Math -- Not allowed to carry numbers in 2nd grade
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Anonymous
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I have a 2nd grader and they're not allowed to carry numbers in math. I'm baffled why that's not allowed.
I think part of the reason is to make sure they understand ones, tens, hundreds. But it seems to make the procedures so much more complicated. For example, if the problem is 45+57, they don't start on the right and add 5+7 and then 4+5, carrying the 1. They do 40+50, then 5+7, then 90 +12. But supposed to do it in their head, which isn't going to work as the problems get more complex. And my other child is taught to draw boxes and dots to represent the ones, tens and hundreds. One problem could take 5 minutes. Does this change in higher grades? Are other schools not allowing kids to carry and add and subtract starting from the right? Thanks |
Anonymous
| I think this is the "new math." I actually do it the way they are teaching in my head now, but I taught myself to do that instinctively (as I am sure many of us did) and learnes the carrying method in school. It's good to do be able to have a method to do in my head, but if I needed to be accurate I would do it on paper and carry the digits. Maybe it is good to learn to do it in your head first? I dunno. |
Anonymous
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Bang your head against the wall several times and you will see the light. 
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Anonymous
| Yes, of course it will change. This is the way they learn it so they truly understand what "carrying the one" actually does mathematically, instead of just learning the rote process. Be patient- they will end up doing it exactly the way you do. My mental math has gotten a lot better/faster as I've learned the strategies they are teaching kids these days. |
Anonymous
| Seriously, for those of you new to it: they are doing an incredible job teaching math these days. My kids are faster and have deeper understanding than we ever did, but they way they got there is very different. And now I can look back and see the beauty and brilliance of it all. |
Anonymous
+1. I couldn't believe it either OP. But yes, they will eventually teach them the "right" way to do addition and subtraction and I think your DC will benefit from this in the long run. |
Anonymous
| I disagree, my kids don't have a firm grasp of arithmetic skills and I have had to supplement a ton. |
Anonymous
My kid is starting K in the fall and on the school tour, everyone was discussing the widely attended math boot camp that the school holds for parents. You aren't alone, OP, but this PP is correct:
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Anonymous
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Other posters are correct. They teach them the concept before teaching the algorithm. People who are strong in mental math actually add left to right.
The word “carry” hasn’t been used for years. My kids are both out of college. They call it “regrouping.” And, that makes more sense. They aren’t really “carrying” anything. They are taking a 10 and regrouping it with the other tens. Don’t worry, OP. Your child will be introduced to the algorithm. It just isn’t the first way they learn how to add with regrouping. |
Anonymous
My daughter is in 5th and it has really slowed down their math learning. They spend so much time on simple math and then try to quickly move on once they get in 3rd and realize from standardized test, they need more. For kids that aren't good in math, it helps. For most kids though, that know numbers, adding etc... by kindergarten, it is 3 years of monotony that isn't showing up to higher test scores. Why do you think they are getting rid of final exams and rounding up grades? Math is taught to the lowest common denominator. |
Anonymous
| This is how my dad taught me to do math when I didn't have paper and pen handy. I never did the writing out dots and shit. |
Anonymous
| They're trying to get the kids to understand the underlying concepts before applying more rote/abstract methods. I think the new style of teaching math is strange to get used to, difficult for parents to grasp in order to help their kids with homework, but fairly good at teaching real number sense. |
Anonymous
| Yes. Once the kids show that they "get" the new concepts they move onto more traditional math. |
Anonymous
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It's a crock of shit and will ruin many kids for math. |
Anonymous
I guess you say this because it is not the way you were taught. But, it actually does help kids understand what they are doing when they are adding. I am likely older than you, and when I was taught math in elementary it didn’t make sense to me. So, I would come home and my dad would “reteach” me - my dad, who had his masters in physics. He actually taught me to add left to right. Doing this helped me understand the algorithm. A good teacher knows how to help kids understand what they are doing. |