Math Problem Solving

[AggieMama]

I have a kindergartener who is struggling with problem solving and her teacher is threatening to move her out of the top math group. I was wondering if anyone has suggestions on curriculum to supplement with emphasizing on problem solving. Her school uses enVisions math.

[debi21]

I think the typical list of elementary curriculums that focus on problem solving may not be necessary, since we're talking about kindergarten. (These would include Miquon, Right Start, MEP, and maybe Singapore). My perception is that most of the kindergarten problems involve simple addition (maybe finding the missing addend in a word problem?). Or maybe subitizing? My son was in kindergarten only last year and that's all I can think of, although he didn't use EnVisions.

 

I am fascinated to know what kind of problem solving EnVisions wants Kindergarteners to do. Do you have an example problem of the sort your daughter might struggle with?

 

My first inclination is to suggest starting by working with cuisinaire rods with the Education Unboxed videos. An abacus and simple counters in a ten frame might be helpful too. I would love to see some sample questions though.

 

[amymarie3]

Our school uses the same program and so far my boys are both on track. Here are a few things that we do at home.  I try to do one of these every day or two.  

 

- I have a book called Bedtime Math that we read a couple days a week.

- We use Life of Fred (Apples & Butterflies) with the worksheets from the Facebook page as a supplement once or twice a week.  

- We play a card game using a Cribbage board.  Each person draws two cards and adds them together then moves their peg forward that number of spots.

- I use Ray's Arithmetic for verbal math problems (https://books.google.com/books?id=ntTy0NUjKHQC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false)

[Miss Tick]

Bedtime Math used to have, and may still have, a free daily email that was nice. I think the book is a compendium of those problems.

 

MEP is free and online, so with a bit of work on your part you could use that as a free resource for picking problems to work with your dd. The program is found at the "Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching" Click on Reception or Year 1 and then open the Lesson Plans and skim through those until you find something of interest. The top of each lesson will indicate R for the topics being reviewed, C for the topics focused on in this lesson, and E for extension problems - harder or upcoming topics.

[Julie of KY]

Kitchen Table math is a math series that isn't curriculum that might be helpful.

[tm919]

I would ask for an example of a problem if your daughter isn't already bringing home those big colored newsprint sheets (if she is the problem is written in tiny text on the bottom). My daughter uses Envisions math K at school and a lot of the time the problems are worded oddly and they have to listen carefully to understand what it is asking (i.e., it might show them the number 13 and the teacher READS "So and so has one more raisin than this number, circle the plate that has the number of raisins so and so has." 

 

Unless they are supplementing a lot or using envisions far ahead (like 1-2 years ahead) I think it might not really be problem solving -- it might be listening to convoluted problems then applying it.

[Arcadia]

My school district uses enVision math common core edition for K-5. It is the reading ability that is being tested. Is she a strong reader already?

 

DS11's teacher for kindergarten supplemented with Math Minutes and other worksheets though. The teacher does some examples on the white board but kids read their own enVision workbook.

 

I would go with Hands on Equation, especially if you have an ipad. It teach to the child so a parent uncomfortable with teaching can just follow along.

[Spy Car]

There are some oddly worded problems in enVision Math, especially in the early years. My son completed K-5 of enVision. It is not a terrible math program, but wouldn't be my choice.

 

Among the things we did at home were o run a year ahead of invasion using Primary Mathematics (Singapore). Since enVision is a Singapore-lite type program, one that borrows some features of Singapore math (like bar-diagrams), but doesn't really develop the Math Model to the full extent, *if* you are down with running a full curriculum PM will provide an excellent base, and enVision can serve as "review."

 

Miquon was mentioned. If a parent/teacher is motivated to study and learn the information in the 3 teachers books, the discovery learning using concrete manipulative (Cuisenaire Rods), followed up with explicit understanding and discussion of mathematical properties works like magic with many children. It is a way for students to "own" concepts and learn to problem solving in an effective and unique way. It does take parent commitment and study to imperilment Miquon style learning. The website Education Unboxed was unvailed after we went through Miquon, but it goes a very good job showing examples of ways Miquon style learning can be done in the real world.

 

The (free to download) MEP materials have a very special focus on using logic, reason, and problem solving skills at an early age. In form it is less like enVision that PM is, but that isn't always a bad thing.

 

Later, the Ed Zaccaro books are problem solving oriented.

 

You will find some odd elements of enVision as you go. And a fixation on "estimation." But it is not horrible, and improves in latter years.

 

Bill 

 

 

[Nart]

 

 And a fixation on "estimation." 

 

Bill 

 What is it about estimation that school love so much? It has its place but it is completely ridiculous how much estimating they want kids to do in some programs. My kids' school uses Everyday Math and it drives me crazy. There is so much to dislike about it but one thing I can't stand is all the "Ballpark estimating" they ask them to do. My son misses most of those questions because last year in second grade when given a problem like 48+ 34 and asked to estimate he wrote 82 without hesitating because Singapore Math taught him mental math. He just couldn't ever understand why you would estimate and change it into 50 plus 30 and then get the close but incorrect answer of 80 when it was quicker for him to get the correct answer. This year in third grade he got the answer to "use a ballpark estimate to solve 368 + 423".  He wrote 370 + 420 = 790 and it was counted as incorrect. They were supposed to round to the hundreds not tens (which was not written anywhere on the assessment). So the teacher wrote in 400+ 400 = 800.  There is an estimation chapter in Beast Academy that I am sure is wonderful, but I am so sick of seeing estimation that I had my son skip that chapter. 

 

Sorry this isn't exactly about problem solving but my point is that there is a lot of silly stuff in public school math that you can just ignore and keep on working with quality materials at home. 

[Spy Car]

 What is it about estimation that school love so much? It has its place but it is completely ridiculous how much estimating they want kids to do in some programs. My kids' school uses Everyday Math and it drives me crazy. There is so much to dislike about it but one thing I can't stand is all the "Ballpark estimating" they ask them to do. My son misses most of those questions because last year in second grade when given a problem like 48+ 34 and asked to estimate he wrote 82 without hesitating because Singapore Math taught him mental math. He just couldn't ever understand why you would estimate and change it into 50 plus 30 and then get the close but incorrect answer of 80 when it was quicker for him to get the correct answer. This year in third grade he got the answer to "use a ballpark estimate to solve 368 + 423".  He wrote 370 + 420 = 790 and it was counted as incorrect. They were supposed to round to the hundreds not tens (which was not written anywhere on the assessment). So the teacher wrote in 400+ 400 = 800.  There is an estimation chapter in Beast Academy that I am sure is wonderful, but I am so sick of seeing estimation that I had my son skip that chapter. 

 

Sorry this isn't exactly about problem solving but my point is that there is a lot of silly stuff in public school math that you can just ignore and keep on working with quality materials at home.

 

 

Estimating is one of those things where I have a bifurcated mind. 

 

Quite honestly, there were times I wanted to pull my hair out with (what seemed to me) a fixation with estimating in enVision Math. It went on for year after year. Could we not just get the right answer?

 

However, there are time now—with topics like percentages and decimal based problems (discounts, taxes, interest, etc.) where I find myself asking my son if he remembered all the estimating he's done over the years, and if the answer he arrived at SEEEMS REASONABLE??? When it clearly is NOT :D

 

So I'm at war with myself.

 

Bill

[kiwik]

I would clarify the problem.  It could be that he doesn't draw dots correctly or something.  Problem solving can mean a lot of things.  

[tm919]

Estimating is one of those things where I have a bifurcated mind. 

 

Quite honestly, there were times I wanted to pull my hair out with (what seemed to me) a fixation with estimating in enVision Math. It went on for year after year. Could we not just get the right answer?

 

However, there are time now—with topics like percentages and decimal based problems (discounts, taxes, interest, etc.) where I find myself asking my son if he remembered all the estimating he's done over the years, and if the answer he arrived at SEEEMS REASONABLE??? When it clearly is NOT :D

 

So I'm at war with myself.

 

Bill

It is one of the things I dislike about Envision. When shown a picture of 9 dots arranged in a 3 x 3 matrix and asked "About how many dots are there?" my daughter would say  "9!" when the answer should be "10." When they present them like that, it's easy to "just know" it's 9 since it's 3 x 3 (probably you don't "just know" but your brain can see the pattern and put it together quickly, more quickly than you could count). I think there was even one on a recent sheet where they showed 4 buttons (or 4 somethings) and wanted children to say "about 5." Wouldn't most children instantly know it's 4?

 

Its a useful skill to know how to estimate but the problems in the early years of envision don't seem to work well to teach the skill.

[Spy Car]

It is one of the things I dislike about Envision. When shown a picture of 9 dots arranged in a 3 x 3 matrix and asked "About how many dots are there?" my daughter would say  "9!" when the answer should be "10." When they present them like that, it's easy to "just know" it's 9 since it's 3 x 3 (probably you don't "just know" but your brain can see the pattern and put it together quickly, more quickly than you could count). I think there was even one on a recent sheet where they showed 4 buttons (or 4 somethings) and wanted children to say "about 5." Wouldn't most children instantly know it's 4?

 

Its a useful skill to know how to estimate but the problems in the early years of envision don't seem to work well to teach the skill.

 

Yes, there is quite a lot of this sort of thing. I appreciate the value of estimation. I also tend to defend math programs when they "take the long way" when it leads to promoting real conceptual understanding. But there were times when enVision drove me batty, and my son more batty. There were more than a few occasions when he lost points for providing the "right" answer, instead of the "estimation."

 

A parent/student will need to accept that there will be a certain percentage of problems where the idiosyncrasies of enVision will be a reality from which there is no escape. It is not a terrible program overall, but these irksome elements do exist. And they commonly (in my experience) trip up a fair number of students, even advanced ones.

 

Best strategy for success? Realize what they want you to do, and do it. otherwise you'll face on-going frustration.

 

BTDT.

 

Bill

[SKL]

My kids' teacher usually tells them to skip the estimation problems.  :)

[SKL]

The hardest thing to get my kids to do is to read the problems carefully, repeatedly if need be, to make sure they are actually answering the question asked.

 

It doesn't help that they often don't have enough time to do this during tests at school.