anyone else have a 4th grader in MCPS who can't quickly rattle off multiplication facts?

[Anonymous]

19:18 poster here. I agree about common sense math being gone. That is why I feel that as a responsible parent, I need to make sure that my kids have a good understanding of the basic math so that when they proceed to higher level math, they would be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This can easily be drilled at home.

This. We took the responsibility for making sure that our son knew his multiplication facts. And his teacher stressed that he needed to have them memorized to be successful in fourth grade math.

[Anonymous]

I am in the FCPS area, with an AAP DD and a GenEd DD in a top elementary school. We're at the best public ES in the county they say, but I find that we still do lots of extra math at home, either to better explain something or to actually practice and memorize something (like the times tables). Car rides are great for doing times tables, and you can't see them if they give you annoying looks about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My second grader knows her multiplication table up to 11 right now. I do feel that math is no longer a priority in MCPS. I have been really disappointed. So I've been the one to teach her.

Math is still a priority at the schools. Memorization at the expense of understanding the relationship between the numbers, however, is not a priority. Would you rather the schools no longer focus on the relationship between numbers and letting the kids develop good number sense but be able to rattle off the times tables super quickly without understanding the concept?

I have 2 kids that went thru MCPS and my observation is that they teach basic addition and then move on to algebra, lol. Not really but they push nonsense in 1-3rd instead of the basics. They barely spend time on math facts, money, word problems, percentages, fractions. Things the kids really need. My daughter went accelerated and is currently in honors algebra in 7th. She STILL sucks at basic math. They pushed her right thru it. It is like common sense math is all gone these days.

That is what C2.0 is trying to correct - not accelerating the children willy nilly but making sure they have the basics down solid. It may be different from how you and I learned math but that doesn't necessarily make it wrong.

My 2nd grade daughter started her math unit on money this week so I know at least one MCPS school is teaching money. She had to do a quasi multiplication problem as part of the homework. She did rattle off the answer because she had her multiplication facts memorized? No. But was she able to relatively quickly come up with the answer because she understood the relationship between the numbers and was able to reason what the answer should be? Yep - and as a parent, that was pretty neat to see.

Memorization will come in time. In the mean time, I am going to enjoy watching my daughter have a much better number sense than I did at that age (even thought I was able to rattle off facts much more quickly).

[Anonymous]

They don't spend time memorizing in school like we did. You have to do the flashcards at home. I only wish they would stress this to parents. I am doing them with my 3rd grader now because I know it won't be done at school. It's no big deal but it does need to be made clear to parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are multiplication facts? I don't think I can either.

They used to be called "times tables."

And they were effective. My DH (Engineer) learned his tables in 2 languages. AND also knew fraction tables - 1/4, 1/2/, 2/3... and some more. It is weird to hear him rattle them out though. Hindi.

[Anonymous]

Memorization will come in time. In the mean time, I am going to enjoy watching my daughter have a much better number sense than I did at that age (even thought I was able to rattle off facts much more quickly).



But just understand that memorizing the multiplication facts will not happen at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They don't spend time memorizing in school like we did. You have to do the flashcards at home. I only wish they would stress this to parents. I am doing them with my 3rd grader now because I know it won't be done at school. It's no big deal but it does need to be made clear to parents.

I'm 50 and learned multiplication at home. I remember long hours with the flash cards. I remember doing having some quizzes in school but not any memorizing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Memorization will come in time. In the mean time, I am going to enjoy watching my daughter have a much better number sense than I did at that age (even thought I was able to rattle off facts much more quickly).

But just understand that memorizing the multiplication facts will not happen at school.
Oh, I have no problem teaching my child the multiplication facts at home. I can do that. What I can't do is easily teach my child number sense. That is better left to the schools and I'll focus on the memorization part.

[Anonymous]

Every child memorizes facts at different rates. I feel it is the teacher's job to give them the understanding (which 2.0 does), but fact follow-up has to be at home. This is the same as when I was a kid. I remember doing flash cards every night and each time I was in the car.

[Anonymous]

Regardless of whether or not they can do these basic fact either quickly or slowly, kids are continually being asked esoteric questions like WHY is 8 more than 7 and why is 1/4 plus 1/4 equal to half. The focus on why rather than the basics of math is going to be proven to be a fools errand in the end. It won't actually lead to better "number sense" (to use the latest MCPS buzz word). In fact, I have yet to have my DD's teacher be able to articulate a good, elementary school aged appropriate answer to any of these WHY questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They don't spend time memorizing in school like we did. You have to do the flashcards at home. I only wish they would stress this to parents. I am doing them with my 3rd grader now because I know it won't be done at school. It's no big deal but it does need to be made clear to parents.

I'm 50 and learned multiplication at home. I remember long hours with the flash cards. I remember doing having some quizzes in school but not any memorizing.

I'm almost 50 and have a post graduate degree in a STEM field. Before helping my daughter with her times tables I could not easily rattle them off; I never really mastered them in school. Did elementary at a highly regarded Fairfax school.

[Anonymous]

I am in a STEM field and still pause with my 6's, 7's and 8's.

[Anonymous]

I am 39 and drilled math facts at home to solidly learn them. Under the old MCPS curriculum fact memorization was not stressed. You had to do it at home. Now they do timed tests and there is much more emphasis on basic facts. My 4th grade daughter now has all her facts memorized through the 12s with a small amount of drilling at home, mainly in the 3rd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Regardless of whether or not they can do these basic fact either quickly or slowly, kids are continually being asked esoteric questions like WHY is 8 more than 7 and why is 1/4 plus 1/4 equal to half. The focus on why rather than the basics of math is going to be proven to be a fools errand in the end. It won't actually lead to better "number sense" (to use the latest MCPS buzz word). In fact, I have yet to have my DD's teacher be able to articulate a good, elementary school aged appropriate answer to any of these WHY questions.

I agree