Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Bringing in challenge math problems to class?

Just now reading the replies to this (sorry!)...

I'll just leave it alone. We're already afterschooling DS 2-3 grades ahead at home, so I'm not sure what I was trying to accomplish. Seems like a total waste to just watch the kids sit there bored, but I don't want to risk upsetting the teacher/school by doing too much.

Sorry if I sound defeated. This whole interacting with the school thing feels more complicated than it should be.

I did successfully teach a lesson for Hour of Code on coding to the class, during math time, which was designed to naturally allow the advanced kids to move at their own pace. It was a huge success and the teacher asked if I could come back and do another activity. So at least there is some minor success story to report there! I got to teach recursion to a K student that is always way ahead in math -- that was awesome.

Glad the hour of code was a success. Now that the teacher knows you do good work maybe you can show her some material for enrichment math time. Don't be too discourage just do talk with the teacher and do it strategically.

LOL to the K understanding recursion. In my first formal programming class back in college the professor spent an entire class session on recursion. I got it in the first 5 minutes and remember sitting through the rest of the class wondering why he was belaboring the subject and didn't move on to something more interesting. And after class a surprising number of students were still confused about the topic. It was when I first realized I might make a good programmer.

I wonder if something like Life of Fred would be workable in your situation, here -- since it's written like a story, but with math problems at the end of every chapter, and it doesn't at ALL look like worksheets so it won't appear to be mimicking "real math lessons".

fwiw I started a challenge math program for the whole school at our elementary. They get a new sheet every other week and kids get the chance to have their name drawn for a prize if they finish the sheet, so if it was our school, I'd get the teacher's permission to go over the week's math challenge sheet with the kids who finish.