math curriculum

[hpymomof3]

my ds is in 4th grade. He does well in math and is currently using Bob Jones 5th grade math. He does very well with the computation. He seems to pick up the concepts fast. For instance he did very well with learning fractions and is able to add, subtract, mult and divide with no problems.

His weakness is word problems. He has trouble figuring out how to set up the problem and which function to use.

I'm trying to find a supplement that would help him in this area.

[Lorna]

Sometimes word problems are more like comprehension problems. I remember reading in 'Home-schooling For Excellence' that they skipped these.
We do Singapore Maths and for some reason word problems have never been a difficulty here. I think they do a supplement with just word problems. In Singapore Maths word problems do seem to be treated as a skill in themselves and there are far fewer per page as their increased difficulty is recognised (even if the actual maths itself isn't tricky).
I would use drawings as much as possible. I find it is the only way to 'see' a problem. Everyone has their own personal way of seeing things. Singapore Maths uses 'bars' and compares their lengths, segmenting them to suit the problem. This covers most problems.

[hpymomof3]

Actually I was thinking about using Singapore math. We used it years ago for my oldest dd but I no longer have it. I just remember the upper levels 5B, etc. to be pretty tough. I also want to supplement so I don't want it to take too long. Maybe I will look into this though.

[Kathy in MD]

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His weakness is word problems. He has trouble figuring out how to set up the problem and which function to use.


language to the math language. There are certain words in word problems that tell you what math function to use. The only way I could learn how to do word problems was to memorize these key words. Lial's Basic College Math book has a list of these key words. You can buy a cheap copy or try to borrow a copy.

Singapore has a good program for teaching how to look at word problems and a novel way to solve complex programs with bar diagrams. But still some people just need to memorize those key words.

[Pongo]

I have this in my dd math book , it might help.
Key Words for Math (http://www.classbrain.com/artteensb/uploads/word_problem_hints.pdf)

[mcconnellboys]

I think Singapore word problems would be great for him!

Regena

[hpymomof3]

Which book do you think would be good for him. Is there one that focuses on word problems but that aren't overly challenging?

[mcconnellboys]

There are a bunch of titles out by Singapore now and I can't keep them all straight without looking at the page of a catalog as I talk about them. The "Challenging Word Problems" book is the only one I can think of that's entirely word problems. If you think that the fourth grade book might be too difficult or frustrating for him to start, then why not back up to the second or third grade level book to begin?

Regena

[swimnactmom]

We started homeschooling in 4th grade, but my son was already behind in math. We started with Singapore's 3rd grade curriculum. I think if you are beginning in this program, as a 3rd grader or higher, you need to start with the 3rd grade word problems. This is where you'll find the basics at a level that won't confuse you. It may be hard to understand the method they use for solving word problems if you start at a higher level. This difficulty may apply to not only your child, but to you. I believe that in order to get the full benefit of the Singapore method, you should do the entire program. I use the textbook and workbook and supplement those with Singapore's extra practice books, challenging word problems, and I find their intensive practice books to be quite enriching and challenging. Your child will get enough practice if you use all of those materials. The home instructor's guide is also needed.

[mcconnellboys]

There are some useful calculation methods taught in second grade, too, so you might even want to back up to there, but move through more quickly, perhaps doing 2/3 in one year.

Regena