Before the algebra

You've finished four stages: place value, adding and subtracting fast, multiplying, and checking your own work. Stage five turns all of that into algebra. Two things sit here first. Neither one is a test — open them, skip them, or come back later.

DRAW Open it any time Kaylee's Drawing Notebook Ten problems solved by drawing them. Strips turn a word problem into a picture you can understand. Each family ends with one to try yourself — worth bonus points in stage five. TSP Open it any time Thinking to Solve Problems Eight ways to start a problem, and a game for picking the right one. Every stage so far was about getting the answer fast. This one is about knowing where to begin. 5 Stage five · continue the ladder RapidGBITS 5 — the algebra The last stage. Every shortcut you've learned so far turns out to be a piece of one bigger method — and this is where you meet it.

Nothing here is locked. Stage five is open whether you open these or not — but the points you pick up in them travel with you into stage five.