New Mobile App Series, Num Fu, Helps Kids to Develop Number Fact Fluency
St. Charles, MO (PRWEB) April 26, 2016 -- Whether it’s hopping across a pond with a frog or playing with ladybugs, Num Fu fully engages young students while practicing basic math skills. Number fact mastery is essential in forming the foundational skills that all other math tasks are built on. A new series of math education apps, developed by ORIGO Education provides essential practice for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts in an appropriate developmental sequence. The teaching rationale stems from decades of research on how children best learn basic facts.
“I’m always on the lookout for ways to make addition more fun,” says Rhonda Cravins, first grade teacher at Fort Worth Independent School District. “In the classroom, we use a variety of strategies to understand and memorize necessary math facts. I’ve recently discovered ORIGO’s Num Fu – Addition app and just love it! Students work their way up to harder questions while increasing their accuracy and speed.”
Num Fu’s teaching strategy stems from research that highlights the importance of mastering the basic facts. By definition, basic facts are the simplest calculations that most people are expected to know automatically, including up to 9 + 9 and 9 x 9 and their subtraction and division counterparts. These basic facts form the foundation for calculating with greater numbers. By clustering these facts according to strategies within one operation (e.g. count-on; use-doubles; and make-10 for addition, etc.), Num Fu challenges kids to practice their thinking strategies to help Freddy Frog become a Num Fu Master. ORIGO Education uses this same sequence in their digital mathematics curriculum, Stepping Stones, which is used successfully in more than 100 schools throughout the United States.
“We designed Num Fu with the intent of creating solutions to two common problems that parents and teachers experience,” said James Burnett, president of ORIGO Education. “First, the functional problem of creating another way for kids to practice math facts, and second, how to transform that practice into an engaging and fun experience. With Num Fu, kids have a fun, interactive way to develop math skills right from their mobile device.”
ORIGO Education partnered with app developer, Magic Squid, to design Num Fu which pays homage to yesteryears’ cherished classic arcade games and creates an engaging learning experience for children. The kung fu-inspired game allows students to play as frogs in ponds and with ladybugs in forests by answering math questions correctly. Students start off as an orange belt and earn new belt colors with each new level that they beat. The pace and difficulty of the math equations increases as they advance through the game.
Num Fu - Addition is available for free in the iTunes and Google Play stores. Num Fu -Subtraction, Multiplication and Division apps are available for $1.99 each. A bundle package, exclusive to the iTunes store, is available for $4.99.
About ORIGO Education
ORIGO Education (ORIGO) covers all facets of elementary mathematics education, from traditional printed products to digital interactive resources and professional learning. ORIGO’s web-based curriculum, Stepping Stones, is a comprehensive core mathematics curriculum for grades K–5. The technology-rich program blends online resources with traditional printed materials, resulting in a classroom that is engaged and provides differentiated learning. A 2016 BESSIE Award winner, ORIGO’s professional learning videos are embedded within the online program, giving teachers the confidence and knowledge they need to be successful. For more information about ORIGO, visit http://www.OrigoEducation.com/.
Aaron Krish, C. Blohm & Associates, http://www.cblohm.com/, +1 (608) 216-7300 Ext: 29, [email protected]
Share this article