Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Word Problems - grade 1, first grade
I LOVE the Evan Moor Daily Language Review for first grade so I thought that this would help my students in math. More specifically, word problems. Unfortunately, this book was a bit too hard to use. I was taking so much time explaining the questions and answers that I was teaching mini-lessons everyday for more than 20 minutes. One problem asked that if one animal was 1 1/2 feet tall, how tall was two? In my state, we go over simple fractions but don't really touch on how to add fractions until second grade. Other questions had them converting inches into feet. While these are good skills to know, I feel they asked them questions that were too hard to understand, too early. Daily Word Problems, Grade 1 Math
Our son (6.75 years) loves the daily word problems. He is redoing them this summer before 2nd grade because he requested that I get copies from his teacher. Despite his enthusiasm for doing these problems, he can only do half of them independently. To solve these problems, he needs frequent teacher/parent direction and uses an aid from Using Visual Grids for Solving Math Word Problems.
Because he loves these problems and they are challenging for him, I give the book 4 stars.
Because this workbook cannot be done independently by most first graders, I subtracted a star. It can still be done in a classroom. Our son was an emerging reader until April and jumped to third grade level in June. His teacher spent one-on-one time helping him do these problems all year. He loved it, but his teacher felt that it took too much of her time. I thought that since he is now a fluent reader and has had a lot more practice in mathematics that these problems would be easier. Some are easy for him, but many like the following are too challenging for him to set up by himself.
"A llama eats one bale of hay each week. How much hay will five llamas need for a three-week supply?"
"The baby squirrel needs to eat every two hours. How many times will it eat in 12 hours?"
"This chimp is four feet tall. When it puts its arms out to the sides, its reach is 1 and 1/2 times as long as it is tall. How wide is the chimp's arm span?"
This is more than just a grade level book. It goes beyond simple word problems introducing children to more complex thinking. There are plenty of repetitions of similar problems, so by the end of the book a child will master and sharpen his or her math skills. My son is 6 and I give him a page a day instead of only one problem a day. He is doing really well. And I'll buy more books from the series because I see how well it stimulates his brain.
I homeschool twin six year old boys. I started this book with one of my more math advanced sons. In the beginning the problems were great but the other reviews are correct the book requires parent set up on many of the math problems. Mathematical concepts such as multiplication and division are necessary. We use our math manipulatives from our other math program to visually set up the problem. One of my sons like it but he needs set up help with explanation of higher order math. It is a first grade book expecting some 3rd and 4th grade level math skills. The book is nice but I will not be using it for his twin brother it is way to advanced for him. If a child likes a challenge and the parent has time to work with them this is a great book. If you have a mathematically challenged fist grader this book would be too complicated as well as discouraging. There are way too many other books to supplement a mathematically challenged child that are more appropriate. I would recommend Mathematical Reasoning books from Critical Thinking Company for a good supplement.
My son is good with numbers, but lacks focus when it comes to word problems. He has trouble sorting out what is relevant and how to use the information. This book is a terrific way to reinforce what he is learning in school and help him master word problems.
The book is organized with five problem each week for 36 weeks. Each week has a theme - five problems about dolphins or alligators or some other creature. Children can do one problem each day to make learning about word problems a regular thing. The problems get tougher as the weeks go on and they encompass various methods from multiple choice, to graphs, or just counting. Most problems also ask for the child to write a number sentence which is a good way to single out the important numbers and how they relate. Each week also has some facts about the animals studied. An answer key is at the end of the book, although it does not contain the answers for the number sentences.
This is not the first "Daily" book I have from Evan-Moor. I have been very pleased with their program.
I used this book with my older daughter 3 years ago when she was in first grade. She really enjoyed solving the problems in this book. There were a few problems she needed help with, but that's expected in any workbook. The drawings were nice, and the layout is kid-friendly. There is space to work out the problems.
Now that my younger daughter is ready for this material, I am back to reorder another one and decided to write this review. This workbook is probably not suitable for a child who is struggling with word problems, but one who enjoys challenges. - Grade 1 - Word Problems - First Grade'
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