Teaching a class the times tables can be fast and fun for your students by utilizing the powerful memory tool of mnemonics. 

In this digital age of learning, students crave more visually stimulating material that is colorful, engaging and fun. Trigger Memory Publishing has come up with a product that delivers all of that and more for the classroom that is ready to embark upon the world of learning the times tables.

Times Tales is a mnemonic right-brain system that teaches children to memorize the upper times tables with ease. This six-step program begins with a story or tale for each of the math fact numbers. As children learn the stories, they simultaneously learn the answer to the math facts, which are hidden within each story. Extraneous elements of the story are then taken away with the progression of each step until only the math fact remains. How the mnemonics work in this particular program, is the numbers in the times tables act as a trigger or memory “peg” to the story.  Once the student remembers the story,  they can recall the answer quickly and effortlessly.  

Here is an example of how Times Tales works:

1. Learn the number symbols which are then turned into characters that will be in the Times Tales stories.

       7 = Mrs. Week (seven days in a week)

       9 = Treehouse ( the treehouse is in the shape of the number 9)

2. Learn the tale or story for that particular number combination. For example, the story for 7 and the 9 is “Mrs. Week went to the Treehouse to rake up 6 bags of leaves by 3 o’clock.”

3. The story part is taken away where the student only sees a number symbol of Mrs. Week (7) x Treehouse (9). When the student sees this combination, they remember the story that had both Mrs. Week and the Treehouse. This in turn, triggers the answer, since it is part of the story.

7 (Mrs. Week) x 9 (Treehouse) = 63 (“….she raked up 6 bags of leaves by 3 o’clock).

The Times Tales program also has a bonus section which utilizes the same characters and stories then transfers them into division facts. Of course this does not teach the concept of these equations, but does show the relation between multiplication and division.

What I liked most about the Times Tales Classroom Edition is that it offers many different resources depending upon my classroom size and varying student needs. There are several extra printables tests and reinforcements that I can choose to give the students that need to spend more time on getting the stories down. There is also two great kinesthetic activities where the students can make their own individual Times Tales booklet (for story reinforcement) and a cube game they cut out and put together.

All in all, the Times Tales program will save you hours, if not days going over multiplication tables. It works well for all learner types, even for many with learning disabilities. The best part of teaching Times Tales to my class is it turns an otherwise, arduous task into a fun activity.

You can purchase the Times Tales Classroom Editions by going to www.TimesTales.com