I have been so impressed recently with my third graders ability to solve word problems! I think it is surprising just how much they really can do! She surprised even herself when she did them. She did get somewhere that "these are hard." She sometimes doesn't read the whole problem. But I think that is because she thinks she is smart enough not to.
I have been on her about reading the whole problem lately and I think it is sinking in!
I think that word problems are a great way to figure out if a child knows the material all the way or just the short cuts! It is very clear to me that she understands the material when she can figure out these "missing number" word problems without having had any algebra or any advanced math classes. Many times she hasn't even been taught the math to DO the word problem, (long-division, decimals, mixed fractions) but she can figure the answer out anyway!
I wonder if NOT teacher her these "short cuts" in math yet is actually making her a stronger math student. She has to thoroughly understand every part of the problem and use problem soving skills to find that answers, rather than writing down 98654/3...and soving that. It really IS amazing!
I gave her the Sexton Math placement test to see which level workbook I should buy for the summer. She got 100 percent on 4th and 5th grade Math! I did, however had to tell her that the 'z' stood for the entire top number in the addition problem and not just the number that would have been in the one's place...That was funny to me!
She and I were AMAZED that she could do that much math without ever having been "taught it!"
As I said before, I wonder if "teaching" math processes...like long division and multiplication, mixed fraction solving...too early is taking away from the overall understanding and problem solving skill that are so important for solving word problems...
Any thought?
