P2 Math - General Discussion

[ryankwek]

[Moderator's note: Topics merged.]


Anyone can help me...

my son is confused with such problem.

Here is the questions
1. 5 is 1 less than _
2. _ is 1 less than 3

My son just take the numbers and start to minus.
For Q2, that's okay but for Q1, he will get the wrong answer.

Can anyone suggests a method to coach him?

[jedamum]

How old is your son?


i tried to teach that concept early last year (5yo) but failed.
after numerous attempts, i gave up.
then somehow towards end of last year he grasp it…i was surprised.
i will usually ask him to read again after he puts in the answer, so i reckon that he do it in his mind first then if it sounds wrong at the first attempt, he just wrote in the second one and checks again (eg if he put 5-1 and 4 is not the answer, then he goes 5+1 and writes 6 and read the statement again).

[alwaysLovely]

ryankwek:

Anyone can help me...


my son is confused with such problem.

Here is the questions
1. 5 is 1 less than _
2. _ is 1 less than 3

My son just take the numbers and start to minus.
For Q2, that's okay but for Q1, he will get the wrong answer.

Can anyone suggests a method to coach him?

Well, it's quite a norm for a child to take the numbers and start to minus due to the word 'less'

Perhaps you can use heavier than or lighter than to teach this concepts. With pictures of animals perhaps.

Example, you have several pictures of animals with different weight

The elephant is 1kg lighter than _______________

Ask\" the 2 animals in the sentence, which one is the lighter one? Elephant or the other one ______________\"

Got to get him to understand the concept before mapping back to less than/more than

: )

Hope this helps

[en107rn.01056yahoo.01056com.01056sg]

Hi ryankwek


This is the method I use.

1. 5 is 1 less than _
I teach my kids to close the number that comes before "the less than" or "more than". For this eg, he will need to close number 1. He will then read it as 5 is less than _____. If he understands concept more or less, he should know that the blank should be filled with bigger number. Since the answer must be a bigger number, he needs to add instead of minus.

2. _ is 1 less than 3
Close the number before the less than again. The question will read as what is less than 3. The blank must me a number smaller than 3. So must minues in order to get smaller number.

Hope this will help.

[jedamum]

EN,

Got it! thanks! heehee....
very useful when the number gets really big.

[buds]

Heyya EN,


Thats a very interesting method to simplify the concept!
I will seriously try that out, with my kiddie and see if it
helps make it work faster to solve such similar questions.

Guess, its more of a language question, ay?
Understand the language, understand the problem.

Thanks for sharing that with us, EN!
Appreciate that.

PS : U a Maths tutor or something?

[Addoil]

Thks for sharing, I also grasp the method, and it is easier to explain to small kids. Thks!

[ryankwek]

Hello EN,


Thanks a lot. My son really understands the concept now. By the way, he is in P1 now…

[schellen]

Thanks, EN. I will try this method with my DD if she has problem with this concept.

[jedamum]

[Moderator's note: Done ]

ryankwek:

By the way, he is in P1 now.....

chiefKS,
can merge this thread with the http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1543&start=0 thread? cos i think is in the P1 syllabus. this way, it's easier to find. thanks!