Random encounter tables and math.
I just ran into a Dragonrealms Trailblazer on Ravelry. I remember her – she and her husband were quite well-known. It’s like I happened to run into a high school pal in a coffeeshop in Minsk or something. What are the odds? She and her husband are playing Gemstone now, which I’m glad to hear. It makes me smile to think of them and the old days.
I’m ramping up the amount of schoolwork I do with Emily to get her ready to return in a few weeks. She was rusty on some things, like subtracting with regrouping, but the mechanics of it came back. More troubling is that she still has to count sometimes to add simple numbers.
Her: “seven plus eight… that’s easy… seven plus eight is… three.” (this is just said to stall).
Me: “Is that your answer?”
Her: “No. Seven plus eight is… ten. Seven plus eight is four.”
At this point, I either wait until she stops randomly naming numbers and settles upon the correct one with a tone of confidence and finality, or I prompt her with something she can use to figure it out, but never thinks of on her own, like:
Me: “Seven plus eight. Isn’t that a double plus one?” (She knows all her doubles, like 7+7=14.)
Her: “15!” This is said quickly with a tone like, “I had it, Mom!”
When she subtracts, she’s almost always counting. She should have this stuff memorized. This is not a good foundation going into a year which will see the introduction of multiplication. I’m open to suggestion on other ways to work this, since I’m not experienced with pedagogy. For instance, no matter how many times I try to explain the whole trick about adding 9 to a number making it equal 1+one less than the number, like 9+5=14, it never ever sticks. This is exactly why I shouldn’t homeschool.
Anyway, we’ve been working on this intermittently all summer, but we’re laying into it harder now. Less playing Sims2 (which she’s understanding a little too much of now anyway) and more schoolwork! Diddy mao!
Have you ever heard of Kumon? Do you think she could concentrate for something like that? (Not saying you should rush out and spend lots of money, but it’s a suggestion.)
Have you ever heard of Kumon? Do you think she could concentrate for something like that? (Not saying you should rush out and spend lots of money, but it’s a suggestion.)
We have the same problem with Girlchild 1 when it comes to school work. She needs to work on reading and writing but she always finds ways around it.
We have the same problem with Girlchild 1 when it comes to school work. She needs to work on reading and writing but she always finds ways around it.
Oh oh oh I saw her too! It makes the world feel small sometimes!
As for the adding 9’s. I hadn’t seen that trick and that is cool gonna steal it. Have you tried the adding 10 and subtracting 1 thing? I’ve seen that done a few ways.. the simple basic. “9 is one less than 10 so what is 10 + 5? 15 now we have to take away the 1 that we added.” To the OK 9 is 1 less than 10, lets borrow one from the 5 which gives you? (4) add the 1 to the 9 and get (10) then add the 4 and the 10 and you have…. (14). Maybe she’ll see that concept easier than the other. Math is funny… what one person SEES another just doesn’t get. When I’m working with the HS kids on their Math for the state test, I always make 2 folks who have different methods but got the right answer explain how they got it. And usually one kids does something that wows me and is a method that I would never have thought of it.
Oh oh oh I saw her too! It makes the world feel small sometimes!
As for the adding 9’s. I hadn’t seen that trick and that is cool gonna steal it. Have you tried the adding 10 and subtracting 1 thing? I’ve seen that done a few ways.. the simple basic. “9 is one less than 10 so what is 10 + 5? 15 now we have to take away the 1 that we added.” To the OK 9 is 1 less than 10, lets borrow one from the 5 which gives you? (4) add the 1 to the 9 and get (10) then add the 4 and the 10 and you have…. (14). Maybe she’ll see that concept easier than the other. Math is funny… what one person SEES another just doesn’t get. When I’m working with the HS kids on their Math for the state test, I always make 2 folks who have different methods but got the right answer explain how they got it. And usually one kids does something that wows me and is a method that I would never have thought of it.
http://www.megalink.net/~jones/chisanbop.html
The hubby is quite willing to admit that math was never his strong point. His folks bought him a book or kit or something that taught “Chisanbop”. It’s still counting, but it’s using your fingers as an abacus – one hand counts tens, another ones. He remembers seeing a girl on Johnny Carson using this method beating Johnny on problems that he was using a calculator for.
It may not be memorization – but it’s a good survival tactic that will add speed and confidence and let her advance. If she is able to confidently do the problems, she may well have an easier time learning the facts along the way.
Just an idea!
http://www.megalink.net/~jones/chisanbop.html
The hubby is quite willing to admit that math was never his strong point. His folks bought him a book or kit or something that taught “Chisanbop”. It’s still counting, but it’s using your fingers as an abacus – one hand counts tens, another ones. He remembers seeing a girl on Johnny Carson using this method beating Johnny on problems that he was using a calculator for.
It may not be memorization – but it’s a good survival tactic that will add speed and confidence and let her advance. If she is able to confidently do the problems, she may well have an easier time learning the facts along the way.
Just an idea!
I should add – the hubby still does this, and he is quite fast at it. Not to mention, it allows him to do problems that on paper would require carrying and such, again, without using paper or pencil (or calculator).
I should add – the hubby still does this, and he is quite fast at it. Not to mention, it allows him to do problems that on paper would require carrying and such, again, without using paper or pencil (or calculator).