Anonymous wrote:Help! First time MCPS parent here. DD has been bringing home graded math work from school, and I can’t tell whether she is mastering any of the concepts. Sometimes she will get a P when there are multiple wrong answers, and sometimes there’s an N, and it’s clear she wasn’t sure what to do. I think some of it has to do with the way she needs to show her work. DD knows how to add and subtract, but showing it in the various diagrams and such gets her all confused. The number of worksheets for 1st grade seems kind of staggering, and I think there is a level of overwhelm there. Is anyone else going through something similar? I have reached out to her teacher for any suggestions, but also would love to hear from parents of 2nd or 3rd graders… or anyone currently noticing the same thing. Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest reviewing the homework helpers and then overseeing the homework. It has helped my DD do much better.

+1000. The Homework Helpers in the Succeed books are often the only way for those of us who did not grow up with multi-strategy math to assist our students.

And yes, OP, multi-strategy math persists at least until algebra. My oldest finally got to algebra this year and it has been a relief. DC is doing much better without the overwhelming input of so many different ways to describe mathematical relationships. I think DC never made the imaginative leap of seeing all of these strategies as multiple representations of the same phenomena. I wonder how many kids really do, and how much that matters later on!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can, teach them how to read a clock both analog and digital.

This please!
signed by a middle school teacher

Wait .... middle schoolers can't read a clock??

Nope. I am reminded of this every day when I am asked to sign a hall pass.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest reviewing the homework helpers and then overseeing the homework. It has helped my DD do much better.

+1000. The Homework Helpers in the Succeed books are often the only way for those of us who did not grow up with multi-strategy math to assist our students.

And yes, OP, multi-strategy math persists at least until algebra. My oldest finally got to algebra this year and it has been a relief. DC is doing much better without the overwhelming input of so many different ways to describe mathematical relationships. I think DC never made the imaginative leap of seeing all of these strategies as multiple representations of the same phenomena. I wonder how many kids really do, and how much that matters later on!

+1 do you not have a homework book, OP? Watch your child do a page and that will show you if she gets it or is struggling.

What do you mean by "overwhelm" with worksheets done in school - would you rather they be on screens? I think all the "show your work" and sending it home to parents is great, and I appreciate the teacher time spent grading.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can, teach them how to read a clock both analog and digital.

This please!
signed by a middle school teacher

Wait .... middle schoolers can't read a clock??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest reviewing the homework helpers and then overseeing the homework. It has helped my DD do much better.

+1000. The Homework Helpers in the Succeed books are often the only way for those of us who did not grow up with multi-strategy math to assist our students.

And yes, OP, multi-strategy math persists at least until algebra. My oldest finally got to algebra this year and it has been a relief. DC is doing much better without the overwhelming input of so many different ways to describe mathematical relationships. I think DC never made the imaginative leap of seeing all of these strategies as multiple representations of the same phenomena. I wonder how many kids really do, and how much that matters later on!

Anonymous wrote:And facts. My kids couldn't calculate for years because they didn't drill multiplication tables hard enough.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you can, teach them how to read a clock both analog and digital.

This please!
signed by a middle school teacher