x-post on special needs: math help

[bairnmama]

What do you do with a child that simply can NOT count on from one number to the next? My dd will be 10 this summer and we have not gotten past a mid-1st grade level in math. I'm beginning to think it all boils down to this problem. I have tried and tried and tried to get her to see that once you know you've got 4 (or 15, or 30), you don't have to start counting at 1 again to add something to it! She says it's too confusing that way and she gets all messed up. She HAS to start at 1 every.single.time! For example, if I ask, "what's 2 more than 7?" she starts counting at 1. Or even, "what's 3 more than 30?" she'll start counting from 1 even when looking at the numbers on the 100 chart!!:banghead:

 

She doesn't understand why 8+2 is related to 10-8. She was frustrated to the point of tears just a few weeks ago trying to write 1 addition problem and 2 subtraction problems for a picture showing a set of 7 blue balls and 5 red ones. She still doesn't understand place value and gets hundreds, tens, and units confused. And yet, she was on grade-level last year (3rd) for fractions! She thinks fractions are easy and I don't know why.

 

I have the RightStart abacus and games, MUS blocks, cuisenaire rods, a math balance, fraction balance, a hundred number chart made of Lauri pegs.... I've tried just about everything I can think of to help her understand how numbers work and it just isn't helping! I don't think it's just my teaching since ds has learned everything I've been trying to teach her and is now teaching himself multiplication. I just don't know what else to do!

[siloam]

There are some options that have been discussed on the Heart of Reading yahoo group. You might join that to see if you can find something.

 

My only idea is On Cloud Nine, so they develop the ability to see quantities and numbers in the mind first. Along the ideas of what RS begins with but with more direct instruction.

 

Heather

[Shellydon]

You might consider having someone else teach her math for a couple of months. Either hire a tutor, or take her to a place like Sylvan. Sometimes, hearing someone else teach the concept can make a difference.

[Murmer]

This is what I did with my 1st graders who had this problem:

Get 2 dice, 1 with numbers written on them and 1 with just the dots.

Tell her you are going to race to the number 10, 20 whatever start low though and see who gets their first.

Then roll both dice.

Say the number on the first dice and model "putting it in your head" (this usually meant I put my hand on my forehead and said the number).

Then say the number again and count up using the dot dice.

Write down the total and switch...keep playing till you get to your target number.