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Summer boot camp on word problems


Terabith
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My rising sixth grader needs serious work on word problems. She's not a strong math student in general. Is there a program that would work well for this? I'd wondered about getting Challenging Word Problems a couple levels down to work on them, but I wonder if that's still going to be too tough?

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I would recommend SIngapore FAN Math Process Skills and Problem Solving. 

 

I prefer them to CWP.

 

While it uses the same Singapore methods for word problems, FAN math, unlike CWP, has fully worked solutions for every problem. It also does a great job of teaching the student how to think through and solve each type of problem--there is great scaffolding and instruction. The books are also shorter than CWP, so you could progress faster. 

 

I'm not sure where to recommend she start. Does she have some experience with using Singapore bar models for problems? 

The early books would be too easy mathematically, but they would lay the foundation for using Singapore techniques to think through and solve problems. 

 

 

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I love FAN Math, too, and think that's a great suggestion. CWP, at least at the level I used, was just a book of word problems-- zero instruction or visuals of the problem-solving.

ETA: Regarding levels, even as an adult who considers myself strong in math (but never learned using strongly conceptual methods), I appreciated being able to start with Level 1! I'd have no problem starting there with a struggling student of any age.

Edited by fralala
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ETA: Regarding levels, even as an adult who considers myself strong in math (but never learned using strongly conceptual methods), I appreciated being able to start with Level 1! I'd have no problem starting there with a struggling student of any age.

 

I agree with this OP. Tell her you know she can solve the problems without the models, but the book is about learning how to use models, not about solving the actual math. Those early books will lay the foundation for the later, more difficult, problems. And she can probably move quickly and gain confidence while she develops mathematical thinking and problem solving skills. 

Edited by sbgrace
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