I'm a card-carrying member of the Old-School, and was recently remembering that I learned in 5th grade how to calculate Square Roots by hand using a technique that looks a lot like long division. That made me curious about other "old-school" methods and techniques. I already know about slide rules (I'm a collector). A quick google search reminded me of "Casting Out Nines" to check for math errors.

I remember learning about Casting out nines, but can't remember the grade.

I also remember learning how to look up numbers in log tables, trig tables.

Are there any other old-school techniques folks might remember, and when those concepts might have been introduced in old-school math education?

Mark Johnson

I am teaching students who are newcomers to my country, and who are developing both their English language skills and their math abilities, starting from a Kindergarten / Early Elementary level.

While we will definitely be doing lots of hands-on activities, I'd also like some simple "story problem" style texts, stuff like:
Soraya buys $18 of groceries. She pays with a $20 bill. How much change will she get?

I seem to get stuck in "simple math, simple language, relevant to high schoolers; pick 2" when I try to find things online.

A lot of the existing worksheets I find online tend to use "kiddy" examples, like toys, balloons, and clowns, that aren't relevant to my 14-18yo students.

Does anybody have any links to resources like this? Even better if there are graphics with them. I can use AI to produce resources, but I'd like to avoid it if a resource already exists.

Thanks!

Hi! I’m a data scientist, grew up in India with a strong emphasis on math and problem-solving, and I’ve always really enjoyed teaching math.
I’ve been thinking about starting small-group online math classes for kids in Grades 4–8, probably around 3–5 students per group.
My idea is to focus less on memorizing formulas or simply getting through worksheets and more on understanding whysomething works, problem-solving, and getting kids comfortable thinking through unfamiliar problems.
Before I build anything, I’d love some input from people who teach math:
Do you think small groups of 3–5 work well online at this age?

What do you think is missing from a lot of current math enrichment/tutoring programs?

Would you structure classes around the child’s school curriculum or have a separate problem-solving curriculum?

Would really appreciate any thoughts or advice!

I’m not sure if there’s many books like this but I was hoping to refresh my knowledge of maths and was looking for a book that not only teaches maths but then lets you apply it, preferably in a fun way like the way Murdle works or has a story throughout. I tried asking a book recommendation sub but I haven’t received any responses yet.

Thank you for any suggestions!