Math Resources – Page 12

Word Problem Wednesday – Pears and Oranges

June 21, 2017 by Cassy Turner 2 Comments

Summer’s here, but you’re missing your math? Don’t despair – we’ve got you covered. Check the site each week for one whopper of a word problem that’s sure to challenge!

This week’s problem comes from Challenging Problems in Primary Schools – Intermediate by Dr Y H Leong, published in 2004 by SNP Panpac Pte Ltd.( Intermediate is for students in Primary 4 and 5.)

3 pears and 4 oranges cost $3.80. If 1 pear and 1 orange together cost $1.10, find the cost of 1 pear.

Submit your solutions and we’ll post all interesting strategies next week.

Last week’s problem and solution:
Gavin has 356 cards. He has 286 more cards than Howie. How many cards must Gavin give to Howie so that they both have the same number of cards?

How did you do?

Filed Under: Math Resources, Singapore Math Problems, Word Problem Wednesday Tagged With: Singapore Math word problems, Word Problem

Throwback Thursday! Successful implementation: Buying books is just the first step

June 15, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

Over the summer, we thought it would be fun to run some of the most popular posts from the past. When I re-read a post from the past I always take away something different because I am in a different place with my own experience. Perhaps you are as well!

Successful implementation: Buying books is just the first step

Originally published 12/17/2010

Schools considering Singapore Math programs in their schools frequently ask me what the biggest challenges are when adopting the curriculum. Let me give you an example from a third-grade classroom I visited recently.

The math period started with a mad math minute type of activity of either addition or subtraction, depending on where the students were working. For the lessons on multiplication and division by 8’s and 9’s, the teacher chose to list the tables from 8 x 2 through 9 x 9 on the whiteboard and have the students copy them down, like this:

Next, the teacher had the students make flash cards and quiz each other. Finally, in a class of 27, they played around the world. The game where two students compete against each other to see who can get the answer to the problem on the flash card faster.

The lesson in the textbook does include some multiplication charts. The textbook was open on the teacher’s desk and she did refer to it at least once during the lesson:

Primary Mathematics 3A Textbook, U.S. Edition:

Notice how the textbook draws out a student’s prior knowledge to show the patterns behind the computation?

The 3A Teacher’s Guide includes a more comprehensive lesson based on a deeper understanding of the number 8 and it’s multiples. I couldn’t find the Teacher’s Guide in the room.

(Click to enlarge)

Can you see the difference in the depth of a student’s understanding after the Primary Mathematics lesson?

Note that the subsequent three lessons are:

Multiplying a 2 or 3 digit number by 8.
Dividing a 2 or 3 digit number by 8.
Word problems that require multiplying and dividing by 8.

The sequence of lessons follows the same pattern for the number 9.

When I asked the teacher about the lesson, she essentially said, “Well, I didn’t think to look at the teacher’s guide. I’ve always taught this way.” She’s new to the school and only had about 2 hours of training.

Back to the original question. One of the biggest challenges for schools adopting the Singapore Math curriculum is the need for adequate training. If teachers don’t understand what makes Singapore different or if they lack content knowledge, they’ll continue to teach the way they always have. Effective training will give teachers an understanding of Singapore Math’s philosophy and approach and leave them with confidence in their ability to teach it.

Buying the curriculum is the first step. Successful schools invest in content-based training.

Filed Under: Implementing Singapore Math, Math Resources Tagged With: conceptual understanding, Singapore Math curriculum, tales from the classroom

Word Problem Wednesday – Gavin and Howie

June 14, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

Summer’s here, but you’re missing your math? Don’t despair – we’ve got you covered. Check the site each week for one whopper of a word problem that’s sure to challenge!

This week’s problem comes from New Syllabus Mathematics Strategies Primary 3 by Yee Fook Shiong, published in 2007 by Educational Publishing House Pte Ltd.

Gavin has 356 cards. He has 286 more cards than Howie. How many cards must Gavin give to Howie so that they both have the same number of cards?

Submit your solutions and we’ll post all interesting strategies next week.

Filed Under: Math Resources, Singapore Math Problems, Word Problem Wednesday Tagged With: Model Method, Singapore Math word problems, Word Problem Wednesday

Word Problems and Bar Models from Literature

June 7, 2017 by Cassy Turner Leave a Comment

I’ve enjoyed Denise Gaskin’s Let’s Play Math blog since at least 2007! I shared her site when the problems for Mr. Popper’s Penguins were first published.

She has a new book of word problems tied to literature: Word Problems from Literature: An Introduction to Bar Model Diagram

I immediately bought a copy for my Kindle (a steal at only $3.99).

Here’s a sample from the chapter entitled Moving Toward Algebra: Challenge Problems:

Denise provides step-by-step solutions with bar models. Here’s just a teaser of the solution to Han Solo’s problem:

This looks to be a great resource for some motivating and just darn fun problems.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Math Resources, Singapore Math Problems Tagged With: Model Method, Word Problem

Take a Moment to Pause and Reflect

May 18, 2017 by Beth Curran Leave a Comment

The last few weeks of school can be a challenging time. You might find yourself rushing to finish projects, complete curriculum and bring closure to the school year. In the midst of all of this end-of-year frenzy, many will ask students to pause and think about all they have accomplished and what they still have to learn, as a means of self-reflection.

Shouldn’t we ask the same of ourselves? Wherever you may be in your Singapore Math journey, reflection can be a valuable tool for continuing to improve your practice.

As you wrap up the year, take a moment to reflect on the following.

Celebrate the successes.

Maybe a particular lesson or unit stands out to you as one in which your students made the most progress or you felt the most confident with your instruction. Maybe you were able to reach that struggling student by approaching the concept in a different way or for the first time in recent years, your students enjoyed math. At the close of one of my lessons, I recall a fourth-grade student asking me if all our math classes could be like this one. Her comment caused me to pause and think about what we had done that she found so engaging and fun and I made a point to model more lessons in that way.

Think about how what you did made a difference and plan to do more of that in the upcoming year.

Acknowledge the struggles.

Recognize the areas within your instruction that were a challenge for you. Maybe your students really struggled with a particular concept or maybe you left a lesson feeling like you needed a do-over. Now is the time to pinpoint those stumbling blocks and think about what support you might need to improve your instruction in those areas. It was my first year teaching a Singapore Math curriculum. With hesitation, I approached a lesson on problem-solving using the bar model. It was a complete flop. Reflecting on it, I realized I hadn’t allowed myself enough time to practice with the bar model and develop the confidence I needed to answer student’s questions on the fly. So, I made a plan to practice bar modeling with Thinking Blocks over the summer. (Thinking Blocks is one of our favorite tools for model drawing. Find an interactive desktop version at MathPlayground.com and four iPad apps on the iTunes store.)

Accepting your struggles and using them as a means to grow professionally, will strengthen your instruction and ultimately, improve your practice.

Set a goal for next year.

Did you try something new this year that you would like to incorporate in more of your lessons? Is there an area within the content that you would like to improve your understanding and confidence? Do you have an idea about how to approach a concept differently? Take a moment to imagine what you want the year ahead to look like and set a goal to make it happen.

As you pack up your room and head off into summer bliss, know that you will return to the new school year with an awareness of all that you gained by reflecting on your practice.