I must admit I have a problem with word problems. Yes they are real life but it seems like a strange place to start. My son had a sheet of four fraction problems the other day. The first three problems (word problems) he got fine despite there being words in them we don't use in NZ. The fourth was basically what is 6 as a fraction of 24. Easy if you know your 4 times table but ds6 got so lost is all the excess verbiage and unfamiliar words he put 4/6 as in 4 people 6 things each. Yes it was a valid and useful problem (you have 24 things and each person needs 6 how many can you serve) but why not teach it after multiplication is taught. The are starting multiplication with problems like 3+3+3=. Eventually they will say that is also 3*3. I think we will learn times tables over the christmas/summer break.