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ARMATHCO

?The Foundation for Correct Math Education?

A Message from the Creator of the ARMATHCO Program

I wrote the ARMATHCO series after 22 years of classroom experience as a Public School math teacher. The ARMATHCO series upgrades math education 2 years by the end of the sixth grade. It also teaches first graders the addition and subtraction facts of signed numbers which is the proper and correct way to teach addition and subtraction of numbers. Today in our schools we are teaching students from the first to the sixth grades to add and subtract absolute (unsigned numbers) numbers. This will create a big problem when the students get promoted to the 7th grade.

The ARMATHCO series has lessons that make it easy to teach and learn all the basic skills that are prerequisite to studying Algebra 1. The ARMATHCO series is also recommended for use by the "Home Schoolers". The lessons are both easy to teach and easy to learn.

The first step to excellence in math education is to give students a solid foundation starting in the first grade. The Book 1 software accomplishes that objective in a colorful and user friendly manner that students respond to immediately. It lays the groundwork for ARMATHCOBooks 2 ? 6 which upgrade all mathematical education and ultimately catapult students 2 years ahead of their contemporaries who pursued the conventional path. The students will be ready to start Algebra one in the seventh grade instead of the ninth grade as it is done in our schools today.

Robert Marashlian

Book 1

Signed Number Addition and Subtraction

The Armathco series consists of six books. Book 1 is on computer software. Books 2 through 6 teach all the basic skills that are prerequisite for Algebra 1. The Armathco book 1 software teaches the student all the addition and subtraction facts of single digits. It also introduces the student to the positive and negative concepts of numbers when the student is introduced to the world of numbers. This lays down a solid foundation upon which the student will learn and master the basic skills of mathematics.

The program consists of four parts.

Part 1: Addition Facts

Part 2: Subtraction Facts

Part 3: Visual Demonstration Of Addition And Subtraction Facts

Part 4: Practice Drills

The Armathco book 1 teaches the students all the addition and subtraction facts of signed numbers. It introduces and teaches the positive and negative concepts of numbers. This is done in a very unique and powerful way. The polarity (positive and negative) of numbers is demonstrated by both color and direction.

Positive numbers are represented by Green arrows pointing to the right, negative numbers are represent by Red arrows pointing to the left. Now the students can associate the polarity of numbers by color and direction. The following interactive diagrams demonstrate how the visual concept works:

Examples of Addition:

-5 -2 = -7

+5 +2 = +7

Examples of Subtraction:

+5 -2 = +3

-5 +2 = -3

Books 1 through 6 are all on a single CD, presented in a combination

of Interactive and PDF Formats

PEER REVIEW

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Upon reviewing ARMATHCO: BASIC MATH, authored by Robert Marashlian, I feel confident in endorsing the program based on the following solid principles:

A no-nonsense approach: presentation of the essence of concepts/skills in mathematics, devoid of the clutter associated with typical basal mathematics series with its extraneous activities/materials.

Freedom for the teacher to utilize various supplemental materials/activities as needed--rather than being obligated to use commercial components purchased along with the basal textbook.

Simplification of instruction through the elimination of superfluous pages illustrating unnecessary lessons.

Logical scope and sequencing of concepts/skills.

Concentration of more concepts/skills into fewer school years.

Well paced/placed practice exercises.

Clear, simple formats.

Interspersing of word problems.

Practical pre-algebra preparation for the elementary student--stressing the basic principle of the equation.

Introduction of positive/negative concepts into the elementary grades, facilitating a more gradual understanding of the ideas.

Laying of a practical foundation for advanced geometry.

Interesting number theories and ideae to motivate both student and teacher.

Essential instruction relating mathematical operations such as: addition and subtraction; multiplication and division. Very few series teach inverse operations together; they are almost always boxed into separate chapters.

Treating the various mathematics areas concurrently. Rather than isolating whole numbers, fractions, geometry, decimals, measurement, etc., we must teach these areas concurrently, exposing, reviewing, recycling, reinforcing--pulling all together. Once a concept/skill is introduced, it should never be neglected. Basal series tend to treat math areas in separate chapters at each respective level

Marion Edelman
Basic Skills Consultant

Elizabeth, New Jersey

Why do our students have trouble learning mathematics?

By: Robert Marashlian

Speaking from my experience as a public school math teacher, I am forced to come to the conclusion that the reason why our students have trouble learning the basic skills of mathematics starts in the first grade, where they are first introduced to the world of numbers. In the first grade, the teachers do a good job of teaching the students how to add and subtract, unfortunately they are working with absolute (unsigned) numbers. The rules of addition and subtraction of absolute numbers work fine till the end of the sixth grade. In the 7th grade, the students are introduced to signed numbers (positive and negative ). This is when the trouble starts. When the students are given a problem such as (-7-2 =), the students will have a tendency to subtract 2 from 7 because the negative (minus) sign is programmed in their minds to subtract. When the teacher tells the students that this time the 2 is added and not subtracted, the students start getting confused. For six years the (minus) sign indicated subtraction, now they are told that the rules have changed. Likewise when they are given a problem such as (-7 + 2 =) , the students will have the tendency to add 2 to 7 because the positive (plus) sign is programmed in their minds to add. And when the teacher tells them that this time the 2 is subtracted, this adds to their confusion. The reason for all this confusion is that the students are not familiar with the positive and negative concepts of numbers. The students have never seen the negative side of the number line.

Armathco introduces the positive and negative concepts to first graders in a very simple way. The polarity of the numbers is demonstrated with arrows pointing in opposite directions . The green arrows pointing to the right, represent positive numbers, and red arrows pointing to the left, represent negative numbers. Now the students can associate the positive and negative concepts of numbers with both direction and color. Another reason why the students do not learn the basic skills with ease is because the books we use have too many pages to be covered in not enough time. On the average the books we use have five hundred pages. The teacher and class are lucky if they cover three hundred pages by the end of the school year. At the end of the year, the students get promoted to the next grade while missing all the lessons in the last two hundred pages of the previous year's book. Consequently this pattern of education goes on up to the seventh grade. By the time the students reach the seventh grade, their math education is full of holes.

The Armathco books have an average of 145 pages which can be easily covered by the end of March. This will give the class till June to review the whole book and reinforce any weakness the class might have. Upon completing the sixth grade book, the students will be ready to go into Algebra in the seventh grade and gain two school years. The students will be learning ninth grade math in the seventh grade. We, the "U. S. A.", should be No. 1 in the world when it comes to math education. Unfortunately last year we had a bad showing, we came out 29th in the world, in math education. That is a disgrace. Let's do something about that. The Armathco series of math books upgrades math education by two years which is surely needed by all our students if we want our children to be competitive with their peers in the world.

Ordering Info: Order Here

CONTACT:

ARMATHCO

16 Pulaski Boulevard

Toms River, N.J.08757

Phone: (732) 914-9049

Fax: (732) 473-1655

armathco@yahoo.com

ARMATHCO?