Any math teachers in the house? Really need help with teaching my kids math :(

[Fishooked]

So my 9-year old is struggling big time with math.
Dad is a buffoon who hates math, and is also afraid & concerned that I am confusing my daughter even more.

Just looking for some advise on any websites or apps we can try to help her out. Right now she's in 4th grade and in the midst of double-digit multiplication and just starting division.

Homework has become an absolute nightmare, could really use some insight if anyone has experiences similar issues.

[quantum]

what do you need to know? some teachers want the kids to show their work the way they were taught (which is not necessarily the way we were taught)

[32green]

Went through it with my son to a degree (HS now) and my daughter soon (1st grade) Problem for me was that they teach it differently now. My wife bought a few books and she's good at math, so I pushed it off on her.




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[quantum]

Originally Posted by 32green

My wife bought a few books

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for the love of God, please tell us they were Kindle books

[Big L]

Is there a text book for 4th grade math?

Not sure what they teach now, but, as with any complex problem, break it down in to smaller, solvable problems. Finding the answer to a double digit multiplication (complex) problem involves several single digit (smaller) multiplications and then addtitions.

[adpz]

Fish, definitely take a look at Kahn Academy - an excellent free resource started by a father pretty much in your boat (except with a PhD


http://www.khanacademy.org

[Jasper17]

I don't like this trick because I think it avoids memorizing times tables which I think ultimately will hinder students. But for the context of this question the below should help.



I would make vertical lines first with your highest (in this case tens) digit being on the left and your next lowest to the right and so on (in this case the ones digit).

Then the second number (factor) as horizontal lines with highest place digit on top and lowest on bottom.

Count the separated number of intersecting points from top left to bottom right.

Hippie stuff if you ask me. The other option would be the old(ish) school version where you use a zero in the second (and subsequent) lines of product and add up when through. The justification of the zero in the ones' column is that in a way you are multiplying by a multiple of 10 (i.e. 26X48 is really 6x48 + 20x48. Since 0xanything is 0, the 0 will go in the ones column when multiplying by the tens, two zeors when multiplying by hundreds, so on and so on).

Sorry if I made it worse.

[Borgoguy]

Just back from my son's high school for a meeting. You would not believe his English teacher. Young, leggy blonde. Beautiful and had to be 22-23 tops.
I just about asked her out.

[mavericknyc1980]

I teach 5th grade pm me.

[Jasper17]

Originally Posted by Borgoguy

Just back from my son's high school for a meeting. You would not believe his English teacher. Young, leggy blonde. Beautiful and had to be 22-23 tops.
I just about asked her out.

If this were Yahoo! Answers, I'd rate this as the best answer.

[Fishooked]

Originally Posted by adpz

Fish, definitely take a look at Kahn Academy - an excellent free resource started by a father pretty much in your boat (except with a PhD


http://www.khanacademy.org

That is a good start.

This old man is up at 4am each day, trundles home at 5pm, and to watch me sit there and try (intelligently) explain math concepts to an unblinking child is comical, if not sad. When Im halfway through explaining a problem Ive found that her mind just wanders off, cant say I blame her but I need something to grab her attention with this.

[crossfire]

Originally Posted by 32green

Problem for me was that they teach it differently now.

The old days in Police Academy math class...

"If each donut costs 50 cents, how much is a dozen donuts?"



"Trick question... cops don't actually pay for the donuts."

[Bonhomme Richard]

Originally Posted by Jasper17

I don't like this trick because I think it avoids memorizing times tables which I think ultimately will hinder students. But for the context of this question the below should help.



I would make vertical lines first with your highest (in this case tens) digit being on the left and your next lowest to the right and so on (in this case the ones digit).

Then the second number (factor) as horizontal lines with highest place digit on top and lowest on bottom.

Count the separated number of intersecting points from top left to bottom right.

Hippie stuff if you ask me. The other option would be the old(ish) school version where you use a zero in the second (and subsequent) lines of product and add up when through. The justification of the zero in the ones' column is that in a way you are multiplying by a multiple of 10 (i.e. 26X48 is really 6x48 + 20x48. Since 0xanything is 0, the 0 will go in the ones column when multiplying by the tens, two zeors when multiplying by hundreds, so on and so on).

Sorry if I made it worse.

What the fck is this sorcery?

[Jasper17]

Originally Posted by Bonhomme Richard

What the fck is this sorcery?

I believe you can thank the Japanese for that one.

American School System: Peddling someone else's terrible ideas as your own.

[Big L]

Originally Posted by Bonhomme Richard

What the fck is this sorcery?

No shlt. At first, I was like, Hmmm, OK, I see it. Then I tried 24x36, and I didn't come up with anything close to 864.

[Jasper17]

Originally Posted by Big L

No shlt. At first, I was like, Hmmm, OK, I see it. Then I tried 24x36, and I didn't come up with anything close to 864.

Hmm. Perhaps it only works for teens.

I suspect I am diappoint.

[Fishooked]

Originally Posted by Jasper17

Hmm. Perhaps it only works for teens.

I suspect I am diappoint.

No worries - appreciate the input.
I need to try to sit down and try this when Im not preoccupied with the internet.

[Fishooked]

Originally Posted by adpz

Fish, definitely take a look at Kahn Academy - an excellent free resource started by a father pretty much in your boat (except with a PhD


http://www.khanacademy.org

Also while on the subject of 'khan' this is what I look like doing math at home

[John_0515]

Originally Posted by crossfire

The old days in Police Academy math class...

"If each donut costs 50 cents, how much is a dozen donuts?"



"Trick question... cops don't actually pay for the donuts."

Dimitri can compute anything that has donuts in it.

In fact, world renown physicists call upon him to solve advanced physics quandaries. They just change "Joules" or "kilo pascals" to donuts.

2 + 2 without donuts, he can't do.

[Lone Star Lady]

Hey, Fish, I used to be a high school math teacher (go ahead, make your girl geek jokes ).
I now work for a textbook publisher making math books/digital content. I'm swamped at work right now, but I'll get back to you with some websites. I know there are a bunch of youtube videos about math -- don't know how good any of them are.

EDIT: If you have specific math questions, feel free to PM me.