Mamas, my dd has been struggling the past couple of years in Math; I'm concerned. She is definitely more of my right brain child-she dances, sings, crafts, draws etc. She got ALL those genes!
However, with this Core curriculum stuff being taught in elementary school with Math...she is getting far too behind and the school said they can't test her till closer to next Spring-Not good! We've tried helping her at home as much as possible. Now, we have 14 yr old brother playing her tutor as well some of the time.
So, I'm looking for suggestions, websites, tutoring etc. suggestions that have helped YOU to help your children.
If you have "creative" ways to explain math, I know that would help her. Math is just black/white and there some creativeness but not much. I just feel like I've ran out of ideas and she is falling farther and farther behind...
MAMAS-I feel like you are all my support group. Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions. I am going to put them to use-especially being more consistent on KahnAcademy. My hubby set up a username and password for my dd. Thanks for the suggestions on the testing, CA Mama! I will look more into our states laws, for sure. I was a bit appalled of what my sweet daughters grade was at Parent Teacher Conference and then the "resource" person telling me they couldn't test her until closer to next Spring...REALLY? Don't feel so confident of our educational system when these things happen. Now I know that I'm no alone with all the changes that have occurred in the past couple of years. I know Math is crucially important and I'm a concerned parent for sure.
Khanacademy.org is a GREAT site............ even for adults I might add. it's free , has tutorial examples via youtube, you'll love it..
good luck
ETA - we too use the KhanAcademy for our 8th grader. Helps him A LOT. My younger one? Not so much!
We hired one of our school's teacher to tutor my son who was struggling with subjects. It helped immensely. We did the school tutor because with the "new" way they are teaching things - the kids get the answer(s) counted as WRONG if you do it any other way....so we hired someone who is teaching it to help one-on-one...
I would NOT have my other child tutoring his/her sibling...it can lead to trouble with bad comments in the future...that's my opinion!!
KhanAcademy.org
The author originally set up a set of videos for his 5th grade (i believe) niece when she was struggling with math. The site now covers an amazing range of topics, but the math help is first rate. It is completely free and easy to understand.
www.khanacademy.org
It is free.
Even Bill Gates is a fan of this site.
For any age.
My daughter struggled in Math in 5th grade too.
By this grade, they NEED to know, their Math Facts, very well. ie: multiplication especially, because this applies to many of their math problems, per algebra and fractions etc. that they are learning.
If a kid does not know, their Math facts well, they will struggle.
AND they also need to know, the application of it, per word problems and which... operation they need to then, solve the word problem equation.
I cannot stress this enough.
She needs to PRACTICE, and yes, at home. Too.
Via workbooks or per websites.
All the resources are helpful... but the bottom line is, that a kid really needs to be automatic, in knowing their Math facts. If not, then any other complex math problems, will not be comprehended by them or they will make mistakes.
Math is multifaceted.
With my daughter, we practiced math facts at home, with her, daily.
AND also did word problems with her.
Which her Teacher also recommended.
Math at this grade/age, is not just straightforward and it includes many varying operations to solve it. But, so again, if a kid knows their Math facts well, and HOW to APPLY it, then that helps a lot.
It will then, make sense, to the kid.
In this grade, the student NEEDS to know, their basic math facts and operations, instinctively. And how to do it.
ie: if your child cannot do division of simple digits, then you need to practice with her, and this also entails multiplication etc.
KNOWING the basic math operations, is also very important.
They also need to understand word problems... and per each cue word, then knowing WHICH math operation to apply, to solve it. For example.
My daughter is now in 6th grade.
And she is stronger in Math now.
When my daughter was in 5th grade, they HAD to show... their work and HOW they got their answer. If they just put the answer down, it was marked 'wrong.'
The process... of solving the math equations, are just as important.
Hence, if a student has math facts just memorized, but does not know... how to DO it and show their work... they are not understanding the PROCESS of doing it or the reasons.
There is a great site called learnzillion.com. It has short tutorials. I used it with my 5th and 5th grade students. It is free, but I can't remember if you have to register. If you do, it really IS free. No scams.
Mathplayground.com has fun games to reinforce skills. And don't dismiss the "logic" games. They build improtant thinking skills, too.
Factmonster.com works with basic facts if she is struggling there. My students like the flashcard pages. You can do different levels.
Sometimes studyjams.com has some good math tutorials. I like them best for science, but the math is o.k.
KAHNacademy is well liked, as well, but I haven't really used it. Not sure, but it may be for older kids.
If you have a specific concept she is struggling with, feel free to private message me. I would love to help! :) Good luck!
Talk to your school guidance counselor to find out what teachers are currently tutoring.
If you go the tutoring route via the school, then your child is taught the same way the school teaches and will not get grades deducted for not solving problems/showing work the way the school teaches. A lot of offsite tutor companies can teach but it's important that you child is taught according to the school curriculum.
We do Kumon - it is a supplemental math program that teaches good old fashioned math. The schools are using a different style than when I was a child and frankly, the kids really skip over the basic stuff and move on to new things before they really learn the old. American kids' test score are going down in math because of all of this.
My dd is the fastest and most accurate with her math facts in her class (5th grade). There are some things they do in school where they have to draw things and write out things in long form to show they "understand" the concept behind the math...most of the students struggle with some of that, but in the long run, having the basics under their belt is what is important in elementary school (i.e. mulitplication, division, all aspects of fractions, decimals, percents, etc.). I'm so glad we do a supplemental program...there are things the school has totally skipped over that Kumon spent months on.
I just wanted to comment about the school not testing her until next Spring. Check your state's Education Code. In CA, if you request testing IN WRITING, they HAVE to test the child within 60 days.
If her brother is able to help her, that helps him too - reinforces what he already knows. And he was probably taught the same method. My GD's teacher hates the new math curriculum and actually lets some of the students who understand it better than she does teach it. She is also of the opinion that the problems don't have to be solved in any particular way as long as they get the right answer and they have a way of doing the calculations.
Go to Kahn academy and watch the videos. They are excellent. We're struggling with the same thing in 6th grade.
I view math as a foreign language. You have to be emersed in it (especially R brainers) to fully grasp the concept/s.
My daughter is also your typical R brainer (minus the coordination). When it comes to Math, she tends to have a preconceived notion that she will get lost in the process. Her head will be so preoccupied with that assumption that it makes it harder to learn. So I came up with a suggestion to treat a new mathematical concept like a new movie that she has not seen a preview of, or heard heard about from anyone, anywhere. In short, I want a blank canvas of a learning brain.
Practice daily. Even and especially the basics. It is essential to know that 7x8= 56 without having to line eight 7s in a row. Let's face it, all test are timed. If it's hard for a kid to work out have her use a friendly number 8x5 =40 + 16(8x2) =56. Also realize that the basics are foundations for higher math. Knowing multiples for example, some may think it's tedious and unnecessary but it is actually necessary for figuring out LCDs when multiplying fractions with different denominators.
Teach math in a way where she understands what it means. Don't just label numerators as the number on top and denominators as the number in the bottom but actually know what it means to be one and the other. Denominator= number of equal parts the whole is divided into. Numerator= number of shares of the equal parts in use.
Not sure what is 5th grade math. Mine is are 4th and 2nd. My 4th grader is the one who abhors math. She has done well because of daily practice. Her grade did drop when we stopped practicing. I have to get creative with my little one as well as she is a special needs child.
I really want to help if I can. PM me and give me an idea of what concepts she's struggling with. Maybe I can stir you you to more appropriate resources.
As far as websites, here's my favorite http://commoncoresheets.com/Drills.php
Go to Khan Academy online. It's free, and an excellent resource to help kids understand challenging math concepts. We have used it several times when I'm having trouble getting through to my kids on a math concept.
My daughter uses iXL math. It's an app on the ipad and it has all different levels, my 3rd and 1st grade boys use it as well.
Sometimes our 5th grader will help her brothers because she knows the material. But if it even starts to get snippy, we nip it in the bud and they stop.
