[VERY ot] WEB sources of middle school MATH word problems

Fred Marshall wrote:
> "Richard Owlett" <rowlett@atlascomm.net> wrote in message 
> news:12jl0erp1thda92@corp.supernews.com...
> 
>>[snip]
>>Suggestions anyone?
>>TIA
> 
> 
> Richard,
> 
> Assuming that simple processes can be retained:
> 
> Yeah....  I've long held that math is much more about *language* than 
> anything else.
> Try this:
> - Walk into a classroom of English-speaking kids where there are students 
> who just "don't get it" (math).
> - Greet them with "Buenos dias".  How many answer you or understand?  Ask 
> them.  Ask them how they know that.  Ask them when they learned that.  Ask 
> them if it's somehow mysterious now....

This is going going to be good I think.
Just called his grandmother to set up our schedule.
While we were talking he came in from school and I cued her in on your 
ideas.

I then greeted him in French and said he would find out what it was 
about tomorrow. I think I have him hooked. Especially the way he told me 
his grandmother was just standing there with a smile.



> - Ask them what is the sum of all the integers from 1 to 6.  Explain what 
> you mean by integer if you need to.  Get the answer from them.
> - Write on the board: sigma over i from 1 to 6.  Ask them what it means. 
> Tell them it means the same thing as the sum of all the integers from 1 to 
> 6.
> Only the language and/or symbols have changed.
> So, if they understood the first question then they can learn to "read" the 
> other form.  There is nothing new except language.
> 
> I hope this will take away some of the mystery of math.  Goodness knows 
> there is too much mystery associated with it.
> 

I'll to it asking what some symbols mean on a page of sheet music. He 
has enough background to know the answer. My point will be that symbols 
can convey information.

Jerry Avins wrote:

> Richard Owlett wrote:
> 
>   ...
> 
>> My reason was to get across that spoken, written, or graphic symbols 
>> convey information. I'm still wondering if he has internalized the 
>> concept that "you read in order to gain information".
> 
> 
> Do some of your communicating with him using written notes. An arbitrary 
> game can be irksome, but may be useful anyhow. A standard place for him 
> to fins a note from you of the form "Meet me in room xx at 11:05" could 
> be a beginning.
> 
> Jerry

Not sure how I would implement that. I'll have to think.

Richard Owlett wrote:

> Why post here?
>  1. If you weren't good at restating and solving you wouldn't be here ;)

http://www.mathcounts.org/  has practice tests for math competitions.

Not exactly what you asked for, but it might come in handy.

They tend to be more fun for smarter kids than many book problems.

-- glen

glen herrmannsfeldt wrote:
> Richard Owlett wrote:
> 
>> Why post here?
>>  1. If you weren't good at restating and solving you wouldn't be here ;)
> 
> 
> http://www.mathcounts.org/  has practice tests for math competitions.
> 
> Not exactly what you asked for, but it might come in handy.
> 
> They tend to be more fun for smarter kids than many book problems.
> 
> -- glen
> 

I wasn't sure what I was looking for ;)
Did a quick browse thru a random section of their achieve. The ones I 
saw were simpler mathematically than the problems in his text which will 
allow him to focus on reading aspect. Some of them should spark interest 
related to other classes and even reading in general.

Thanks.

Fred Marshall wrote:
> "Richard Owlett" <rowlett@atlascomm.net> wrote in message 
> news:12jl0erp1thda92@corp.supernews.com...
> 
>>[snip]
>>Suggestions anyone?
>>TIA
> 
> 
> Richard,
> 
> Assuming that simple processes can be retained:
> 
> Yeah....  I've long held that math is much more about *language* than 
> anything else.
> Try this:
> - Walk into a classroom of English-speaking kids where there are students 
> who just "don't get it" (math).
> - Greet them with "Buenos dias".  How many answer you or understand?  Ask 
> them.  Ask them how they know that.  Ask them when they learned that.  Ask 
> them if it's somehow mysterious now....

I tried.
Didn't get any coherent reaction.
Maybe I didn't follow script well enough?

I was trying to show that information could be represented in 2 ways.
Hello        <-->  Bonjour
How are you  <-->  Comment allez vous
I am fine    <-->  Je vais bien
and you      <-->  et vous

That seemed to make no connection at the time.
*HOWEVER*, at the end of the session when making to go in to his house 
and report to his grandparents, he tried to direct otherwise in Spanish. 
So I THINK he got something, not sure what or how much.

Thank you one and all and please feel free to make additional suggestions.

His grandparents also express their appreciation that total strangers 
are willing to help.

Richard Owlett <rowlett@atlascomm.net> writes:
> [...]
> Thank you one and all and please feel free to make additional suggestions.

I suggest that his butt be made to shovel dirt for a few days until he
sees the wisdom of hunkering down and learning his studies.
-- 
%  Randy Yates                  % "She has an IQ of 1001, she has a jumpsuit
%% Fuquay-Varina, NC            %            on, and she's also a telephone."
%%% 919-577-9882                % 
%%%% <yates@ieee.org>           %        'Yours Truly, 2095', *Time*, ELO   
http://home.earthlink.net/~yatescr

Randy Yates wrote:

> Richard Owlett <rowlett@atlascomm.net> writes:
> 
>>[...]
>>Thank you one and all and please feel free to make additional suggestions.
> 
> 
> I suggest that his butt be made to shovel dirt for a few days until he
> sees the wisdom of hunkering down and learning his studies.

That is true only to a degree.
He has a number of legitimate problems that I'm not at liberty to discuss.

We had a discussion this afternoon on that subject.
He said "I can't because ...."
I said  "That's an excuse, not a reason."

"can not do" is *OUT*
"difficult but doable" is *IN*