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Your child will bring home a variety of mathematics homework assignments throughout the grades.
Below you will find a description of a few of the types of assignments your child may bring home. All of
these examples come from the mathematics program Investigations in Number, Data and Space used
throughout Columbia Public Schools.
Games
From kindergarten through grade five your child will bring home games that will be assigned as
homework. The games they bring home have been played at school so your child should know how to
play the game. Most often the rules and directions for the game may come home as well. Games
should not only be motivating and challenging for your child, but they also contain important
mathematical ideas and help your child develop math skills. Games also provide an opportunity for
students to practice and hone their skills. As you play the games with your child, ask them occasionally
about what they notice and about their strategies for playing. Try to relax and have fun when you play
the game with your child. You may want to keep a journal of your child's strategy(ies) as they play the
game(s). You should find that their skills and knowledge about number should grow throughout the
year.
Problems to Solve
The problems that your child might have as homework generally will be similar to the problems that
they have been working on in class. Your child should have an idea about how to solve the problem(s).
However, if they seem to have forgotten, the best help you can provide is to ask some of the following
questions: "What does the problem ask you to do? What have you been working on in math class
today or this week or last week? Can you draw me a picture (illustration) of the problem you are trying
to solve?" You also need to listen carefully. You will probably need to listen to the method your child is
using several times. The teacher will be expecting your child to record and describe the strategy(s)
used to solve the problem. You should find yourself thinking, "wow" I never thought about solving the
problem that way, or even changing the numbers around to solve the problem mentally.
Tasks to Perform
Sometimes your child will be asked to do something such as collect data or take measurements at
home. Since we know that children learn best when they are involved in the learning process, we try to
use real data, data that they have gathered. Often the next day's class will depend on the data
collected. It may, for example, involve making a graph representing everyone's data.
Facts to Practice
Even though the mathematics your child brings home and the mathematics they are studying may
seem different from what you experienced in school, one thing has definitely not changed. That is the
need to know their number combinations (facts). So that your child can become competent in
estimation and computing both with paper and pencil and mentally, our goal is to help your child learn
their addition/subtraction number combinations through 10+10 by the end of second grade and their
multiplication/division combinations through 12 X 12 by the end of fourth grade. We will be working on
this at school, but most children will also need extra help at home. Your child will be assigned games
and given suggestions for learning these facts, your encouragement and assistance are important.
Remember, though, that this is a task that takes quite a while for many children; therefore, it will need
to be worked on over time.
When you child asks for help try some of the following questions or prompts:
· Where do you think you should start? (Then wait for an answer.)
· Can you (will you) explain your strategy to me? Convince me that your solution makes
sense. I really want to learn from you. (Your child strengthens his or her understanding by
verbalizing ideas while at the same time strengthens your understan ding of what they are
doing and how they are making sense of the mathematics. “How else could we solve this
problem? Is your answer reasonable?”
· Try having your own pencil when you are asked to help - don't let yourself get caught in
taking their pencil. . . that let's them know that you will go ahead and do the problem.
· Really listen to what they are saying. Repeat back to them what you hear. Ask them
questions about their strategies. Let them know you really are interested. If you listen
carefully, you may find some pretty interesting mathematical ideas being expressed by your
child. It's okay to try to use their strategy(ies). Don't be surprised however, that they may
not take to your strategy too easily. We are trying to have them do what make s sense.
· Most importantly if you and your child cannot complete the homework, please just send a
note to the teacher indicating that you've tried, but you and your child were not successful in
the homework assignment. Please include the things you tried, that helps the teacher know
where your child is operating within the mathematics.
The most difficult task you will have is to listen. You may find that you actually understand more of
the math than you think at first. You also may find that you'll lear n more math by working with your
child on the games and homework by reviewing your child's work on previous assignments.
Linda Coutts 555 Vandiver
K-5 Mathematics Coordinator Columbia, MO 65202
Columbia Public Schools (573) 214-3920 ext. "0"
lcoutts@columbia.k12.mo.us (573) 214-3911
Counting :
Beginning Addition:
· double counts
o 5 + 3 à counts out 5 and then counts out 3, counts all 8 to find the total
o sounds like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
· counts on
o 5 + 3 à counts out (or puts out) 5 and then counts on while adding the next 3
o sounds like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
*** as numbers get larger or out of a student's comfort level, most children will tend to revert back
to counting, often by ones.
Typical Progression of Number (facts) Relationships by the end of 2nd grade children should
know most of the number relationships à addition and subtraction facts
5 2 à 5 + 5 + 2 = 12
8+3=
2 1 à 8 + 2 + 1 = 11
27 37 44
3 14 à 27 + 3 + 14 = 44
Splitting numbers Adding from left to right Adding from right to left
317 317
317 + 317 = +317 317
600 14
20 20
600 20 14 +14 + 600
634 634
187 -139 =
+1 +40 +7
Multiplication
Arrays (rectangular) (3-5) a formation of objects in a rectangle. This method is also sometimes called
an area model of multiplication.
columns
Using known facts - one of the ways in which students begin to memorize their multiplicatio n
facts is to use what they already know to remember a new fact. The generally apply one of the
following properties of multiplication - commutative, associative or distributive.
Associative property: (3 X 2) X 5 = 3 X (2 X 5)
Distributive property: 4 X 7 = 4 ( 5 + 2) = (4 X 5) + (4 X 2)
In solving 16 X 25 a student might split the numbers into numbers that are easier to multiply and
then use the associative property of multiplication to regroup the factor s-
16 X 25
Using the distributive property the student might think (10X 25) + (6 X 25)
16 16 16
X 25 X 25 X 25
30 (6 X 5) 200 (20 X 10) 80 ( 5 X 6 + 5 X 10)
50 (5 X10) 120 (20 X 6) 32 (2 0X 6 + 2 0X 10)
120 (20 X 6) 50 (5 X 10) 400
+200 (20 X 10) +30 (5 X 6)
400 400
6X8
12 X 4
24 X 2
48 X 1
Students will often begin solving division problems by repeated subtraction or by dealing out to
each group until there are none left or aren't enough to distribute or using a multiplication fact.
111 111
111 111
385 ¸15
385
- 150 (10 X 15) 10 + 10 + 5 = 25 r 10
235
- 150 (10 X 15)
85
- 75 (5 X 15)
10
10
25 R10 or 25 /15 or 25 2/3
15 385
- 150 10 (10 x 15)
235
- 150 10 (10 x 15)
85
- 75 5 (5 x 15)
10 25