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1. Titus says:

   November 20, 2011 at 3:39 am

   My son does have difficulty with math particularly word problems. He is 8 and in the 3rd grade, in jerperdy of being held over next year if he does’nt do well on his reading and math test this year. I am not looking for a quick fix but something that will boost his skill and confidence in tackling math word problems. Thank you.
2. admin says:

   November 26, 2011 at 2:16 pm

   Make up simple addition or subtraction word problems using numbers below 10, eg
   Max has 9 marbles. 3 rolled down the drain. How many is he left with?
   You’ll need to provide your son with manipulatives to use to represent each problem.
   There are two reasons for using them:
   1. Kids who struggle with maths problems need to see them and make them. It’s too abstract for them otherwise. You should model this by doing it for them at first. When they’ve had enough practice using manipulatives themselves and truly understand what’s going on, (and can deal with numbers over 20), you’ll see that they no longer need them for easy problems like the one in the example. They will still need them for more complex problems, even if the problems involve small numbers,
   eg Max has 9 marbles. Some rolled down the drain. He has 5 left. How many rolled down the drain?
   2. They need to learn to recognise the whole amount and the two parts in an addition or subtraction problem. It’s easy to introduce and talk about these when you have objects in front of you that you can both see and touch.
   Kids can often calculate the answer to problems in their heads if the numbers are small, BUT not be able to tell you what the whole amount is, or what the two parts are.
   Say ” Show me the whole amount in this problem.” (In the first example above, the answer is 9 marbles and the child should point to them all and be able to tell you what the whole amount represents in the story, eg “These are the marbles he had to start with.”)
   Say ” Show me one part in this problem.” (In the same example, one part would be 3 marbles and the child should be able to point to them and tell you what this part represents in the story, ie “These are the marbles that rolled down the drain.”
   Say ” Show me the other part in this problem.” (In the same example, the other part would be 6 marbles and the child should be able to point to them and tell you what this part represents in the story, eg “These are the marbles that he was left with.”

   Why is it important to recognise the whole amount and the two parts?
   Because when they start working with larger numbers (and can no longer visualise the situation in their heads), and when the language becomes less simple and clear cut, they need to recognise what the whole amount and the two parts are so they can figure out what they need to do to work out the answer. This is a skill that must be learned with small numbers first, and it is of the utmost importance for interpreting word problems.

   A word about manipulatives:
   A child who is REALLY struggling should use manipulatives that match the objects in the problem. For example, if the story is about marbles, they should use marbles. If they understand that things in problems can be represented with other things (like popsticks, counters, straws etc), they are at a higher level and you can provide them with basically any manipulatives.