Mathematicians weigh in: How important are word problems?

[FairProspects]

Is the point to use what you know? Why does the format have to be verbal? What is so great about word problems over equations or spatial representations of math?

 

Convince me these are worth my time, because with a dyslexic, word problems are going to be a MONUMENTAL effort.

[EducationX2]

Well, we are going to do traditional word problems, but for now (with a new reader) what I've been doing is word problems out loud. Could that work for you? It's been pretty painless even. Driving down the road, I'll randomly say "Oh, the other day I went shopping and......" blahblahblah. I just make them up off the top of my head to practice the skills we're learning. No reading for her, but she's still learning how to pick out the important information in a word problem to create an equation and find needed information.

[tarahillmom]

The reason to study them is that the only time in the real world we use math is the "every day" story problems. Like I need to buy carpet and how much do I need to buy to cover my living and dining rooms for example, or how many is gas going to cost if I drive from SC to AZ. Story problems also show a deeper understanding of the material and how it is applied. I hear you with dyslexia. What we do with my daughter is talk through them. You don't need to do every single problem, but knowing she can apply what she learned into every day life is important. JMO

[Chibby]

I don't think it's necessarily that one has to be good at word problems per se, as much as you have to know how to use the math you know to solve problems. That's the whole point of a word problem, imo and I think THAT is ESSENTIAL.

 

When you have a real life problem and you need math to solve it, you don't already have the formula written in front of you w/ "solve for X" as the directions, so sure, you may be good at math, but what's the use if you can't apply it?

 

If it's dyslexia that's the problem, I assume you're working extra hard on helping your child learn to read and write, and I also assume that it's the actual reading of the word problems that is the problem? I don't see why you can't do oral word problems, or just try to find ways to practice math in every day life, so in cooking, have your child double the recipe if you want to make a double batch, have them help you with the grocery budget, plan a garden w/ a map, etc.

[Crimson Wife]

The reason to study them is that the only time in the real world we use math is the "every day" story problems. Like I need to buy carpet and how much do I need to buy to cover my living and dining rooms for example, or how many is gas going to cost if I drive from SC to AZ. Story problems also show a deeper understanding of the material and how it is applied. I hear you with dyslexia. What we do with my daughter is talk through them. You don't need to do every single problem, but knowing she can apply what she learned into every day life is important. JMO

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

Unless I were to go take the GRE in preparation for applying to graduate school, the only math I do IRL is in the form of word problems.

[kiana]

There's no reason he can't do word problems a grade level or two behind his computational skills, or have them read to him. But they ARE important.

 

The point of a word problem is to use the math you know to solve the problem without being told what equation to use or which numbers to combine in which way. It's to ensure you actually know what the operations *mean* and why.

 

If you have six children and each has two cookies, are you multiplying, adding, subtracting, or dividing? Are there multiple ways to solve the problem? Are some ways more efficient than others? etc.

[FairProspects]

If it's dyslexia that's the problem, I assume you're working extra hard on helping your child learn to read and write, and I also assume that it's the actual reading of the word problems that is the problem? I don't see why you can't do oral word problems, or just try to find ways to practice math in every day life, so in cooking, have your child double the recipe if you want to make a double batch, have them help you with the grocery budget, plan a garden w/ a map, etc.

 

I wish it were that simple, but no, even reading it aloud won't fix the problem with the dyslexia as his difficulty is the actual language processing of determining what the word problem means, and sometimes even within finding the main point what an individual word means (because he doesn't retrieve the proper meanings for words), and then getting the sequencing of multiple step problems correct without doing the wrong part of the problem first.

 

Doubling the batch example would actually be easier for him because he knows immediately what to do with the fractions. The difficulty would be in CWP, because even though he knows the operations and what to do, he would flip a more around or not understand what is being asked to do in the first place.

 

I can get around some of it with bar diagrams and variable algebra, but the initial verbal processing problem remains and I can't do much about that, so I'm wondering how important this skill is, or if it even matters that much once you reach higher math. I don't recall doing many word problems at all past elementary math, but it has been a long time and math was never my favorite subject, so I may have blocked it out. :D

Edited August 10, 2012 by FairProspects

[Shelsi]

Can you make up your own real world "word" problems as they come up? What grade level is he in now? There are loads of places that real world problems crop up (or can be created).

 

Personally I think the critical part is knowing how to use math in the real world. Doubling a recipe. Figuring out what's the best deal at the grocery store based on price per ounce. How much paint to buy to paint a wall. How much flooring to order. Total amount of fabric needed for a project. How many hours it will take you to drive somewhere at your current speed. And so forth.

 

FTR, I had word problems in college calculus for math majors.

[8filltheheart]

I wish it were that simple, but no, even reading it aloud won't fix the problem with the dyslexia as his difficulty is the actual language processing of determining what the word problem means, and sometimes even within finding the main point what an individual word means (because he doesn't retrieve the proper meanings for words), and then getting the sequencing of multiple step problems correct without doing the wrong part of the problem first.

 

Doubling the batch example would actually be easier for him because he knows immediately what to do with the fractions. The difficulty would be in CWP, because even though he knows the operations and what to do, he would flip a more around or not understand what is being asked to do in the first place.

 

I can get around some of it with bar diagrams and variable algebra, but the initial verbal processing problem remains and I can't do much about that, so I'm wondering how important this skill is, or if it even matters that much once you reach higher math. I don't recall doing many word problems at all past elementary math, but it has been a long time and I math was never my favorite subject, so I may have blocked it out. :D

 

 

Perhaps you should try different types of word problems than SM. SM has a way of stating problems that is often vague and must be construed in context of the problem. Perhaps the word problems in something like MM would be easier for him language-wise? Or translate the problems into more specific wording?

 

(I'm not sure b/c my dyslexics didn't have any language processing issues, simply reading/decoding problems.....well, not quite auditory dyslexia seems to be an issue as well, but I digress)

 

The entire purpose of higher level math is application. Word problems are not word problems. They are educational simulations of the entire purpose behind math in the real world. Is this the child you have posted about loving science? Science is all about applying math. I would see this as not a monumental hurdle, but an essential skill that needs to be developed. :grouphug:

[FairProspects]

Perhaps you should try different types of word problems than SM. SM has a way of stating problems that is often vague and must be construed in context of the problem. Perhaps the word problems in something like MM would be easier for him language-wise? Or translate the problems into more specific wording?

 

(I'm not sure b/c my dyslexics didn't have any language processing issues, simply reading/decoding problems.....well, not quite auditory dyslexia seems to be an issue as well, but I digress)

 

The entire purpose of higher level math is application. Word problems are not word problems. They are educational simulations of the entire purpose behind math in the real world. Is this the child you have posted about loving science? Science is all about applying math. I would see this as not a monumental hurdle, but an essential skill that needs to be developed. :grouphug:

 

You may be on to something here - he did much better with the word problems we have tried in MM and even BA. Perhaps my question should better have been: What is so important about Singapore CWP?

 

Yes, this is the science-loving kid, but ironically he seems to know exactly what to do with the math when it is within the context of science or is spatial/pictoral rather than verbal. That is, his own math problems are inherently solvable, but those on the math book page are not because he has no real life context for them. Who knows, he's a weird kid sometimes. :D

Edited August 10, 2012 by FairProspects

[Crimson Wife]

If the problems in CWP are too tricky/complicated, try the Kumon word problems series. Those problems are much more straightforward than CWP. You can always try CWP in a few years if his language processing improves.

[8filltheheart]

You may be on to something here - he did much better with the word problems we have tried in MM and even BA. Perhaps my question should better have been: What is so important about Singapore CWP?

 

 

:lol: You are asking the wrong person that question b/c my answer is, um, nothing. ;) Really, I have managed to raise a chemical engineer and an 11th grader taking multivariable cal (as well as the rest of my kids who are not math slouches :tongue_smilie:) w/o ever using SM or CWP. ;)

 

I absolutely believe that applying concepts is the entire pt of math, but SM and CWP are simply 1 set of tools that achieve that goal.

 

FWIW, I love playing multi-step mental strategy games w/my kids. It does help develop the mental skills for problem solving. (some great ones for the 3rd grade age are Advanced Mastermind, Othello, Mancala, etc)

Edited August 10, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart

[Snickerdoodle]

Try the Zaccaro books for word problems.

[FairProspects]

Try the Zaccaro books for word problems.

 

That's a good idea too. I have Primary Challenge Math, but I haven't done anything with it yet, so maybe I'll pull that out and play with it. I may go back to MM for word problems too, and yes, lots of logic games if I could just find my darned Mastermind in the games closet!!

[letsplaymath]

Is the point to use what you know? Why does the format have to be verbal? What is so great about word problems over equations or spatial representations of math?

 

Convince me these are worth my time, because with a dyslexic, word problems are going to be a MONUMENTAL effort.

 

Word problems are mental manipulatives. They are concrete, living, real-world math, in contrast to the abstraction of plain calculation problems. Plain calculations are not really problems at all, just the answers to some forgotten problem.

 

A "linear function" or even a "direct variation" is meaningless to a student, but a car or train traveling at constant speed is something we can visualize --- it has meaning.

 

"When we teach children to solve problems in school, we do not expect them to meet exactly and literally the same problems in later life. Mathematical education would be next to useless if its only use were literal. We want much more, we want to teach children to solve problems in general. In this respect traditional word problems are especially valuable, because to solve a word problem, you have to understand what is said there. This function of word problems is very poorly understood in America."

 

 

 

--- Andre Toom,

Word Problems in Russia and America

 

 

 

"As important as mathematics is, it is a distant second to the need for good reading comprehension. We teachers so often hear students summarize a course by saying, ‘I could do everything except the word problems.’

 

Sadly, in the textbook of life, there are only word problems."

 

 

 

 

--- Herb Gross, quoted by

Jerome Dancis

in

Reading Instruction for Arithmetic Word Problems

 

 

[serendipitous journey]

I have to say, regarding the OP, that the value of "word problems" is being able to use math tools to work in the world -- they help teach when you ought to do what. It is true that if one can only do math when the problems are already set up, one hasn't demonstrated mastery.

 

That said, Button (who has no processing problems, and is mathematically precocious) both hates SM CWPs and is horrid at them. He didn't like Primary Challenge, either.

 

If you are looking for interesting problems, you could see if the MEP problems suit better (that is an excellent program, and free). You can also just make up your own using things familiar to the child. Button couldn't do word problems from his MUS when he was younger, but could do the same computations if I made them about his own friends and things he knew about -- airplanes or jelly beans or whatever. Perhaps framing the concepts in terms that are very comfortable to the child would be helpful? Much of our multi-digit multiplication was in terms of, "if there are 5 trees in a garden and each tree has 17 leaves, how many leaves are there altogether?" (he was leaf-obsessed at the time; he also liked spaceships with aliens on them)

 

ETA: Thinking over this, I had two thoughts that may (or may not!) seem sensible to you. One is to do word problems at a level below the child's math skill -- these could be quite informal, just things you come up with, to build up the word-problem skills progressively. The other is to ask the child to come up with word problems for YOU to solve; or maybe take turns giving each other word problems. Sometimes having them invent questions for you gets the gears going better (and it is more fun -- Button likes quizzing me!)

Edited August 11, 2012 by serendipitous journey

[boscopup]

I agree with the others - word problems are incredibly important, since that is what shows that you know how to apply your math. It's not useful to know that 10x10=100 if you can't figure out that if you have a room that is 10' by 10', you'll need 100 sq. ft. of carpet to cover the floor. That is the whole point of learning 10x10=100. :D

 

And I also agree with the others that CWP is NOT necessary. They do word their word problems strangely sometimes (like x is 5 times more than y meaning x = 6y). I could see that being an issue for a kid with language processing issues (and I'm keeping notes here for DS2, as he isn't doing CWP this year... he's fine with the regular "story problems" in 1A textbook right now, but those are easy and are talking about something he understands, like 5 frogs on a lilypad, 1 jumps off... though his version is 5 frogs on a lilypad, 1 turns into a shark and eats the other frogs :lol:).

 

Primary Grades Challenge Math is a great idea. I think his word problems made more sense, language wise. DS1 never needed help figuring out what to do in the problem. He just needed help with computation, since we were using it before we learned that type of computation. OTOH, there are often CWP problems that he needs help with figuring out what the question is even asking for. And he has absolutely zero language processing problems. So don't feel bad. :D

 

The MM problems were very good. They're not quite as hard as CWP challenge problems, but they're harder than SM textbook/workbook problems. You also might see if the CWP word problems can be reworded to make sense, but that sounds like a lot of work, so I'd personally rather just use a different book in that case. :tongue_smilie:

 

I would not make CWP a hill to die on. :)

[regentrude]

I'm wondering how important this skill is, or if it even matters that much once you reach higher math. I don't recall doing many word problems at all past elementary math, but it has been a long time and math was never my favorite subject, so I may have blocked it out. :D

 

Absolutely vital. Math is a tool for problem solving, and the problem usually comes in the form of words - as a problem from physics, from finances, or from home improvement. Translating the problem into mathematical language, i.e. equations, is the first and most important step. Students are usually doing quite OK with the mere computation, but setting up the problem is where real conceptual understanding is required and seen. And this is true in algebra and in calculus and beyond.

Edited August 11, 2012 by regentrude

[nono]

 

Yes, this is the science-loving kid, but ironically he seems to know exactly what to do with the math when it is within the context of science or is spatial/pictoral rather than verbal. That is, his own math problems are inherently solvable, but those on the math book page are not because he has no real life context for them. Who knows, he's a weird kid sometimes. :D

 

Not answering your original question, but my dd is a right brainer, and definitely thinks in 3D. While I have some 3D tendencies in my head, she's more like an Olympian, and I'm back on the playground trying for a pick-up game! :D And she's only in Singapore 3A, so take this with a grain of salt. But, I have her draw out the problems on the board, or imagine them in her mind. Once she has a picture, that flipping to the opposite meaning, (like dividing when she already identified that she should multiply and the like) has gone away. Sometimes, she doesn't want to take the time to conjure up or draw the image, and her answers suffer. Maybe there's a way to help him tap into more imagery so he can "see" the problems? I remember in the early word problems we'd draw a big circle around everything for the SM keyword "altogether" so that she'd have a visual reminder she was adding everything up. She seemed to need something visual to pick up that cue word and use it.

 

FWIW, she thinks word problems are the best part of math. And she can't even read at grade level yet. :001_huh: Yeah, she's truly a gift to someone like me who believes there are many ways to be right. :001_wub: But, I was frustrated as all get out until I found how to link the problems to her way of thinking!

[Kathryn]

The reason to study them is that the only time in the real world we use math is the "every day" story problems. Like I need to buy carpet and how much do I need to buy to cover my living and dining rooms for example, or how many is gas going to cost if I drive from SC to AZ. Story problems also show a deeper understanding of the material and how it is applied. I hear you with dyslexia. What we do with my daughter is talk through them. You don't need to do every single problem, but knowing she can apply what she learned into every day life is important. JMO

 

:iagree:

 

If CWP is a problem, try lower levels or easier problems. But word problems are important to learn how to apply math to life.

[Farrar]

Another "fun" book of word problems for you - The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math. Each problem involves something completely absurd (like a zombie horde) that's going to kill you if you don't do math and figure out how to escape. There's a really step by step explanation of how to solve each one. Then it's followed by a math lab, but you could easily just do the problems without that bit. Some are kind of easy, but they are all multi-step problems.

 

Mostly just agreeing with others that the phrasing in the CWP is often... difficult for some kids and you should try other things too.

[stripe]

I don't know about word problems per se, but solving a neat and tidy, predigested equation is neither realistic nor challenging.

[Farrar]

I don't know about word problems per se, but solving a neat and tidy, predigested equation is neither realistic nor challenging.

 

But don't you think that it can lead kids into the sort of math that is messier and less predigested? Baby steps? I guess I just think if kids don't do the predigested ones, that most of them won't intuit how to apply math to real situations.

[Heathermomster]

http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Store/viewitem.php?item=moems:problemsolving

 

I really like this one. It explains in detail how to approach different types of problems.

 

Thanks for posting this...I definitely need it.:001_smile:

[stripe]

But don't you think that it can lead kids into the sort of math that is messier and less predigested? Baby steps? I guess I just think if kids don't do the predigested ones, that most of them won't intuit how to apply math to real situations.

 

I am all for baby steps! This is why I <3 MEP -- because it builds in a really nice way. The skills are slowly built up, and problems increase in complexity in a way that works for my kids. This is why I switched to MEP, because what I was doing before was just solving equations, which my son was doing fine at but had no real understanding of.

 

My husband and I continue to meet people in situations of major math illiteracy. For example my husband was talking to people who were getting a 4% raise at work. He was able to give them a rough estimate of their new salary. They thought he was some kind of wunderkind. "How did you do that?!" I think not having any idea of how to interpret anything for oneself is a bad thing. At age 6, the question might be, "Grandma and Grandpa are coming for dinner, so how many plates should we put on the table?" That's a real life word problem. And it's an important thing to know!

[Heathermomster]

For dyslexics, the author of How the Brain Learns Mathematics recommends using the RIDD strategy and/or using word problem maps to solve word problems. Sousa provides examples in the book.

[Writerdaddy]

Word problems lay the foundation for algebraic thinking-- so they are super important, as well as practicing logic skills in reading comprehension.

 

Why not just do word problems well below grade level, starting with one per day? "Challenging Word Problems 1" from SM is fine for on-level second graders (although better for mathy 1st graders) and should be fine for a 3rd or 4th grader with language difficulties. Of course if your kids are not old enough yet, then find something super easy. Just separate in your mind the word comprehension part from the computation so you don't think it's wrong to do problems that your child can too easily compute-- just be clear in your mind about why you are doing these "easy" problems.

 

Math word problems in elementary school have a limited vocabulary and limited number of logical expressions, so there should be nothing wrong with learning these little by little over time, starting with the easiest expressions.

[Mandy in TN]

Is the point to use what you know? Why does the format have to be verbal? What is so great about word problems over equations or spatial representations of math?

 

Convince me these are worth my time, because with a dyslexic, word problems are going to be a MONUMENTAL effort.

I haven't read the responses, but the short version is that you need to be able to apply math to real life situations.

 

If you can't answer

If Billy has 5 apples and he eats 2 of them, how many does he have left?

then what difference does it make if you know the answer to 5-3?

 

Mandy

[Mandy in TN]

The reason to study them is that the only time in the real world we use math is the "every day" story problems. Like I need to buy carpet and how much do I need to buy to cover my living and dining rooms for example, or how many is gas going to cost if I drive from SC to AZ. Story problems also show a deeper understanding of the material and how it is applied. I hear you with dyslexia. What we do with my daughter is talk through them. You don't need to do every single problem, but knowing she can apply what she learned into every day life is important. JMO

:iagree: This. She said it better.

[FairProspects]

Maybe there's a way to help him tap into more imagery so he can "see" the problems? I remember in the early word problems we'd draw a big circle around everything for the SM keyword "altogether" so that she'd have a visual reminder she was adding everything up. She seemed to need something visual to pick up that cue word and use it.

 

We definitely need to do more of this. I'm actually thinking of having him draw the operation symbols or numbers above key words to help him figure out how to translate the problem, but you are right, pictures are the way to go.

 

For dyslexics, the author of How the Brain Learns Mathematics recommends using the RIDD strategy and/or using word problem maps to solve word problems. Sousa provides examples in the book.

 

I think I will look for this book as well. We need specific attack strategies for this type of language issue.

 

It is not a math problem. This is a kid who sees math everywhere in the world around him and is calculating averages and median in his head during a piano lesson. He has had a massive amount of neuropsych testing this year and his math problem solving score was sky high. Moving down a level or to easier math problems would do nothing but bore and frustrate him because then he would have zero incentive to fight through the language difficulties. It is completely a language processing issue, so the standard rules/advice don't really apply.

Edited August 11, 2012 by FairProspects

[FairProspects]

Another "fun" book of word problems for you - The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math. Each problem involves something completely absurd (like a zombie horde) that's going to kill you if you don't do math and figure out how to escape. There's a really step by step explanation of how to solve each one. Then it's followed by a math lab, but you could easily just do the problems without that bit. Some are kind of easy, but they are all multi-step problems.

 

Mostly just agreeing with others that the phrasing in the CWP is often... difficult for some kids and you should try other things too.

 

Zombies!?! Ds would love this!! He has a whole series of vampire child stories going on right now.

[AdventureMoms]

I wish it were that simple, but no, even reading it aloud won't fix the problem with the dyslexia as his difficulty is the actual language processing of determining what the word problem means, and sometimes even within finding the main point what an individual word means (because he doesn't retrieve the proper meanings for words), and then getting the sequencing of multiple step problems correct without doing the wrong part of the problem first.

 

Doubling the batch example would actually be easier for him because he knows immediately what to do with the fractions. The difficulty would be in CWP, because even though he knows the operations and what to do, he would flip a more around or not understand what is being asked to do in the first place.

 

I can get around some of it with bar diagrams and variable algebra, but the initial verbal processing problem remains and I can't do much about that, so I'm wondering how important this skill is, or if it even matters that much once you reach higher math. I don't recall doing many word problems at all past elementary math, but it has been a long time and math was never my favorite subject, so I may have blocked it out. :D

 

I'm an engineer with a math minor. By my upper-level math courses, the entire class was done in word problems, because the important part was that you understand how to USE the math. It doesn't help to know that 5+5=10 if you don't know that if you have 5 apples and 5 oranges, you have 10 pieces of fruit. In algebra, knowing that for 5x+2=22, x=4 is not valuable unless you can use that to answer the question: If you have 5 groups of a certain number of sticks, plus two extra, and you need to have a total of 22 sticks, how many sticks are in each group? This is the same all the way through. Knowing the procedures for calculus is not helpful if you cannot use it to find an accleration using speed data, etc.

 

I don't know much about your son's LD, so I can't give specific advice. I can only speak to the question that it is, in fact, very important to do word problems in some way, because that is how we learn to use math.

[Farrar]

I am all for baby steps! This is why I <3 MEP -- because it builds in a really nice way. The skills are slowly built up, and problems increase in complexity in a way that works for my kids. This is why I switched to MEP, because what I was doing before was just solving equations, which my son was doing fine at but had no real understanding of.

 

My husband and I continue to meet people in situations of major math illiteracy. For example my husband was talking to people who were getting a 4% raise at work. He was able to give them a rough estimate of their new salary. They thought he was some kind of wunderkind. "How did you do that?!" I think not having any idea of how to interpret anything for oneself is a bad thing. At age 6, the question might be, "Grandma and Grandpa are coming for dinner, so how many plates should we put on the table?" That's a real life word problem. And it's an important thing to know!

 

I feel like that's the sort of thing we do a good bit - oh, there's this many, so how many does everyone get, or it's in two weeks, so how much do you have to get done each day, etc. etc. But the word problems help them learn to do that, even though they're predigested.

 

I think that some educators have tried to put forth that word problems are some magic bullet of making kids prepared for real world math (the kind the vast majority of people have to do every day). I think it's probably more important to have solid math skills and word problems are just a small piece of teaching that. In a way, doing the addition tables and so forth is the baby steps for doing to the real world math down the line.

[AdventureMoms]

We definitely need to do more of this. I'm actually thinking of having him draw the operation symbols or numbers above key words to help him figure out how to translate the problem, but you are right, pictures are the way to go.

 

 

 

I think I will look for this book as well. We need specific attack strategies for this type of language issue.

 

It is not a math problem. This is a kid who sees math everywhere in the world around him and is calculating averages and median in his head during a piano lesson. He has had a massive amount of neuropsych testing this year and his math problem solving score was sky high. Moving down a level or to easier math problems would do nothing but bore and frustrate him because then he would have zero incentive to fight through the language difficulties. It is completely a language processing issue, so the standard rules/advice don't really apply.

 

A technique often used in my engineering classes was to draw a diagram as you read the problem. If it is a language issue, this might help him to make the connections. For example for a classic triangle/geometry problem: If you are trying to calculate the height of a tree, draw a tree, label the height x. Then you read the distance from you to the top of the tree. Draw a spot to indicate "you", then label the line from you to the tree. Then they give you an angle or another distance, and you label it. This converts the word problem to a strictly math problem.

[LynnG in Arizona]

You've gotten some great advice here!

 

My two cents? Remember that "perfect is the enemy of good" sometimes. If Singapore CWP is a bit too much for your son, try something else.

 

We are using something very simple and inexpensive this year for my first grader: Evan Moor's Daily Word Problems. I use it with my 6 yo to practice applying all the great math she's learning in Right Start, and to practice doing it independently of me. (You could obviously read through the problem with your son, though, just to make sure he's reading everything correctly and understands it as well.) And of course, you could always use it a grade level behind. Even doing it a year "behind", your son will be getting some great practice and review, and will probably become increasingly comfortable with word problems.

 

HTH! :)

[Heathermomster]

I think I will look for this book as well. We need specific attack strategies for this type of language issue.

 

 

Word problem maps are akin to a mathematical graphical organizer. They are used to help the student identify relevent variables and the operations needed to solve the problem. There is a list of cue words that indicate what operation should be used.

 

Sousa gave one example of the graphical organizer (pg 194) but it wasn't in depth, so I wouldn't recommend a book purchase over this one issue. Sousa cited the authors Gagnon & Maccini, 2001 as the developers of the concept. The specific reference follows:

 

Gagnon, J., & Maccini, P. (2001) Preparing students with disabilities for algebra. Teaching Exceptional Children, 34, 8-15.

 

 

I'm off to look this up...

[FairProspects]

Word problem maps are akin to a mathematical graphical organizer. They are used to help the student identify relevent variables and the operations needed to solve the problem. There is a list of cue words that indicate what operation should be used.

 

Sousa gave one example of the graphical organizer (pg 194) but it wasn't in depth, so I wouldn't recommend a book purchase over this one issue. Sousa cited the authors Gagnon & Maccini, 2001 as the developers of the concept. The specific reference follows:

 

Gagnon, J., & Maccini, P. (2001) Preparing students with disabilities for algebra. Teaching Exceptional Children, 34, 8-15.

 

 

I'm off to look this up...

 

It's a journal article. Here you go. You do have to have institutional access or purchase it, but at least the article can be purchased separately.

 

ETA: Meh, I'm not sure the article is worth it. It is very basic draw type stuff and anyone doing BA, MM, or bar diagrams will have better diagrams than they model.

Edited August 11, 2012 by FairProspects

[Heathermomster]

It's a journal article. Here you go. You do have to have institutional access or purchase it, but at least the article can be purchased separately.

 

ETA: Meh, I'm not sure the article is worth it. It is very basic draw type stuff and anyone doing BA, MM, or bar diagrams will have better diagrams than they model.

 

Yes, the graphic organizers look dry...Teaching the student to recognize the cue words to indicate mathematical operation seems to be the most beneficial, no matter how the student chooses to model it. I'm not looking at the article. I found it here. Can you tell if the math cue words are listed?

 

Here's the RIDD citation..

Jackson, F. B., (2002, May). Crossing content. A strategy for students with learning disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 37, 279-282.

 

We use RIDD, but my son's problems veer more towards order of operation issues. RIDD might not be so helpful for your child's issues..

[FairProspects]

Yes, the graphic organizers look dry...Teaching the student to recognize the cue words to indicate mathematical operation seems to be the most beneficial, no matter how the student chooses to model it. I'm not looking at the article. I found it here. Can you tell if the math cue words are listed?

 

Here's the RIDD citation..

Jackson, F. B., (2002, May). Crossing content. A strategy for students with learning disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 37, 279-282.

 

We use RIDD, but my son's problems veer more towards order of operation issues. RIDD might not be so helpful for your child's issues..

 

No math cue words listed. Most of the article is really basic information on LDs in general, types of problems students might struggle with, how teachers should model thinking, etc. Very simple techniques that most of us homeschooler moms of LD kids are working way beyond. There are a couple of diagrams, but even ordinary c-rod work or MM diagrams blow their model away.

[SunnyDays]

Agreeing with others that while word problems are an important application of math skills, that doesn't mean CWP or nothing. We have one CWP book and may do a bit with it, but DS really likes the Zacarro books and the problems in MM are pretty good as well.

[courtney.byrum]

Another "fun" book of word problems for you - The Book of Perfectly Perilous Math. Each problem involves something completely absurd (like a zombie horde) that's going to kill you if you don't do math and figure out how to escape. There's a really step by step explanation of how to solve each one. Then it's followed by a math lab, but you could easily just do the problems without that bit. Some are kind of easy, but they are all multi-step problems.

 

Mostly just agreeing with others that the phrasing in the CWP is often... difficult for some kids and you should try other things too.

 

 

Thanks for the book recommendation!

[Heathermomster]

No math cue words listed. Most of the article is really basic information on LDs in general, types of problems students might struggle with, how teachers should model thinking, etc. Very simple techniques that most of us homeschooler moms of LD kids are working way beyond. There are a couple of diagrams, but even ordinary c-rod work or MM diagrams blow their model away.

 

To your original question, I've solved word problems in elementary school, algebra, geometry with proofs, physics, chemistry, and stats w/calculus.

 

Have you considered parsing the word problems? Highlight the math cue words to indicate the operation. Here's a link to math cue words. You could likely pick up an easier word problem booklet and write out the math cue words used in that particular booklet. Place the cue words on one side of an index card for one operation, say addition, with a big bold plus sign on the front. Let your child use the card. Maybe make cards for the other variables.

 

I think I like the word problem maps because it organizes math thinking, not the actual calculating with bar models or concrete manipulatives. The map is the pre-work and I would not expect a basic graphic organizer to be used as a substitution for the actual calculating. Good luck and please update us as you proceed.