Math question

[Gamom3]

Dd does not like math. I think it's because she has not grasped the basics yet, she knows them but has to think about it. I plan on working with her over the summer on basic math facts. She will be done with her math book on May 19th. She struggles with the new facts that they are teaching...ex. finding the perimeter of a rectangle and square. I was surprised that she was being taught this in 4th grade!

 

Would you stop and just start on the basic facts or finish the book?

 

We are moving from Abeka to Teaching Textbook 6 next year.

[PeterPan]

There's no reason to stop doing her math book. Finding perimeter is a good thing and normal for 4th grade. Nuts, RightStart covers it even earlier. Perimeter should make sense if you explain it as the distance if she walked around a park. (Get out string or manipulatives and DO it, build it, measure it, then it will click.) Area is a lot harder to understand. For that you can use unit squares and see how many it takes to cover the surface. The formula is the shortcut and may take a while to cement, but she can derive it if she UNDERSTANDS it.

 

As far as the facts, do you have a Math Shark or Flashmaster? I have a math shark, but I've heard the Flashmaster is good too. I put it on my dd's daily checklist of work with a specified amount of time I want her to do it, which operations, which level of play. I certainly wouldn't go into a 6th grade book without getting those facts faster. With my dd I use the Math Shark, have done the RS card games, drill sheets printed using the Basic Math Facts Worksheet Generator (free download), and just bulking up on more work. The math shark and just plain increasing her math assignments seem to be the best things for us, but you may be different. I'm just saying it might take more than one thing to get there. We're required to do portfolio reviews (or standardized testing) in our state, and my reviewer said to focus on facts this year and not let her rush into a 5th or 6th grade book, that at that point it would really come back to bite us. I've tried to take that to heart and find different ways to work on them. You can get triangle flashcards from Rainbow Resource that are really good too. There are two kinds and I got the ones Cathy Duffy preferred in her online review. (search for it)

 

So yes, I'd finish the book, but I'd add in some daily fact work now and get out the manipulatives to help her understand the stuff that's not clicking.

[TracyR]

Well if you don't have to finish the book I would stop , and take the time now to go over the basic facts again . Its just going to only frustrate her even more if you continue on . At least that's my two cents .