1st grade sheet is titled "Cloze [sic] the gap"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So wait, another huge communication error from MCPS? Who would have thought...

I am still figuring out why my 1st grader has to pull numbers from a basic addition problem and show 700 ways to do it. They wonder why parents think it is all nonsense. there are ZERO workbooks, textbooks, or communication from the teachers. So for me, this 2.0 sucks because I can't even explain to my 6yr old why she needs to do it this way. UGH!

My child's MCPS elementary school has an annual math curriculum night for the parents that is very helpful. If I were you, I would ask the principal for something like that at your child's school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, it's a teacher in-joke? I mean no one's teaching first graders education theory and the technique can be put to use without a label. Not the best place for a pun. Petty point, but still.

No, it's a common educational exercise, cleverly titled, and you didn't

A) catch the reference; or
B) bother to Google it, which would've saved you a post here.

But bitch about teachers, 'cause that's fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So wait, another huge communication error from MCPS? Who would have thought...

I am still figuring out why my 1st grader has to pull numbers from a basic addition problem and show 700 ways to do it. They wonder why parents think it is all nonsense. there are ZERO workbooks, textbooks, or communication from the teachers. So for me, this 2.0 sucks because I can't even explain to my 6yr old why she needs to do it this way. UGH!

They don't want you trying to explain it to your child because so many parents contradict the (better) methods used at school. Haven't you seen the belligerent Facebook posts/memes about Common Core from idiot parents who don't understand all they learned in the 70s and 80s were algorithms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, it's a teacher in-joke? I mean no one's teaching first graders education theory and the technique can be put to use without a label. Not the best place for a pun. Petty point, but still.

No, it's a common educational exercise, cleverly titled, and you didn't

A) catch the reference; or
B) bother to Google it, which would've saved you a post here.

But bitch about teachers, 'cause that's fun.

Not the OP but 1st graders already have enough difficulty trying to learn how to spell. It isn't the time to label the front of a worksheet incorrectly. Maybe in 3rd grade and above but the point being, 1st graders don't need the cleverly titled worksheets. It is confusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So wait, another huge communication error from MCPS? Who would have thought...

I am still figuring out why my 1st grader has to pull numbers from a basic addition problem and show 700 ways to do it. They wonder why parents think it is all nonsense. there are ZERO workbooks, textbooks, or communication from the teachers. So for me, this 2.0 sucks because I can't even explain to my 6yr old why she needs to do it this way. UGH!

My child's MCPS elementary school has an annual math curriculum night for the parents that is very helpful. If I were you, I would ask the principal for something like that at your child's school.

So one school has one night where some parents might be able to come out and that helps, what? 1-2% of the parents in the county to understand.

If there needs to be curriculum nights to explain things, I think it is a proven point that it is too confusing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So wait, another huge communication error from MCPS? Who would have thought...

I am still figuring out why my 1st grader has to pull numbers from a basic addition problem and show 700 ways to do it. They wonder why parents think it is all nonsense. there are ZERO workbooks, textbooks, or communication from the teachers. So for me, this 2.0 sucks because I can't even explain to my 6yr old why she needs to do it this way. UGH!

They don't want you trying to explain it to your child because so many parents contradict the (better) methods used at school. Haven't you seen the belligerent Facebook posts/memes about Common Core from idiot parents who don't understand all they learned in the 70s and 80s were algorithms?

Wait, so when your child doesn't understand something you tell them "sorry, I can't help you. Your teacher doesn't want me to." I am finally realizing why kids are failing PARCC and finals so bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So wait, another huge communication error from MCPS? Who would have thought...

I am still figuring out why my 1st grader has to pull numbers from a basic addition problem and show 700 ways to do it. They wonder why parents think it is all nonsense. there are ZERO workbooks, textbooks, or communication from the teachers. So for me, this 2.0 sucks because I can't even explain to my 6yr old why she needs to do it this way. UGH!

My child's MCPS elementary school has an annual math curriculum night for the parents that is very helpful. If I were you, I would ask the principal for something like that at your child's school.

So one school has one night where some parents might be able to come out and that helps, what? 1-2% of the parents in the county to understand.

If there needs to be curriculum nights to explain things, I think it is a proven point that it is too confusing.

I am the PP you are responding to. I hope that my child's elementary school is not the only elementary school in MCPS to have a curriculum night. I would be very surprised if that were the case.

Also, I don't think that the standard for a curriculum should be, "Don't do anything unless all parents are immediately able to comprehend it without having been in class or knowing anything about the curriculum."

Do you want to learn about the math curriculum? If so, there are plenty of resources, in addition to a curriculum night. If you just want to complain about it, well, you're all set for that without any further effort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So wait, another huge communication error from MCPS? Who would have thought...

I am still figuring out why my 1st grader has to pull numbers from a basic addition problem and show 700 ways to do it. They wonder why parents think it is all nonsense. there are ZERO workbooks, textbooks, or communication from the teachers. So for me, this 2.0 sucks because I can't even explain to my 6yr old why she needs to do it this way. UGH!

They don't want you trying to explain it to your child because so many parents contradict the (better) methods used at school. Haven't you seen the belligerent Facebook posts/memes about Common Core from idiot parents who don't understand all they learned in the 70s and 80s were algorithms?

Wait, so when your child doesn't understand something you tell them "sorry, I can't help you. Your teacher doesn't want me to." I am finally realizing why kids are failing PARCC and finals so bad.

But they're not.

Look, I'm sorry you don't get it. But it's not about you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So wait, another huge communication error from MCPS? Who would have thought...

I am still figuring out why my 1st grader has to pull numbers from a basic addition problem and show 700 ways to do it. They wonder why parents think it is all nonsense. there are ZERO workbooks, textbooks, or communication from the teachers. So for me, this 2.0 sucks because I can't even explain to my 6yr old why she needs to do it this way. UGH!

There are a ton of adults in this country who have abysmal math skills. They did fine memorizing basic addition/multiplication, but as things build conceptually they begin to have difficulty. Making a child perform the same basic addition problem different ways ensures that they understand conceptually what the problem and the answer means. Your child will be better for it come time for algebra and calculus.

-Phsycicist whose parents were making her do this long before it was required

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So wait, another huge communication error from MCPS? Who would have thought...

I am still figuring out why my 1st grader has to pull numbers from a basic addition problem and show 700 ways to do it. They wonder why parents think it is all nonsense. there are ZERO workbooks, textbooks, or communication from the teachers. So for me, this 2.0 sucks because I can't even explain to my 6yr old why she needs to do it this way. UGH!

They don't want you trying to explain it to your child because so many parents contradict the (better) methods used at school. Haven't you seen the belligerent Facebook posts/memes about Common Core from idiot parents who don't understand all they learned in the 70s and 80s were algorithms?

Not PP. I was taught in the 70s/80s and I majored in math. I bitch about CC because of the trash that's showing up in the MCPS HS courses as they roll out and I do it to support my daughter's teachers who have all told me they don't know why this is happening. Yes, some not all of my son's ES teachers have been on board but they aren't seeing the consequences. I don't waist my time on Facebook but there is plenty to be concerned about in the MCPS math curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP again. I'm also not blaming MCPS for using these worksheets. I'm blaming the person/company who developed them for not using good judgement in being cute with the heading.

I blame MCPS. If you are trying to teach 1st graders how to spell, don't give them a worksheet with CLOSE spelled wrong. That is how 6/7yr olds will see it unless it is explained to them and even then it would go over half their heads.

Cloze is for comprehension, not spelling (see the dictionary.com link above)

Here are 62 examples of worksheets!
http://api.ning.com/files/zkGb0X42pMQC5IXyx9bpjZ2PgifIgEUrLVZot6DYaeQatgaocSrMwrsLvJuJPQDcovnVuQNDr4YFlVuXBgeKM8Ma8Wi6RJa0/ClozetheGap.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm not a teacher. I'm a parent. I'm just annoyed as FUCK at all these other parents who carry on like they know more than the teachers, second-guessing them at every turn. You should see the hysteria over Common Core math. All these ignorant parents upset and taking to social media to profess outrage over the fact that aren't teaching math the way they were taught, not realizing that in fact they didn't really learn anything about number sense.

The arrogance is palpable.

To judge from DCUM, MCPS is full of people who believe that

1. it's just fine to ignore the MCPS ethics policy on gifts at Christmas, to show appreciation for the professionals who teach their children
2. they know more about teaching than those same professionals, based on their advanced degrees (not in teaching) from fancy-pants institutions and their having themselves been in elementary/middle/high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Come on, people. “Cloze” has been used for years in education. When you do cloze activities, you fill in words that make sense that are missing in sentences.
It was a play on words that was obviously missed by you all.

http://study.com/academy/lesson/cloze-procedure-technique-and-definition.html

I've never heard of it and my youngest is currently in 2nd grade. So maybe it has been "used for years" but that certainly doesn't mean that every parent has heard the term. There's no need to be a dick about it.

But it's interesting to see how OP reacted, jumping to the conclusion that it was a misspelling. Parents jump to the same conclusions about the way they teach math now. All these parents, thinking they know better than trained teachers, challenging them at every turn, prattling on about Pearson, etc. Like parents are education experts or something. It's truly baffling.

Sorry, but after my kid's school sent home a flyer that stated "Calling all Dad's!" and receiving emails from her teacher with similar misspellings, I'm prone to think they are typos. Not impressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, it's a teacher in-joke? I mean no one's teaching first graders education theory and the technique can be put to use without a label. Not the best place for a pun. Petty point, but still.

No, it's a common educational exercise, cleverly titled, and you didn't

A) catch the reference; or
B) bother to Google it, which would've saved you a post here.

But bitch about teachers, 'cause that's fun.

Agree with the former PP. First graders won't understand the pun and instead will think that the word "close" is spelled with a "z." I'm a teacher, too, FWIW.

[Anonymous]

The title is meant to be a play on words that parents should understand. Even before I became a teacher, I knew what a cloze activity was. Now there is Google so.....