Math Kangaroo for an average student?

[momma2three]

On a whim, I signed DD (1st grade) up for Math Kangaroo.  She likes math, and the testing center is at her co-op, and it was only $20, and I thought it seemed nice to introduce her to Scantron sheets in a familiar place where there are no stakes.  I kind of previewed a sample, and it mostly looked like the kind of logic problems she likes to do.

 

Then I googled more sample questions at the 1st grade level, and… yeesh.  Multiplication, division, order of operations, fractions?  I think she's pretty quick at 1st grade math, but none of these topics are things she's been taught, or will be taught this year.

 

Should I just back out of the test, and let someone else have the spot?  I don't want her to take it and decide that she's bad at math because she can't answer something that I didn't see until middle school.  Should I try to teach her this stuff?  Should I prep her at all?  Just explain to her that it will be hard, and she should do her best, and let the chips fall where they may?  I don't really want to devote the year to Math Kangaroo prep, but at the same time it seems kind of mean to send her in to an activity that she's not prepared for… setting her up to fail, basically.

 

Anyone else with totally ordinary, at-grade-level, kids have them do Math Kangaroo?  Any thoughts?  Am I TOTALLY over-thinking this?

[Arcadia]

 

Then I googled more sample questions at the 1st grade level, and… yeesh.  Multiplication, division, order of operations, fractions?  I think she's pretty quick at 1st grade math, but none of these topics are things she's been taught, or will be taught this year.

 

I didn't see  Multiplication, division, order of operations in the sample questions.

These are the pages I looked at

http://www.mathkangaroo.org/2010page/kangur/PastQuestions/Samples_page.htm

http://www.mathkangaroo.org/mk/sample_questions.html

The Canada page sample for 1st grade

http://kangaroo.math.ca/samples/2013/2013gr0102e.pdf

More Canada kangaroo samples

http://kangaroo.math.ca/index.php?kn_mod=samples&year=NO

 

[Dmmetler]

I'd let her try it. Getting the t-shirt and the toy kangaroo is fun, as is being part of the group. I would tell her that this is a very, very hard test (true) and most students aren't going to know how to do all the questions (also true), so go, have fun, and do your best. Honestly, MK is different enough from grade level math that strong math students aren't going to be in much better shape, and a student who is good at visual problems may well do better than one who is more advanced grade-level wise.

 

The scores don't come for quite awhile, and you can simply not share them with her if they're discouraging-realistically, it's hard to even get a ribbon in MK, no matter HOW advanced you are.

 

 

[momma2three]

I didn't see  Multiplication, division, order of operations in the sample questions.

These are the pages I looked at

http://www.mathkangaroo.org/2010page/kangur/PastQuestions/Samples_page.htm

http://www.mathkangaroo.org/mk/sample_questions.html

The Canada page sample for 1st grade

http://kangaroo.math.ca/samples/2013/2013gr0102e.pdf

More Canada kangaroo samples

http://kangaroo.math.ca/index.php?kn_mod=samples&year=NO

 

That's what I looked at before signing her up, and then when I Googled I found this one: 

http://www.mathkangaroo.org/2010page/kangur/PastQuestions/2010Level1-2.pdf

 

which has questions like: 

11. Which of the operations below makes the largest odd number?

A) 3×1+2×4 B) 3×(1+2×4) C) 3×(1+2)×4 D) (3×1+2)×4 

 

and

 

21. Adam went on a walk through the woods and found a mushroom after every 40 steps that he made. We know that one of Adam’s steps is half a yard long, and that he found a total of 20 mushrooms. How many yards did Adam walk from where he found the first mushroom to where he found the last mushroom?

A) 380 B) 360 C) 340 D) 400 

 

I don't want to underestimate my 6 year old, because I think she's very bright and all that… but I really think those questions are waaaay above where she is now.

[Lilaclady]

The 1st grade questions are actually 1st and 2nd combined but 1st graders are graded with other first graders. I don't think you should spend the year prepping just for math kangaroo. Let her go and do it, there usually are not a lot of kids in the first and second grades doing it. My dd did last yr and she won something (can't remember) which was surprising because she is not a strong math student unlike her sis.

I think the experience should be valuable for her- getting to text in a group setting, getting the tshirt and the prize. And at is age, it is better for her to realize early that she may not get all the questions on the test correct. Better now than in high school or college.

[Arcadia]

 

That's what I looked at before signing her up, and then when I Googled I found this one: 

http://www.mathkangaroo.org/2010page/kangur/PastQuestions/2010Level1-2.pdf

.....

 

I don't want to underestimate my 6 year old, because I think she's very bright and all that… but I really think those questions are waaaay above where she is now.

Maybe teach her that it is okay to skip/throw some questions so that she can get the rest correct and maximize her scores?

 

Either way it would be fun for her and my kids would have love to just get the toy kangaroo but all our nearby centers are full.

She would have to "check" her Scanton color the bubbles though. My older forgot to color a bubble for his state testing the first year he took it. The invigilator told him that he miss a question when he handed in the script.

[momma2three]

I hadn't realized that there was a t-shirt AND a toy.  Well, now I'm sold… she'll love that.  She loves things like that.  LOL.

[daijobu]

 I don't think you should spend the year prepping just for math kangaroo. 

 

I think reviewing old MK tests is a great supplement to whatever regular math curriculum you are using.  Every once in a while, take a break from your regular math curriculum to do something fun: an old MK test.  She'll learn something new and different and will be a nice break from her usual work.