Community Chat

[Burnsite]

My sister is a middle-school math teacher at a private school. Both her kids went on to scholarships. She is excited about the common core, which incorporates a lot of what she has been doing for years. She is a world class teacher. (Of course I am prejudiced, but she has won awards and lots of hugs from students for her teaching.)

[Marienkaefer2]

This thread got me thinking.

Yesterday I was helping a 5th grader add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators. The way she was doing it puzzled me...not the way I learned.

So I googled and now I get it!

I need to do this for all the math levels. I'm not a math expert, but I do have to help kids with homework.

Thanks for helping me to think about this...o/p and others!

[MomOf4]

On 4/19/2014 Marienkaefer2 said:

This thread got me thinking.

Yesterday I was helping a 5th grader add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators. The way she was doing it puzzled me...not the way I learned.

So I googled and now I get it!

I need to do this for all the math levels. I'm not a math expert, but I do have to help kids with homework.

Thanks for helping me to think about this...o/p and others!

Wow Marien, what a great post!!

[scotttie]

Common core is still controversial. Some states are dropping it.

[Marienkaefer2]

Mom Of4,

Seriously, if you hadn't started the other thread today, it wouldn't have occurred to me to think about this. Also, several people posted about googling these math concepts. Now I've found some great websites to help me. Also so the kids won't look at me weird.

You'd think I would have thought about doing that...duh! Lol...But your thread turned the lightbulb on.

So you never know how you can inspire someone when you post a topic....

[Buck-i-Nana]

On 4/19/2014 dooBdoo said:

I didn't save my response on the other thread, but here's the math teacher's article again:

About That ‘Common Core’ Math Problem Making the Rounds on Facebook…

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/03/07/about-that-common-core-math-problem-making-...

I'm fine with most of what was in that article, BUT, his explanation of making change? Say WHAT? Maybe somebody needs to sit him down and show him how to logically and in real life give change.

[Allegheny]

On 4/19/2014 kdgn said:

It really is important that parents understand what Common Core is and isn't. Common Core makes complete sense. Some of the problems that are rising are from misunderstandings and some of the available adopted texts. The texts are supposed to align with the Standards but how they get there can be questionable.

It's not like when whole language was taught and phonics went out the window. I taught whole language for all of two days in kindergarten. I spoke with my principal, told him this wasn't going to work, that I wished to incorporate phonics back into the program. I was told as long as I kept the teacher's manual on my desk, in plain sight, do what I thought was best. I did. It was soon shown that thinking exposure was going to teach, that if a child didn't grasp a concept in first grade they'd get it in second grade, didn't work. All that happened is that children in trouble got further behind.

Phonics is back, good and strong, as it should be. Other methods are included though because not all children are phonetic readers.

edited to change a word.

I have to relate a story. My younger brother is 56 years old. He is very intelligent guy. When he was in school he was not taught to read using the phonic system. What system they were using I do not know. It almost brings tears to my eyes listening to him read something out loud trying to pronounce an unfamiliar word.

[kdgn]

On 4/19/2014 scotttie said:

Common core is still controversial. Some states are dropping it.

And that is exactly what I don't understand? What is so wrong with having a set standard for what a child is supposed to learn at each grade level?

Understand, like most thinks, each district can make the standards for themselves a little harder but they aren't supposed to make them easier.

Common Core is the goal at the end of each year-

[scotttie]

On 4/19/2014 kdgn said:

On 4/19/2014 scotttie said:

Common core is still controversial. Some states are dropping it.

And that is exactly what I don't understand? What is so wrong with having a set standard for what a child is supposed to learn at each grade level?

Understand, like most thinks, each district can make the standards for themselves a little harder but they aren't supposed to make them easier.

Common Core is the goal at the end of each year-

All I know is they are dropping it. Haven't studied it thoroughly. My kids are out of school.

[NoelSeven]

On 4/19/2014 Allegheny said:

On 4/19/2014 kdgn said:

It really is important that parents understand what Common Core is and isn't. Common Core makes complete sense. Some of the problems that are rising are from misunderstandings and some of the available adopted texts. The texts are supposed to align with the Standards but how they get there can be questionable.

It's not like when whole language was taught and phonics went out the window. I taught whole language for all of two days in kindergarten. I spoke with my principal, told him this wasn't going to work, that I wished to incorporate phonics back into the program. I was told as long as I kept the teacher's manual on my desk, in plain sight, do what I thought was best. I did. It was soon shown that thinking exposure was going to teach, that if a child didn't grasp a concept in first grade they'd get it in second grade, didn't work. All that happened is that children in trouble got further behind.

Phonics is back, good and strong, as it should be. Other methods are included though because not all children are phonetic readers.

edited to change a word.

I have to relate a story. My younger brother is 56 years old. He is very intelligent guy. When he was in school he was not taught to read using the phonic system. What system they were using I do not know. It almost brings tears to my eyes listening to him read something out loud trying to pronounce an unfamiliar word.

Some schools used to teach whole word recognition here. It never made sense to me. My mother taught me how to read using phonics when I was four. I taught my daughter to read, also.