I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.
Being part of the Homeschool Review Crew, we had the opportunity to use Math Essentials Speed Wheel Drills.
When I first heard of Speed Wheel Drills, I had no idea what they were. Only that they were something for math, to help kids and adults get better and faster with their fundamental math skills in Addition, Multiplication and Division.
When these three soft cover workbooks came in the mail, I was anxious to take a peek inside.
There were 12 “wheels” per page. Each page had the same number of wheels, but they were in different order, and the ordering was different inside of each wheel.
This is a good set-up so there is no memorization of which answer to write first, second, and so on. The child actually has to figure out each answer before writing it down.
Each of the three workbooks (Addition, Multiplication and Division) are set up in the same format.
In the center of each wheel, for this addition page, is a plus sign and then one number. In this example, we’ll use +3.
Moving outward from the center of +3, are the numbers 1-12 arranged in a nonsequential order.
When you continue to move outward from the center, there is some space to write your answer.
So you would start with +3. When we move outward we see the number 12. So we do that addition. 12 +3. We would write 15 in the space.
You continue moving around that “wheel” till the 12 problems are finished. The answers are in the back of the book.
The goal for these Speed Wheel Drills is to have instant recall of these math facts. By timing yourself and checking yourself for accuracy, you can have fun while practicing. See if you can beat your previous score.
Since my daughter has been through basic math classes, I decided to make a game for the both of us, to utilize each book.
My rules were simple. We would compete against each other and the clock on one whole page at a time.
I tore two pages out of the book so that way the paper would lay nice and flat for both of us. (I had to do everything I could think of in order to beat my daughter) I didn’t want to be hindered by any bump or hill in the page.
We each would start our timers when I would say go, and then we would each do all twelve of the “wheels” on one page. When we finished, we could then stop our own timer and record our time at the top of the page.
When we both finished our page, we switched papers and checked each other’s answers.
If we got one wrong, we had to add two seconds to our time.
Let me tell you, my daughter is better than I thought. I had her on speed, but she was better at the accuracy, especially with division.
At least now I know what I have to work on.
Anyway, we played that game for all three books. It was a lot of fun and really made me think at times. What is 12 x 11?
If you only have one child that needs practice, they can compete against their previous scores, and they don’t have to do the whole page either. They can just practice the “wheels” that have +3 in the center. Just turn the page, and another +3 wheel will be there. You can record your score and time under the wheel.
For more than one child, use your best judgment. Make up your own rules like I did. Kids love to compete against each other, so use these workbooks the way you think is best.
The more practice they get, the better they’ll be. Plus, what could be better….. it’s fun!
I was pleased to see a resource section in the back of each book. Each workbook contained the same resource information (except for the answer sheet).
It contained:
- Math Glossary
- Important Symbols
- Multiplication Table
- Commonly Used Prime Numbers
- Squares and Square Roots
- Fraction/Decimal Equivalents
- Speed Wheel Drill Solutions, for that book.
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