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Epsilon Tips and Tricks for Fractions

Fractions lay the foundation for all upper-level math success and Epsilon is a pivotal level for many reasons. This article can help you and your students shift to a positive mindset regarding this level and its concepts and will help avoid some common mistakes made by parents and students.

Remember the Build, Write, Say Method

You can find information about this important practice in the How To Use section in the front of your Instruction manual or in the Digital Tool Box (digital.demmelearning.com) under Resources, How to Use. The Build, Write, Say method is critical because it helps instructors be sure their students have grasped the concept. For each lesson, the instructor and student watch the lesson, read the written summary in the Instruction Manual, and build the examples with the manipulatives together. Then, they discuss the concept while the instructor models writing out the equation and solution while the student copies. If your student has been struggling to understand and retain the material, check back over these steps and make sure you’re completing them all.

Other information about the Build, Write, Say Method can be found here:

• How to Use
• The Suggested 4-Step Math-U-See Approach

Be Sure Your Student Shows Their Work

While mental math has its place, it is critical that students can clearly show you their process step by step as a written equation and the solution. This is the best way for them to prove they have mastered the concept. This skill is also an important way you can prepare your student for higher levels of learning, as many college-level assignments require this ability. 

Ensure Mastery with Teach Back

At the end of the lesson practice and systematic review, before your student takes the test, it is critical that you sit back down with your student and ask them to teach the concept back to you. At this point, they should be able to confidently take you through the Build, Write, Say process. Because we cannot teach something to someone else that we do not understand ourselves, this proves mastery has been achieved. Once they can confidently teach back the concept, you’ll know they are ready to test and move on to the next lesson.

Become Comfortable with Options and Multiple Methods

There is a shift that occurs in Epsilon that will carry throughout the remaining levels. From now on, we leave behind the idea that there is only one way to solve a problem to get the correct answer, and we discuss options or multiple methods. Every option is taught initially so the student can recognize the concept regardless of the method shown. While this can be unsettling for some students, it doesn’t have to be. Help your student recognize that this is an opportunity to work with their learning preferences, choose the process that makes the most sense to them, and use that method. 

Continue Supported Learning

You may want your student to start learning and working independently as quickly as possible, and it can be tempting to allow them to do so before they’re ready. However, continued guidance and support from an instructor is still an essential ingredient for success in Epsilon. While independence often develops naturally at this level, be sure you have completed the initial instruction as outlined above and you are confident they are ready. Then, you can assign the lesson practice and systematic review pages for them to complete independently. We trust you to know your student’s abilities and/or limitations and that you will plan accordingly. For more about this, check out https://demmelearning.com/blog/independent-math-u-see-students/

Embrace Mastery

The Math-U-See approach is mastery-based, and that means anytime we can, we will teach the why behind the concept, emphasizing the importance of place value. This approach may be very different from the way you learned these fraction concepts, and you may question why the longer processes are intentionally taught first instead of jumping immediately to the shortcuts or simplified processes. The methodology in Epsilon is very intentional, and the concepts build on each other in the best sequence for your student to master these concepts. 

Help Your Student Take Advantage of the Available Tools

Two of the most under-utilized resources we offer are the Symbols & Tables section and the Glossary. These pages are located in the back of every instruction manual and student workbook. You may allow your student to reference the Symbols & Tables page on everything but tests (unless they need accommodations for learning challenges). Epsilon and the upcoming Zeta and Pre-Algebra are levels full of opportunities to cultivate independence and great study habits. These skills have to be taught and don’t come to many students naturally. This is a great opportunity to encourage them to take advantage of the resources available to them. 

You may consider encouraging your student to highlight glossary words in the Instruction text, even using the Instruction Manual as a textbook. You can also instruct them to write the words and definitions on index cards. Hole-punch a corner of the cards and connect them with a jump ring, and this becomes a resource they can reference and add to for years.

There are also several places where additional help for word problems is available in the Instruction Manual. Click here to watch an episode of The Demme Learning Show where we discuss practical tips for teaching word problems.

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