Same How Same Method helps
The same method at home and at school.
Kids learn best when home and school explain things the same way. Same Method shows parents how today's math, reading, writing, study skills, social studies and science methods work, in about a minute each, so homework help matches the classroom instead of fighting it.
The problem
Homework changed. Most parents were never shown how.
Schools now teach number bonds, area models and partial quotients in math, sound boxes and heart words in reading, formulas like RACES and the hamburger paragraph in writing, Cornell notes and study calendars for learning how to learn, SOAPSTone and DBQs in social studies, and fair tests and CER in science. They build understanding first and shortcuts later. When a parent steps in with "the way I learned it," a child suddenly has two methods for one problem, and homework turns into tears.
Without a guide
- The homework says "use a number bond," "fill in the sound boxes," "answer with RACES," "take Cornell notes" or "SOAPSTone this document," and you're not sure what that means.
- You show your way. Your child says "that's not how we do it."
- The teacher spends class time untangling two methods.
With Same Method
- You read a 60-second guide with a picture of the method.
- You use the same words the teacher uses, and ask questions instead of giving answers.
- Your child practices the class method, not a second one.
Who it helps
Parents, teachers, and the kids in the middle
Parents
Kindergarten through high school
- Understand it fast. One picture and a plain-English explanation for each method.
- Know what to say. "Say this" lines that guide without giving the answer, and "skip this" habits that undo the lesson.
- Practice on demand. Free sheets that use the class method, with an answer key for you.
- Pass it to the teacher. Every guide has a ready-to-send note so you can tell your child's teacher about it, and the whole class gets the same help.
Teachers
Classroom and intervention
- Parents on your side. A send-home letter explains the method so families reinforce it.
- Ready to print. Anchor chart, practice sheets and answer keys for each math, reading, writing, study skills, social studies and science method, as $4 classroom packs on TeachersPayTeachers.
- Less re-teaching. Fewer kids arrive with a competing method from home.
- Share in seconds, free. Send families any guide, or a whole unit's guides in one link, with a QR code and a ready-to-send note. Share guides or read the one-page start-of-unit kit.
Kids
The point of all of it
- One clear way to think. The same picture and words at school and at home.
- Calmer homework. Questions from a parent who gets it, not a different method.
- Real understanding. The why behind the steps, which makes every later grade easier.
What it covers
Six subjects, the same promise
Math
87 guides · Kindergarten through Algebra 1 and geometry
- Counting and place value: number bonds, ten frames, base-ten blocks
- Adding and subtracting: making ten, open number lines, partial sums
- Multiplying and dividing: arrays, area models, partial quotients
- Fractions, decimals and ratios: fraction strips, decimal grids, ratio tables
- Grades 7–8: integer chips, algebra tiles, the balance method, slope, the Pythagorean theorem
- High school: the box and X methods for factoring, completing the square, the quadratic formula, sequences, simplifying radicals, two-column proofs, SOH CAH TOA, circles and volume
Also in Spanish: all 52 K–8 math guides, for parents who read Spanish more easily (guías en español).
Reading
36 guides · Kindergarten to grade 5
- Why kids sound words out instead of guessing from the picture
- Early phonics: letter sounds, blending, sound tapping, sound swaps, digraphs, blends
- Tricky words and first books: heart words, decodable books
- Longer words: silent e, vowel teams, bossy r, syllable types and splitting
- Spelling and fluency: spelling rules, dictation, fluency checks, phrase and echo reading
- Vocabulary and understanding: word parts, roots, context clues, inferences, text evidence
All 36 planned reading guides are here, from rhyming to text evidence.
Writing
25 guides · Grades 3 to 8
- Why schools use writing formulas, and how rubrics score them
- Answering questions: RACES, ACE, TAG, claim-evidence-reasoning, quoting and paraphrasing
- Paragraphs: the hamburger, color-coded paragraphs, PEEL, transition words, hooks
- Essays: the five-paragraph essay, thesis statements, OREO opinions, counterclaims and rebuttals, compare and contrast
- Stories and reports: the story mountain, show don't tell, informational webs, summaries
- Sentences and editing: FANBOYS and AAAWWUBBIS, expanding sentences, ARMS and CUPS, COPS
All 25 planned writing guides are here, from RACES to editing checklists.
Study skills
19 guides · Grades 4 to 8
- Why schools teach "how to learn," and what AVID and WICOR mean
- Taking notes: Cornell notes, two- and three-column notes, mind maps, sticky-note codes
- Reading textbooks: SQ3R, text feature walks, 3-2-1 and GIST summaries
- Getting organized: planners, backward planning, binders, must-do lists
- Studying for tests: flashcards, study calendars, brain dumps, test-taking strategies
- Thinking about learning: Costa's levels of questioning, SMART goals
All 19 planned study skills guides are here.
Social studies
18 guides · Grades 4 to 8
- Why social studies is taught with questions and sources, and primary vs. secondary sources
- Reading sources: SOAPSTone, HIPP, political cartoons, sourcing and corroboration, charts and graphs
- Writing about history: claim and evidence, DBQs, point of view and bias, comparing accounts
- Time and change: timelines with BCE and CE, cause-and-effect chains, change and continuity
- Maps and geography: BOLTSS and TODALS, latitude and longitude, map scale, the five themes
All 18 planned social studies guides are here.
Science
11 guides · Grades 3 to 8
- Planning investigations: If… then… because… hypotheses, independent and dependent variables, fair tests
- Working with data: graphing with DRY MIX, data tables and averaging trials
- Working with units: metric conversions with King Henry's staircase
- Explaining results: claim, evidence and reasoning, lab write-ups, scientific models
- Phenomena and design: I notice, I wonder, and the engineering design process
All 11 planned science guides are here.
Three ways to use it
Start free. Pay only if you want it on paper or in class.
Free
The website
For parents
- 52 math guides (K–8), 35 high school algebra and geometry guides, 36 reading guides (K–5), 25 writing guides (3–8), 19 study skills guides (4–8), 18 social studies guides (4–8) and 11 science guides (3–8)
- What it is, why schools teach it, and a worked example
- "Say this, skip this" lines for homework time
- A practice-sheet maker with answer keys
- No account, no app, nothing collected about your child
$8–$9 per subject, one time
Fridge Cheat Sheets
For parents who want it on paper
- A printable book for each subject: math (52 methods), algebra and geometry (35), reading (36), writing (25), study skills (19), social studies (18) and science (11)
- For every method: a cheat sheet page, a practice sheet for your child and its answer key
- Two styles in every download: Classic, and Notebook (handwritten on lined paper)
- Math, reading, writing, and algebra and geometry are $9; study skills, social studies and science are $8
- All 7 books for $29.99 instead of $60
$4 per pack
Classroom packs
For teachers
- One pack per method: 52 math, 35 algebra and geometry, 33 reading, 25 writing, 18 study skills, 18 social studies and 11 science, 13–25 pages each
- Anchor chart and a parent letter to send home
- 8 practice sheets that build in order, with answer keys or model answers
- Unit bundles at $3 a pack (save 25%) and complete bundles at $2 a pack (save 50%)
On TeachersPayTeachers now.
See the packs, bundles and examplesHow it works
Three minutes from confused to helpful
Find the method
Look at the homework, or ask your child what the teacher calls it. Search the list by name.
Read the 60-second guide
One picture, one example, and why the class does it this way.
Help with the right words
Use the "say this" lines, then print a practice sheet if your child wants more.
Good to know
What Same Method is for, and what it isn't
When homework is due tomorrow, it's natural to hope a site will just get it done. Same Method is built for something a little different, and we think a little better: helping you understand the method so your child can do the work, and feel proud of it.
Same Method is for
- Understanding how your child's class teaches a method, in plain English.
- Knowing what to say (and what to skip) while your child works.
- Extra practice that uses the class method, with answer keys for the sheets we make.
- Getting home and school using the same words.
It isn't
- A way to get the answers to assigned homework. Our answer keys cover our own practice sheets, not your child's worksheet.
- Someone to do the homework, or to check it for a grade.
- A replacement for the teacher, tutoring, or school support for learning differences.
- A full curriculum or a test-prep course.
If your child is stuck tonight: read the guide together, ask one "say this" question, and try a similar problem from a practice sheet first. If they're still stuck, a short note to the teacher saying what was hard is a gift, not a failure. It tells the teacher exactly what to reteach.
Why trust it
Built to back up the teacher, not replace them
Questions
What if I don't know which method the homework is using?
Paste the instructions or a word from the worksheet into the finder on the home page, and it suggests the best matching guides. The homework words A–Z page explains terms like “decompose,” “zero pair” and “DRY MIX.”
Can teachers share guides with families?
Yes, for free. Every guide has a “share with families” box with a link, a QR code card and a ready-to-send note, and the share page bundles a whole unit's guides into one link.
Can Same Method give me the answers to my child's homework?
No, and that's on purpose. Homework is how teachers see what each child understands, so the work needs to be your child's own. What we give you is the method, the words to use and extra practice with its own answer key, so you can help your child get to the answer themselves.
Is the website really free?
Yes. Every guide and practice sheet is free, with no account. The printable cheat sheets and classroom packs are optional paid extras.
What do the paid extras cost?
Parents: a printable book per subject for $8 or $9 (Classic and handwritten Notebook styles both included), or all 7 for $29.99. Teachers: $4 a pack on TeachersPayTeachers, with unit bundles at $3 a pack and complete bundles at $2 a pack. The prices page shows every price with examples.
What if a cheat sheet isn't right for us?
Email support@samemethod.com within 7 days and we'll refund the full price, no questions asked. The details are on our terms and refunds page.
Will it match my child's curriculum?
These methods appear across most US math, reading, writing, study skills, social studies and science programs, often under different names. Each guide lists the names you might see. If the homework uses one of them, the guide applies.
Why do schools teach writing formulas like RACES?
Formulas turn "write a good answer" into steps a child can follow and check, and rubrics score each step. Our guide to why schools use writing formulas explains it, with what to say when your child's answer goes off-format.
Why is social studies homework full of documents?
Many schools now teach history the way historians do it: start with a big question, read primary sources like letters, speeches and cartoons, and answer with evidence. Our social studies guides explain SOAPSTone, HIPP and DBQs, so you know what the worksheet is asking for.
Why does science homework ask for claims, evidence and variables?
Science classes now teach the practices scientists use, not just facts: asking testable questions, running fair tests that change one thing at a time, graphing the results, and explaining them with a claim, evidence from the data, and the science reasoning behind it. Same Method's science guides show each of these in plain English.
Why is my child being taught study skills?
From about fourth grade, homework becomes notes, projects and tests spread over weeks. Many schools, including AVID schools, now teach planning, note-taking and studying directly. Our study skills guides show what each one looks like at home.
Why is reading taught differently now?
Many schools have moved from guessing words with picture clues to sounding them out letter by letter, often called the science of reading. Our guide to sounding out, not guessing, explains the change in a minute and what to say instead.
My child is struggling. Is this a tutoring service?
No. Same Method helps you support what the teacher is doing. If your child is stuck for weeks, talk with the teacher; the guide gives you the right words for that conversation too.
I'm a teacher. Can I share the site with families?
Please do. Link to the guide for the method you're teaching, or send home the parent letter from a classroom pack.
Ready to help tonight's homework?
Pick the method on the worksheet and you'll know what to say in about a minute.
Find your child's method