Read our Times Tables resources review

Posted on 8 November 2018

Scholastic Times Tables

Reviewed by John Dabell, Teach Primary, November 2018

Practice activities and digital assessment tools to help pupils master multiplication and prepare for the new times tables check.

AT A GLANCE

• Practice materials, lesson plans and expert teacher guidance
• Six books and a USB packed with activities to build children’s confidence
• Includes creative games and quick-fire quizzes to build skills rapidly
• Exclusive digital resources for tracking pupil progress
• Informed by research-based pedagogy

My childhood headteacher used to say that two things were crucial at primary: table manners and learning your times tables. Times may have changed, but knowing your tables is still non-negotiable.

From 2020, schools in England will be required to administer an online multiplication tables check to Y4 pupils. It might not be popular, but many schools are preparing nevertheless. To support schools to get children times table ready, Scholastic has produced a series of times tables practice resources. These can be purchased separately as books, but if you buy a classroom pack you also get a plethora of dynamic digital resources, ideal for authentic practice and tracking progress.

The 5-11 years package fizzes with brilliance and includes three pupil work books with three corresponding teacher guides and a USB of digital resources. The pupil books are split into three age groups: five to seven, seven to nine and nine to 11. These have been organised to provide children with plenty of meaningful and enjoyable practice using imaginative games, purposeful problem-solving activities and tests.

The teacher guides stand out as reliable resources full of inventive activities and step-by-step lessons with extension challenges. These draw on concrete and pictorial materials and tie into digital files. Unique to the pack is exclusive access to invaluable digital tests and simple reporting tools. This, for me, is where the real value of the pack is. The children’s online area gives you essential timed and practice tests. These can be practised without a time limit too. What adds more value is that you can tailor the tests according to individual or whole class needs, adapting the number of questions and test length. A third player of value is the assessment feature. This gives priceless performance information and target areas. Children need to be able to rapidly recall multiplication facts so that they can solve related division calculations.

What I like about these materials is that they ensure tables are not presented in a linear fashion, but are arranged and presented with plenty of mixed practice. Times tables are one of those ‘like it or lump it’ necessities. With some creative input, times tables don’t have to be hated. For inspiration and ideas about what you can do, the classroom pack has plenty to go at. This is a pack with high expectations that allows pupils to hammer away at their tables so they have the confidence to be times table masters.

VERDICT

• A practical way to prepare for the multiplication tables check
• Intelligently combines knowledge, understanding and skills
• Moves beyond rote learning by promoting concept building, maths thinking and mastery
• Supports the learning of tables out of sequential order
• Sharpens recall, improves pace and teaches children the value of perseverance and resilience
  
  

UPGRADE IF…
You are looking to teach times tables, problem solving and reasoning and help children be confident users of multiplication tables.

Find out more about Times Tables resources.
Find out more about Teach Primary.