bttrflynthesky Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 (edited) My 5th grader struggles with word problems. What can i do to help her? We have been using CUBE . Circle Underline Box and Eliminate the information to try to understand what information she needs and what is being asked. But word problems are still hard for her. Edited June 23, 2019 by bttrflynthesky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Does she have a diagnosis or suspected disability? You'd like to know whether it's a language difficulty, math disability, working memory issue, or what. Where do you see the breakdown occurring? My ds has SLD math and ASD, so for him word problems are a challenge. I'm just starting the Wordy Wednesday here https://tangmath.com/products/subscription and have used and really really like the Evan Moor daily word problems https://www.evan-moor.com/p/20079/Evan-Moor-Daily-Word-Problems-Teacher’s-Edition-E-Book-Grade-5 I also look at Teacher Created Materials, Teacher Created Resources, Carson Dellosa, etc. when looking for materials. But the Evan Moor is great stuff. If you back it up, she can do a week each day. The newest editions are keyed to Common Core and will make sure she learns the language of math, learns how to break problems into steps with the structure, etc. What are you using for math now? What is working and what isn't? What do you think the problem is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflynthesky Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 37 minutes ago, PeterPan said: Does she have a diagnosis or suspected disability? You'd like to know whether it's a language difficulty, math disability, working memory issue, or what. Where do you see the breakdown occurring? My ds has SLD math and ASD, so for him word problems are a challenge. I'm just starting the Wordy Wednesday here https://tangmath.com/products/subscription and have used and really really like the Evan Moor daily word problems https://www.evan-moor.com/p/20079/Evan-Moor-Daily-Word-Problems-Teacher’s-Edition-E-Book-Grade-5 I also look at Teacher Created Materials, Teacher Created Resources, Carson Dellosa, etc. when looking for materials. But the Evan Moor is great stuff. If you back it up, she can do a week each day. The newest editions are keyed to Common Core and will make sure she learns the language of math, learns how to break problems into steps with the structure, etc. What are you using for math now? What is working and what isn't? What do you think the problem is? I think she's just struggling with figuring out what information to use and what she is supposed to do (ie. Divide, multiply) and she's also quick to just grab numbers and answer which may not be the right numbers in the problem. Patience is not her strong point and if its not immidiately aparent what she's to do she gets frustrated. She's very good at math though and excels with CLE. Which has been great for her. I just need to find her some tools to help her with her word problems. Maybe give her a plan. Because wth her other math everything has a step to follow and she does great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflynthesky Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 (edited) 49 minutes ago, PeterPan said: Does she have a diagnosis or suspected disability? You'd like to know whether it's a language difficulty, math disability, working memory issue, or what. Where do you see the breakdown occurring? My ds has SLD math and ASD, so for him word problems are a challenge. I'm just starting the Wordy Wednesday here https://tangmath.com/products/subscription and have used and really really like the Evan Moor daily word problems https://www.evan-moor.com/p/20079/Evan-Moor-Daily-Word-Problems-Teacher’s-Edition-E-Book-Grade-5 I also look at Teacher Created Materials, Teacher Created Resources, Carson Dellosa, etc. when looking for materials. But the Evan Moor is great stuff. If you back it up, she can do a week each day. The newest editions are keyed to Common Core and will make sure she learns the language of math, learns how to break problems into steps with the structure, etc. What are you using for math now? What is working and what isn't? What do you think the problem is? I also think she may not visualize the story. You know see the big picture. Edited June 23, 2019 by bttrflynthesky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 22 minutes ago, bttrflynthesky said: I think she's just struggling with figuring out what information to use and what she is supposed to do (ie. Divide, multiply) and she's also quick to just grab numbers and answer which may not be the right numbers in the problem. There's a workbook series for this. I'll try to find it. 22 minutes ago, bttrflynthesky said: Patience is not her strong point and if its not immidiately aparent what she's to do she gets frustrated. Do you ever wonder if she has ADHD? That would definitely make it harder, as her frustration tolerance would go down. You could do 5 minutes of mindfulness (slow down, pay attention to each body part, think about how you're breathing, etc.) before math. The brief mindfulness will bump her EF (executive function) and her ability to self-regulate. You could have a list of strategies you develop together for things she does when she's frustrated, and she could have a little shoebox with the tools and a list. Then you just point to the thing and have her take the break, coming back when she's calm. Stress balls from dollar tree, glitter wands, sequin pillow/stuffed animal/bracelet, fidgets, chewing gum, jump on a trampoline, go for a lap around the house, whatever. 24 minutes ago, bttrflynthesky said: I also think she may not visualize the story. You know see the big picture. Yes, making models is a big part of problem solving! Let me find that workbook. I didn't use it, but there's a whole series that breaks this down at the level you're wanting... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 https://www.carsondellosa.com/105011-eb--problem-solving-4-today-workbook-grade-3-ebook-105011-eb This could be good. https://www.teachercreated.com/products/word-problems-grade-3-3313 This might have been what I was thinking of. It has them marking their evidence, drawing diagrams, etc. They have it for gr 1-6, so you can find her starting place and move forward. Just keep looking, but that's how I find stuff, going through the publishers. I buy the ebook and print so I can hand him one page at a time or put them on a clipboard. Some of the books are inexpensive to buy too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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