Anonymous
Post 02/06/2013 10:33     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
Op here: everyone gets a check plus for turning in homework...I doubt the teacher even bothers to look at it since homework isn't graded and isn't factored into grades at all. Honestly, some parents have opted their kids out of homework since it doesn't matter.

Switching gears: what do parents think about the question that typically appears at the end of the math homework that asks a question like: what did doing x teach you about X (or, how did doing A and B help you understand AB?)...and then the kid is supposed to write a one or two sentence answer. My kid can't answer these questions on his own, and I don't blame him bc sometimes I can't either. Why can't they just teach math the way we learned it? It worked for me.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2013 10:01     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
OP, did you ever get feedback from the teacher on exactly what was required to answer this question? I'm just curious how it played out...
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2013 09:24     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
The question is asking the child to explain how exploring possible solutions to a challenge in geometry helps one learn what shapes and the area they use up are like- how different shapes relate to each other, what areas overlap, what is left behind, what angels one can create ect.
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2013 09:15     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
It sounds a philosophical question instead of a math problem, doesn't it?

Anonymous wrote:Testing solutions refers to the Thinking or Academic Success Skill that is currently being taught in 3rd grade (in all subjects). They relate those critical thinking skills to every content area. There is no "right" answer-he needs to explain how testing multiple solutions while doing his work is helping him to learn the current math content.

Curriculum 2.0 is all about the infusion of these skills into academic content. I like that a lot.

I work in MCPS and for the record to the OP and PPs, the previous curriculum did not provide homework either, that has always been up to the teachers to create based on their own students. There are lots of resources provided to teachers with this curriculum. It isn't scripted like the previous curriculum was, so there are less worksheets, but there are resources provided, so I disagree with the PPs.
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2013 09:13     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:New poster here. What PP was saying is that there's no ONE right answer. Many solutions to the same problem. Kids are meant to explore all the possible solutions.

2+2=4

but also ...

2+2=6-2
2+2=0+2
2+2=-4+8

By exploring them all rather than just looking for one right solution, kids learn more.


Ok, then that's a terribly designed question. The question should have been "how many ways can you think of to divide this square into 4 equal parts? Draw your solutions." Instead they have given a question that is essentially testing whether the child can comprehend and regurgitate jargon that is likely based on alignment to wording in some standard in the common core. That is not a useful skill. Exploring many ways to complete a given task or thinking of alternate solutions to a problem are useful skills. This is my problem with lots of the worksheets my DC brings home. The theoretical concept is sound. The execution of testing or getting the child to practice the concept is absolutely terrible. That's not a problem on the teaching end, it's a problem with the publishers.


I'm the PP you're responding to. I completely agree with almost everything you wrote: terribly designed question, a stupid test of jargon rather than math skill, a common problem, etc.

My only quibble is with your last sentence: I don't know who designed the question, so I'm unwilling to lay blame so quickly. IMHO, if the teacher designed the question, then she/he needs to learn to communicate more clearly. If the publisher designed the question, then BOTH are at fault: the publisher should have designed a better question, and the teacher should have fixed the poor wording before distributing to students, or at least explained what the publisher was trying to ask.
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2013 08:39     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
Anonymous wrote:New poster here. What PP was saying is that there's no ONE right answer. Many solutions to the same problem. Kids are meant to explore all the possible solutions.

2+2=4

but also ...

2+2=6-2
2+2=0+2
2+2=-4+8

By exploring them all rather than just looking for one right solution, kids learn more.


Ok, then that's a terribly designed question. The question should have been "how many ways can you think of to divide this square into 4 equal parts? Draw your solutions." Instead they have given a question that is essentially testing whether the child can comprehend and regurgitate jargon that is likely based on alignment to wording in some standard in the common core. That is not a useful skill. Exploring many ways to complete a given task or thinking of alternate solutions to a problem are useful skills. This is my problem with lots of the worksheets my DC brings home. The theoretical concept is sound. The execution of testing or getting the child to practice the concept is absolutely terrible. That's not a problem on the teaching end, it's a problem with the publishers.
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2013 07:00     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
New poster here. What PP was saying is that there's no ONE right answer. Many solutions to the same problem. Kids are meant to explore all the possible solutions.

2+2=4

but also ...

2+2=6-2
2+2=0+2
2+2=-4+8

By exploring them all rather than just looking for one right solution, kids learn more.
Anonymous
Post 01/11/2013 00:04     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
Anonymous wrote:Testing solutions refers to the Thinking or Academic Success Skill that is currently being taught in 3rd grade (in all subjects). They relate those critical thinking skills to every content area. There is no "right" answer-he needs to explain how testing multiple solutions while doing his work is helping him to learn the current math content.

Curriculum 2.0 is all about the infusion of these skills into academic content. I like that a lot.

I work in MCPS and for the record to the OP and PPs, the previous curriculum did not provide homework either, that has always been up to the teachers to create based on their own students. There are lots of resources provided to teachers with this curriculum. It isn't scripted like the previous curriculum was, so there are less worksheets, but there are resources provided, so I disagree with the PPs.


How the hell is there no "right" answer?

This is MATH. There is always a right answer.
Anonymous
Post 01/10/2013 21:29     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Testing solutions refers to the Thinking or Academic Success Skill that is currently being taught in 3rd grade (in all subjects). They relate those critical thinking skills to every content area. There is no "right" answer-he needs to explain how testing multiple solutions while doing his work is helping him to learn the current math content.

Curriculum 2.0 is all about the infusion of these skills into academic content. I like that a lot.

I work in MCPS and for the record to the OP and PPs, the previous curriculum did not provide homework either, that has always been up to the teachers to create based on their own students. There are lots of resources provided to teachers with this curriculum. It isn't scripted like the previous curriculum was, so there are less worksheets, but there are resources provided, so I disagree with the PPs.


Can you please restate the first paragraph in an understandable way?


Is that fancy speak for "problem solving" or "deductive reasoning"?
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2013 22:16     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
Anonymous wrote:Testing solutions refers to the Thinking or Academic Success Skill that is currently being taught in 3rd grade (in all subjects). They relate those critical thinking skills to every content area. There is no "right" answer-he needs to explain how testing multiple solutions while doing his work is helping him to learn the current math content.

Curriculum 2.0 is all about the infusion of these skills into academic content. I like that a lot.

I work in MCPS and for the record to the OP and PPs, the previous curriculum did not provide homework either, that has always been up to the teachers to create based on their own students. There are lots of resources provided to teachers with this curriculum. It isn't scripted like the previous curriculum was, so there are less worksheets, but there are resources provided, so I disagree with the PPs.


Can you please restate the first paragraph in an understandable way?
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2013 21:52     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
But the only question/activity was to divide the square into four equal parts. There was no mention of dividing it in more than one way. In fact, you had to draw lines to divide it, so you really only could have divided it one time.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2013 21:48     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
Anonymous wrote:But the only question on the worksheet was to divide a square into four equal parts. That was it. There were no follow up questions and there was no need to even write any sort of equation. Thus, there was no solution to test. Ridiculous homework.


There is more than one way to divide a square into four equal parts. A critical thinker could identify multiple ways to do so.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2013 20:54     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
I have a friend who homeschools, and she often sends around similar WTH questions from her son's home school curriculum (something she bought, not made up herself). It is not just 2.0. I think a lot of new math curricula ask screwy questions like that.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2013 20:51     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
But the only question on the worksheet was to divide a square into four equal parts. That was it. There were no follow up questions and there was no need to even write any sort of equation. Thus, there was no solution to test. Ridiculous homework.
Anonymous
Post 01/09/2013 20:13     Subject: WTH 3rd grade math!?!?
Doesn't testing solutions mean using the solution he got to test if he did the problem correctly? So, if he was told to separate it into 4 equal parts and label the fractions, but not told what the fraction would be (he had to know it was 1/4), he would add up 1/4 4 times to get 4/4=1 whole. That could show him that 6/6 and 8/8 are also ways to divide an area. But I don't really know for sure what is meant by equal area.