Aaack! My 4th grader is struggling so much with word problems. We're using a combination of K-12 math and some resources I've patched together from online and his 3rd grade math book. He gets so upset over them; it's one reason we've not done much with them this year at all. He's a little behind on math, but these are just basic money and 3 & 4-digit addition/subtraction problems. He can do straight equations like that easily. He does great with ordinary reading comprehension, but for some reason, when he reads word problems it's like he doesn't "get" what they're trying to say. We've tried getting him to read the problem slowly, reading it with him, give hints at key words, etc. The first lesson in this word problem unit involved teaching the child how to read the problem carefully and eliminate unnecessary information. He did well with that (once he chilled out well enough to think about what he was doing). I can't figure out why he gets so upset over word problems. It's frustrating for ALL of us. He's always hated them, even when he was in school. I thought perhaps he just needed a break from them, so we took a long break...nearly a year! And I thought this was a gentle way to transition back into doing them, but it's such a daily battle. You can see, he's usually done with school by 3, but it's after 5 p.m. and he's STILL trying to do ten simple problems (with DH's coaching). He just went stomping out of the room. Hoo boy. Help? Anyone? (edited to add that we're not enrolled in the official K-12 program...we are just using the books I inherited from a friend)
re word them in a way he will relate For my boys that would be star wars people or candy bars or sports. Use names he knows instead of the ones in the book. draw pictures
Your topic line caught my eye. Your student may find word problems the way I did...and the way many do.... too much information and so not efficient. I aced my way thru high school and college and I remember times where I would just simply skip word problems...wouldn't even subject myself to them. Of course, getting everything else correct on the tests caused me to still have an A. I'm saying this just to ease your mind. With my daughter we take a black marker to word problems... I have her draw a line thru the bs - sorry, don't know what else to call it, and then what's left is the actual problem. Then it's simple to work.
I like Amy's suggestion about the fake money and using things your kids can relate to. In fact, you can try it out casually. When he can figure it out maybe then he will begin to get the confidence to do word problems. Word problems are putting math into action. In fact, we learn math facts so we can figure out word problems or real life math problems. Maybe have him measure the dining room or kitchen. Or use real items to work out the word problems. Cooking is a great way to introduce math put into action. Kids are not taught math as if it were a language...so they get confused when seen in written form. They also tend to forget math terms. Maybe a week or so on math vocab. Or have him explain to you in words or in written form what say...2X2 means and what it equals. Have him use sentences to read off word problems and answers. Math is about communication also and has a vocab of it's own. For some, asking them to come up with the product of five trucks and six cars is like asking them to come up with the akfldjsfklsdf of jdklfsj trucks and djakdlj cars. LOL. I know that was a silly example but I hope it made the point. My dd sees in math so getting her to do equations was the tough part. Everything for her was applying math.
I was doing that this morning - dd11 doesn't handle word problems very well, so I turned them all into problems involving golden retrievers (her current obsession) and while she still had some trouble sorting them out, they became interesting (and a bit ridiculous at one point when we had golden retriever moms that had given birth to over 60 pups each. Made her laugh though. :lol: )
Jeannie's math-Houghton Mifflin- has three strategies for solving word problems. Make a model, draw a picture, act it out. This usually helps her, and she's quick to get the unifix cubes out.
I taught Ems to do them the way my teacher taught me. We underline all the important words, circle numbers, and cross out what is not necessary until all that is left are numbers and the words that tell you whether the problem is addition, subtraction, and so on. Now she can do them without crossing anything out.
I feel for you - really I do. My dd11 (6th grade) is horrible at word problems. She hates them and if she sees one she doesn't even give it a chance. She automatically can't do it. Or so she thinks. It is a constant, every day struggle with her about this. We are trying and it is trying on my patience. One day at a time.
This sounds like a great method to me, and one that would work for us if we were having this problem. (We were last year, but aren't any more. I didn't do it, something just clicked I guess.) But it's not quite as funny this way as "take a black marker to all the bs." :lol: :lol:
Patty's method sounds awesome! Cutting out all the junk and getting right down to what you need to solve the problem may really help your son out.
Thanks for all the advice, y'all...it is truly appreciated! The math problems are from the K-12 curriculum. There is a teacher's guide and we went through all the steps with him. Maybe it is a matter of it clicking at some point. I LOL'd at the "mark out all the BS" comment, and passed it along to DH since he's the one who usually handles the math. It's a good idea to also relate it to something he likes. Today's problems were about planting vegetable seeds. Trust me, the child doesn't give a rat's hiney about cucumber seeds! :lol: Don't know what I'd do without y'all...it helps to know he's not the only one struggling with this.
We are just starting word problems but I got this in an email and thought it was pretty good/informative. http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/problem_solving.php
One more thing. Maybe introduce some logic problems. They require a lot of the same skills and if your child can hone those skills in one area then the word problems might comes a little easier.
My son struggles with word problems, too. Know what? My Algebra I teacher skipped the whole unit on word problems, because he hated them. Anyway, I teach my son to write down the important facts to separate them from the junk in the problem.
As a kid I hated word problems, I had a problem with anything that had words and numbers together lol. But as I began teaching to my kids I told them it was a story. So we read the story then figure out what the mystery is, or solve the problem. I sit with them and read it for them, or have them read it out loud, writing down the numbers and what they are on the side of the problem, and acting like I am taking notes... to remember. It helps to sort out the needs, and for them to see its numbers they are looking for and at. The words are just the relish on a hotdog. So help them to seperate the word from the numbers at the side as they read... Kim had 3 cookies, Johnny had five , Beth had two, Joseph and Julie showed up and wanted cookies too. HOw can they divide this evenly? I would have them write, #3 #5 and #2 at the side as we read it. THen "lets see how many they have together" Then ds is always good at automatically dividing with out thinking so the next step was always easy, but you get the idea ?
TMom, that's the way I did it for myself when I was young. I LOVE stories, that's how I learn/remember things best! So they weren't that hard for me if I read it with that attitude!
