Hooked on Math®

HOP, LLC

Our local Sam’s Club was where I first spotted Hooked on Math in a large, colorful box. I was so impressed with Hooked on Phonics that I thought it would be worthwhile to review their math program, too. I found out that it is actually three separate kits, but they are sometimes sold, as at Sam’s Club, as a complete set in one large box. Kits are identical whether purchased separately or as part of the complete set. Addition and subtraction are covered in the first kit, multiplication in the second, and division in the third.

I was a little disappointed when I discovered that this is not a complete math curriculum. However, at Sam’s Club’s price, I would think it a worthwhile investment for what it does cover. Let’s go through the kits individually.

Addition and Subtraction

This first kit begins with the assumption that children recognize and can write numbers and count. Its starting point is simple addition. It works through addition of single-digit addends, shifts to subtraction, then moves on to addition with larger numbers and regrouping. It continues up through subtraction with three-digit numbers with regrouping.

The kit includes two workbooks, two audio CDs, plastic winks, play money, two large dice, a spinner, four sets of flashcards, colorful posters with star stickers for children to track their progress, and a wipe-off plastic sheet and marker.

The games are mostly played directly on workbook pages where you will find bingo games, follow-the-path board-style games, and a few other simple games that use the dice, spinner, and winks.

The wipe-off plastic sheet and marker are supposed to be used as overlays for problem solving and drawing in the workbook so that workbooks are reusable. This also allows children to write their answers on the overlay, then move the overlay to the answer page where they can easily compare their answers to see if they are correct.

The two CDs are key to the program. They drill math facts in chant fashion set against a musical rhythm. Children work with the companion flash cards so they are listening and working through the flashcards simultaneously. The music gets a bit monotonous, but this is still a more interesting and likely more effective way to drill since children are both hearing and seeing the math facts. Each set of facts is repeated a second time, but with time allowed for the child to supply the correct answer.

The CDs instruct children when to move on as do the workbooks. You don’t need to refer to a separate teacher’s manual.

There are two workbooks in this first kit. The first workbook has answers in the workbook for children to self-check, while the answers for the second workbook are in the very brief guide to the program. The workbooks have brief lessons, practice problems, and frequent games that serve as math fact practice. The games are one of my favorite features. Children don’t feel like they’re practicing math when it’s in the context of a game.

Children are instructed to use the winks and play money as manipulatives in some of the lessons. Workbooks also offer some helpful teaching strategies for parents to use with their children such as using the number line to “count on” to learn addition.

This kit does a good job teaching place value. Sometimes it uses illustrations of concepts that could be representative of Base Ten Blocks, so you might want to use Base Ten or similar blocks if you have them on hand. However, the winks included with the kit or beans or other simple manipulatives will suffice. While this and the other kits use manipulatives, they don’t compare with Math-U-See, Right Start, ShillerMath, and other manipulative-intense programs.

Multiplication

The Multiplication kit is generally similar to the first kit with a workbook, CDs, poster, flashcards, wipe-off plastic, marker, and game pieces. However, there is only one workbook and one poster, but four CDs and five sets of flashcards.

In the Multiplication kit, three of the CDs are like those in the first kit, featuring musical recitation of multiplication facts, moving through math facts both forwards and backwards. The fourth CD, titled Multiplication Station, might well be the highlight of the Multiplication kit. It has thirteen original songs, one each for times tables from 0 through 12. These songs are very creative and sometimes just plain silly. Children will love them. They really should listen to these over and over again. There are occasional reminders to do so, but the songs are not incorporated into workbook lessons.

Games are still used as in the first kit. Winks and a spinner are included for the games in this kit.

The Multiplication kit doesn’t give as much conceptual explanation as did the first kit until children start to multiply two-digit multiplicands by single-digit multipliers. The kit continues through the introduction of two-digit multipliers.

Division

The third kit is again similar to the others but with three CDs, six sets of flashcards, one workbook, and one poster. This kit includes winks, a spinner, and play money.

It begins with an activity with the winks to introduce the concept of division then moves into a very brief explanation of how a division problem works. This explanation seems insufficient to me, so take more time here if you need to explain the way the problem is set up, identifying the divisor, dividend, and quotient that have already been defined but not identified. The program immediately ties back to multiplication, showing how multiplication is used to check division problems.

Children are now ready to begin working through the flashcards with the CD chants of the division facts. As in the other books, children work on practice problems and play games between each set of division facts. After the first two thirds of the book, children are introduced to long division and remainders. Children are solving problems with only single-digit divisors until the very end where there is brief coverage of two-digit divisor problems.

You can purchase all the kits within one larger kit. This is what I first spotted at Sam’s Club. You can also get each of the three kits individually. The entire set is suggested for grades one through five by the publisher, although many children will be ready to start addition earlier and most children should have gotten through beginning division in fourth grade or sooner. The individual kits should be used as children are just beginning each topic. That means the first kit might be used in kindergarten or first grade, possibly continuing into second grade. The multiplication kit might be appropriate in second or third grade, and the division kit in third or fourth grade.

None of these kits is a complete math program although the mastery of math facts and problem solving that each covers should be the major part of the math curriculum in the primary grades.

It might be possible to use Hooked On Math as the core of your math program, referring to a list of goals for each grade level and teaching other concepts yourself without purchasing another complete program. For example, you can teach measurement with a ruler, yardstick, measuring cups, and other measuring devices. You can teach time-telling with a clock designed for that purpose. You can introduce geometric shapes with models or drawings.