Singapore 2B brick wall

[Mom2Monkeys]

Exercise 28...given an amount less than a dollar, how much more to make a dollar. This is our stopping point. Brick wall. It's an amount-- let's say $.55-- now how much more to make $1? I have coins out, explained in a dozen time in a dozen ways, showed her, done so many with her, and 30 minutes later, she's still on the same page and can't seem to get it in her head. I was okay with her money counting skills not being mastered (.25 plus a dime is...uh...that's well, uh...25 plus 10, and uh...30?) She is so bright but time and money are NOT her strengths...regular math with adding or subtracting or even making 100 and she's fine...make it money and we're stuck. Normally I just move on knowing it will come up again, but we've never had SUCH a brick wall. Any ideas?

[novagirl]

I do not have any ideas, but hey, I have seen LOTS of kids, even high school kids who can't figure that out yet! Hope someone has a good reply for you!

[eazbnsmom]

Is it the dollar signs that are confusing her? I would think if you wrote $1.00 like this instead of $1, she might do better with the subtraction.....just a thought. I had the opposite problem....my dd got it if it was money, but if it wasn't she didn't have as much interest. Usually if I explain math in terms of money, she picks it right up!

[Mom2Monkeys]

Is it the dollar signs that are confusing her? I would think if you wrote $1.00 like this instead of $1, she might do better with the subtraction.....just a thought. I had the opposite problem....my dd got it if it was money, but if it wasn't she didn't have as much interest. Usually if I explain math in terms of money, she picks it right up!

It's written as $1.00 in the book, it's just the Singapore mental math (but it isn't so mental with the coins in hand!) She can count by 5s, 10s and 25 to 100 just fine, but tell her to add 5 cents to 50 cents and she's stuck...I'm sure it will come...I just don't know that I should move on or stay with it a while.

[netpea]

Try playing store with her. Make it a game. Set up some things on the counter with price tags, like an apple, banana, etc... Then buy something from her and have her make change. Maybe that would help?

[Daisy]

I taught my kids to count by fives with all their coins. A quarter got five taps (5, 10, 15, 20, 25), a dime got two (5, 10), and a nickel got one (5). So adding coins was no problem.

So a quarter, a dime, and a nickel, simply meant they started with the quarter and said 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, add the dime 30, 35, add the nickel, 40. It may be that switching from counting by 25's, then to 10's, then to 5's is just too difficult right now.

Oh, and I gave my kids money every single day to count. It was their pass to break time. Count out the money correctly and go on break. Count out the change for church offering. Count the change Mom just got back at the store, etc. ALL the time. Practice, practice, practice.

Eventually, they memorize it and very little counting is required.

[spidermansmum]

Did she struggle with the earlier work on tens and units? When Nathan was struggling with the larger sums in 1B-We set up a sweet shop - and I insisted on being given the exact money,because initially DS would hand over the highest value coin he had .Maybe you could practice with your daughter giving the change and being the shop keeper.Personally we stop when we get something that DS is struggling with ,but I know that some move on as it will come round again in singapore

[Mom2Monkeys]

She's never really struggled on any math, some she has not mastered, but certainly not struggled. I think I might stop and go... I'm going to continue on in the book to other topics, but I'm going to do money everyday as well...in small steps...a little bit of the page at a time until we finish all the money pages. We'll just skip ahead of this money section for our daily lessons and come back each day to a money page. I'll have her buy snacks and meals with our fake money as well. We need to make progress and I think we could be on money (and time) for a while!

[my3sons]

I just want to encourage you that of all the concepts we taught in 3rd. grade (when I was a 3rd. grade ps teacher in the past), money and time were the hardest, and often were the areas dc scored the lowest in on standardized testing. I think it just takes awhile to understand. Your dd is young and will certainly catch on to it in the years to come. I like the ideas you've been given here. I wouldn't spend too long on it though - I think you're right to move on. You could start each day with her "buying" her breakfast or lunch or something. Then give change together. This kind of 1 problem a day short review can really pay dividends in the long haul, for a relatively short amount of time invested.

In Christ,
Julie

[Carrie]

The ladies are giving you tried and true suggestions that will really help! I do want to encourage you as well that money is one of the toughest areas for many kiddos. Just take a look at how many high school kids cannot count back change! With Singapore, skills like this often do come along on their own over time when you hit the concept each year again, so sometimes understanding can simply be a matter of maturity.

Blessings,
Carrie

[kayben]

Here are a couple of easy online educational games



This one looks really good, it asks you to make an amount of money and adds it up as you go. Three levels. I had to install a java plugin, took like 1 minute.

http://www.apples4theteacher.com/java/c ... money.html



This is from funbrain.com
http://www.funbrain.com/cashreg/

[Mom2Monkeys]

Thanks for the encouragement! I'll keep on moving with her and practice money daily. I'll also let her play on the sites. They look great!

[Patience]

I only recently mastered making change! LOL ... I remember thinking as a kid "I could never be a cashier...all that making change!" That is a difficult skill to learn!

[Mom2Monkeys]

I only recently mastered making change! LOL ... I remember thinking as a kid "I could never be a cashier...all that making change!" That is a difficult skill to learn!

LOL! I am right there with you , so I'm not the best teacher for this...I'm so glad I have the guide to get me through it.

[Mom2Monkeys]

I do believe something has clicked...sometimes a day or two to let a lesson sink in can make a big difference! She doens't have it masted yet, but she's getting it! And of course the great advice I get here is a huge help!

One more question though...I still want to "sit on the money" for a bit and move on in other areas. Should I skip the whole money section for now and hit the next topic or progress through the money section. The next lesson goes from figuring change for a dollar to change for $10! I don't think she's ready for that just yet! But, then I think she could do the adding money problems that are lined up like regular numbers to add.