Any tips to improve Mathematics?

[James Ang]

My P5 students are using Astar Maths booklets, just remember to skip these 3 P6 topics; Algebra, Speed and Circles, the rest of topics they have learnt in P5.


Anyway my P6 students told me their P6 prelims had a strange \"hamster question\" then I straightaway know it is the fibonacci sequence. This is a Maths olympiad style question, need to get the Maths olympiad books too. The sum is something like that;

A pair of hamsters can give birth to a pair of baby hamsters every month. The pair of baby hamsters needs 1 month to mature and then this new pair of hamsters will in turn give birth to a pair of baby hamsters every month. How many pairs of hamsters are there after 6 months? (4 marks)

1,2,3, 5, 8, 13, 21

the answer is 21 pairs of hamsters

Leanne:

Hi James,

Should Pri 5 students be working on this A star booklets to prepare coming sa2 or past years school exam papers is adequate?

Will working through these booklets demoralise a child if it proved to be tough?


Leanne

James Ang:

[quote=\"MMM\"]Besides practise, I think it also help to expose the child to different questions and particularly those \"tricky\" ones. There are certain methods of looking at those. Once the child is familiar with the \"trick\", they are able to solve it with confidence.

Practise on the Astar booklets by Learning Interactive, a series of 7 topical booklets. A number of top primary schools are using them as supplements for non routine sums. Only available at the shop at Bras Basah Complex, $21 per set including solutions. All our students are using them for prelims and PSLE preparation for non routine sums especially for those in paper 2 from question 12 to 18, easily over 30 marks of the entire Maths paper.

[/quote]

[Leanne]

Hi James,


Thanks.Have your P5 students completed all the topics from the A star booklets?Is it very much tougher than the normal sa2 p5 math paper or at par?

May I know which school came out the hamster question?do u think psle is geared to olympaid question?thanks.

Have a good day.

Leanne

James Ang:

My P5 students are using Astar Maths booklets, just remember to skip these 3 P6 topics; Algebra, Speed and Circles, the rest of topics they have learnt in P5.

Anyway my P6 students told me their P6 prelims had a strange \"hamster question\" then I straightaway know it is the fibonacci sequence. This is a Maths olympiad style question, need to get the Maths olympiad books too. The sum is something like that;

A pair of hamsters can give birth to a pair of baby hamsters every month. The pair of baby hamsters needs 1 month to mature and then this new pair of hamsters will in turn give birth to a pair of baby hamsters every month. How many pairs of hamsters are there after 6 months? (4 marks)

1,2,3, 5, 8, 13, 21

the answer is 21 pairs of hamsters

Leanne:

Hi James,

Should Pri 5 students be working on this A star booklets to prepare coming sa2 or past years school exam papers is adequate?

Will working through these booklets demoralise a child if it proved to be tough?


Leanne

[quote=\"James Ang\"]Practise on the Astar booklets by Learning Interactive, a series of 7 topical booklets. A number of top primary schools are using them as supplements for non routine sums. Only available at the shop at Bras Basah Complex, $21 per set including solutions. All our students are using them for prelims and PSLE preparation for non routine sums especially for those in paper 2 from question 12 to 18, easily over 30 marks of the entire Maths paper.

[/quote]

[peterch]

James Ang:

My P5 students are using Astar Maths booklets, just remember to skip these 3 P6 topics; Algebra, Speed and Circles, the rest of topics they have learnt in P5.


Anyway my P6 students told me their P6 prelims had a strange \"hamster question\" then I straightaway know it is the fibonacci sequence. This is a Maths olympiad style question, need to get the Maths olympiad books too. The sum is something like that;

A pair of hamsters can give birth to a pair of baby hamsters every month. The pair of baby hamsters needs 1 month to mature and then this new pair of hamsters will in turn give birth to a pair of baby hamsters every month. How many pairs of hamsters are there after 6 months? (4 marks)

1,2,3, 5, 8, 13, 21

the answer is 21 pairs of hamsters

At first I got 21 pairs, but I re-read I got this. Please adv

After 6 months,
1st pair = 7 pairs
1st born pair (will start have baby on the 3rd month) = 4 pairs
2nd born pair (will start have baby on the 4th month) = 3 pairs
3rd born pair (will start have baby on the 5th month) = 2 pairs
4th born pair (will start have baby on the 6th month) = 1 pair

Total after 6 month (not the 6th month) = 17 pairs

My understanding is the 1st born pair have to mature it self for a month then give birth at the following month

[Brenda10]

Hi Leanne


I think is good to start the A*Booklet earlier. My nephew school had bought this set and he until now still hasn’t started may be due to same time school also given plenty of revision papers for practicing. He also could not finish the last few questions in his preml exam yesterday. I don’t know how busy will be next year for DD and will she has enough time to do. Therefore we may slowly start doing it now if the time is permitted and try to finish those that she can handle by end of this year.

Just my 2 cents thought.

[James Ang]

The answer is 21. You missed out the hamsters produced by the babies of the first born pair and second born pair and so on.

peterch:

James Ang:

My P5 students are using Astar Maths booklets, just remember to skip these 3 P6 topics; Algebra, Speed and Circles, the rest of topics they have learnt in P5.

Anyway my P6 students told me their P6 prelims had a strange \"hamster question\" then I straightaway know it is the fibonacci sequence. This is a Maths olympiad style question, need to get the Maths olympiad books too. The sum is something like that;

A pair of hamsters can give birth to a pair of baby hamsters every month. The pair of baby hamsters needs 1 month to mature and then this new pair of hamsters will in turn give birth to a pair of baby hamsters every month. How many pairs of hamsters are there after 6 months? (4 marks)

1,2,3, 5, 8, 13, 21

the answer is 21 pairs of hamsters

At first I got 21 pairs, but I re-read I got this. Please adv

After 6 months,
1st pair = 7 pairs
1st born pair (will start have baby on the 3rd month) = 4 pairs
2nd born pair (will start have baby on the 4th month) = 3 pairs
3rd born pair (will start have baby on the 5th month) = 2 pairs
4th born pair (will start have baby on the 6th month) = 1 pair

Total after 6 month (not the 6th month) = 17 pairs

My understanding is the 1st born pair have to mature it self for a month then give birth at the following month

[James Ang]

Past year school exam papers are popular with parents because they are useful resources for students to do revision and practice to test themselves out. Even now some schools are exchanging papers, to do their own and other schools' past year exam papers and use for their students to practice.

Leanne:

thanks James.

Are these series of science book that u quoted better than past year school exam papers?thank you.

Leanne

James Ang:

I find the Oxford Primary Essentials series of Science books rather good for students' revision practice.

1) Science PSLE Preparation 2nd Edition - Koh Siew Luan
2) Science Test Paper P5&P6 Book A and B - Teo-Gwan Wai Lan
3) My Pals are here PSLE Revision and Exam Papers - Teo-Gwan Wai Lan


[quote=\"Leanne\"]Hi James,

Well said.There are numerous ways in solving the same math questions.The child that is able to apply and use the correct processing skills for the question will be able to find math a breeze.

Just to side track.Do u have any good sets of science like such that u recommended for math as in this set of A star books?

Many thanks.

Leanne

:?

[/quote]

[Leanne]

Hi Brenda10,


Thanks for the reply.
Has your dd started?
I just got my set of books yesterday and contemplating whether to start one set of the booklets....or kept focussing in redoing the past years sa papers...


Leanne

Brenda10:

Hi Leanne

I think is good to start the A*Booklet earlier. My nephew school had bought this set and he until now still hasn’t started may be due to same time school also given plenty of revision papers for practicing. He also could not finish the last few questions in his preml exam yesterday. I don't know how busy will be next year for DD and will she has enough time to do. Therefore we may slowly start doing it now if the time is permitted and try to finish those that she can handle by end of this year.

Just my 2 cents thought.

[James Ang]

Hi Leanne, unless your P5 child has no CA2 and now is preparing early for SA2, I think the booklets are not too tough to handle if the SA2 papers are completed. If you mean redo the SA1 papers, then why not start on new CA2 or SA2 papers instead of redoing old ones again unless there are many mistakes made earlier.

Leanne:

Hi Brenda10,

Thanks for the reply.
Has your dd started?
I just got my set of books yesterday and contemplating whether to start one set of the booklets....or kept focussing in redoing the past years sa papers...


Leanne

Brenda10:

Hi Leanne

I think is good to start the A*Booklet earlier. My nephew school had bought this set and he until now still hasn’t started may be due to same time school also given plenty of revision papers for practicing. He also could not finish the last few questions in his preml exam yesterday. I don't know how busy will be next year for DD and will she has enough time to do. Therefore we may slowly start doing it now if the time is permitted and try to finish those that she can handle by end of this year.

Just my 2 cents thought.

[Brenda10]

Leanne:

Hi Brenda10,


Thanks for the reply.
Has your dd started?
I just got my set of books yesterday and contemplating whether to start one set of the booklets....or kept focussing in redoing the past years sa papers...


Leanne

Brenda10:

Hi Leanne

I think is good to start the A*Booklet earlier. My nephew school had bought this set and he until now still hasn’t started may be due to same time school also given plenty of revision papers for practicing. He also could not finish the last few questions in his preml exam yesterday. I don't know how busy will be next year for DD and will she has enough time to do. Therefore we may slowly start doing it now if the time is permitted and try to finish those that she can handle by end of this year.

Just my 2 cents thought.

Hi Leanne

Not yet. We will finish the past year SA2 papers first. If there is any question we can't solve then would look into the booklet and see any similar solution. I guess three weeks before the SA2 we should have time to start doing.

[Leanne]

Thanks again.


You are a hardworking mum, as in you will look into similar questions in sa2But, questions in there, heard some are really quite challenging.

Leanne

Brenda10:

Leanne:

Hi Brenda10,

Thanks for the reply.
Has your dd started?
I just got my set of books yesterday and contemplating whether to start one set of the booklets....or kept focussing in redoing the past years sa papers...


Leanne
[quote=\"Brenda10\"]Hi Leanne

I think is good to start the A*Booklet earlier. My nephew school had bought this set and he until now still hasn’t started may be due to same time school also given plenty of revision papers for practicing. He also could not finish the last few questions in his preml exam yesterday. I don't know how busy will be next year for DD and will she has enough time to do. Therefore we may slowly start doing it now if the time is permitted and try to finish those that she can handle by end of this year.

Just my 2 cents thought.

Hi Leanne

Not yet. We will finish the past year SA2 papers first. If there is any question we can't solve then would look into the booklet and see any similar solution. I guess three weeks before the SA2 we should have time to start doing.[/quote]