Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no rush. I teach 4th grade math. I could not care less if your kindergartner knows all 4 operations and can carry the one. All my students come to me knowing how to do this. What they struggle with is place value and problem solving. Things they should have been working on since kindergarten. I'm left banging my head against the wall. Let your kindergartners play with numbers by counting. Just let them explore manipulatives. They should not even know what the operations look like at that age.

Can you give some examples of things parents or teachers should do to improve these areas? What kind of manipulatives do you mean? (I'm not a teacher, obviously.)

Different teacher here, but an example:get a group of 10 pennies and ask your child how many ways she can make two groups (looking for 1+9, 2+8, 3+7). Still 10 pennies even though she is moving them into groups.

I love the Cuisenaire rods for this also. (I am not a teacher.) They are also good for part/whole.

Another teacher here. Decomposing and composing numbers are a great way to build number sense. I used paper plates in my classroom so students could visually see and manipulate the two groups. 10 frames are another good tool - use them for building numbers and instantly recognizing/computing numbers. For example students can recognize 1 filled 10 frame as 10 and count up on a second 10 frame to 20 (or even instantly recognize up to 20).

It's also important to expose them to the vocabulary - parts, whole, how many in all, etc. When using two digit numbers and 10 frames, unifix cubes, or base 10 blocks you can begin to point out ones and tens.

DP here. Great suggestions. This is how kids learn to love math--just playing with numbers and having fun with counting is a great start. This is the trouble with the CC standards. Too much emphasis on the standard and the testing for it. Much more important to just develop experience with them. LIke the fourth grade teacher said--she would rather have them have great number sense. You don't develop that with pencil and paper.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no rush. I teach 4th grade math. I could not care less if your kindergartner knows all 4 operations and can carry the one. All my students come to me knowing how to do this. What they struggle with is place value and problem solving. Things they should have been working on since kindergarten. I'm left banging my head against the wall. Let your kindergartners play with numbers by counting. Just let them explore manipulatives. They should not even know what the operations look like at that age.

Can you give some examples of things parents or teachers should do to improve these areas? What kind of manipulatives do you mean? (I'm not a teacher, obviously.)

Different teacher here, but an example:get a group of 10 pennies and ask your child how many ways she can make two groups (looking for 1+9, 2+8, 3+7). Still 10 pennies even though she is moving them into groups.

Another teacher here. Decomposing and composing numbers are a great way to build number sense. I used paper plates in my classroom so students could visually see and manipulate the two groups. 10 frames are another good tool - use them for building numbers and instantly recognizing/computing numbers. For example students can recognize 1 filled 10 frame as 10 and count up on a second 10 frame to 20 (or even instantly recognize up to 20).

It's also important to expose them to the vocabulary - parts, whole, how many in all, etc. When using two digit numbers and 10 frames, unifix cubes, or base 10 blocks you can begin to point out ones and tens.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no rush. I teach 4th grade math. I could not care less if your kindergartner knows all 4 operations and can carry the one. All my students come to me knowing how to do this. What they struggle with is place value and problem solving. Things they should have been working on since kindergarten. I'm left banging my head against the wall. Let your kindergartners play with numbers by counting. Just let them explore manipulatives. They should not even know what the operations look like at that age.

Can you give some examples of things parents or teachers should do to improve these areas? What kind of manipulatives do you mean? (I'm not a teacher, obviously.)

Different teacher here, but an example:get a group of 10 pennies and ask your child how many ways she can make two groups (looking for 1+9, 2+8, 3+7). Still 10 pennies even though she is moving them into groups.

Anonymous wrote:There is no rush. I teach 4th grade math. I could not care less if your kindergartner knows all 4 operations and can carry the one. All my students come to me knowing how to do this. What they struggle with is place value and problem solving. Things they should have been working on since kindergarten. I'm left banging my head against the wall. Let your kindergartners play with numbers by counting. Just let them explore manipulatives. They should not even know what the operations look like at that age.

Can you give some examples of things parents or teachers should do to improve these areas? What kind of manipulatives do you mean? (I'm not a teacher, obviously.)

Anonymous wrote:There is no rush. I teach 4th grade math. I could not care less if your kindergartner knows all 4 operations and can carry the one. All my students come to me knowing how to do this. What they struggle with is place value and problem solving. Things they should have been working on since kindergarten. I'm left banging my head against the wall. Let your kindergartners play with numbers by counting. Just let them explore manipulatives. They should not even know what the operations look like at that age.

?

They shouldn't know? None of them should know?

DC follows the Common Core standards, and the Common Core math standards for kindergarten include the following for operations:

CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.1
Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings1, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions, or equations.

CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.2
Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, e.g., by using objects or drawings to represent the problem.

CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.3
Decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more than one way, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record each decomposition by a drawing or equation (e.g., 5 = 2 + 3 and 5 = 4 + 1).

CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.4
For any number from 1 to 9, find the number that makes 10 when added to the given number, e.g., by using objects or drawings, and record the answer with a drawing or equation.

CCSS.Math.Content.K.OA.A.5
Fluently add and subtract within 5.

There is no rush. I teach 4th grade math. I could not care less if your kindergartner knows all 4 operations and can carry the one. All my students come to me knowing how to do this. What they struggle with is place value and problem solving. Things they should have been working on since kindergarten. I'm left banging my head against the wall. Let your kindergartners play with numbers by counting. Just let them explore manipulatives. They should not even know what the operations look like at that age.

There is a rush if the child starts to dislike math because of the absence of challenge. Sometimes teachers do not know how to make math interesting and challenging. Singapore math does challenge learners, but the Singapore math applied in most school districts is not differentiated enough. This from my experience with my older child.

So talk to the teacher, OP, and see what you both can come up with. One of my younger children is a math-lover, and is currently in a Montessori Kindergarten where she's learning the four operations. I might be in your shoes next year...

My dd did Singapore math (math in focus) in kindergarten. It was the same thing. I think for good reason. It builds a foundation. It ramps up in second grade. There is no rush.

Anonymous wrote:My DS is smart but not off the chart gifted. Looking through his go math workbook, it looks like he's going to spend the whole year counting. He loves math and is disappointed not to have more challenging/interesting work. Is that other people's experience?

He doesn't know how to read so I'm not worried about him being bored in general, just math.

No, he won't. Or at least he shouldn't. Here are the things he should be able to do by the end of kindergarten in math.

http://www.corestandards.org/Math/Content/K/introduction/

Montessori math is open ended and by far the best math program out there.

DCPS follows Common Core, right? You could try Singapore math books. I got it from amazon. I don't know if they have K level, but they do have 1st grade level.

Anonymous wrote:What school district?

DCPS, wotp

What school district?

My DS is smart but not off the chart gifted. Looking through his go math workbook, it looks like he's going to spend the whole year counting. He loves math and is disappointed not to have more challenging/interesting work. Is that other people's experience?

He doesn't know how to read so I'm not worried about him being bored in general, just math.