems under a time constraint. This is an essential tool to learn while young, since most of future jobs rely on people accomplishing tasks quickly and efficiently.

The teacher’s manuals also give advice on how to evaluate test results and how to appropriately disposition corrected tests. It is essential to evaluate the test scores in order to recognize what children understand and what they do not. By doing so, one can evaluate the teaching style as well as the student’s learning style. The teacher’s manual also suggests displaying the grades and reviewing, since the parent can answer any questions the student might have about the grading or about the material.

Rod and Staff provides excellent books that help children learn arithmetic and mathematics from grade 1 to 8 successfully. The structure and teaching style format throughout their books is excellent and, used dutifully, ensures children a successful academic future