DIY Math Word Problems

Posted by SFleming on July 10, 2010

Here’s a way to bring math to life for reluctant learners.  Instead of presenting your student with a page of math problems, try turning the tables and challenging the child to create math problems for you to solve.  Many children will rise to the bait and quickly set to work making the most devious problems that their minds can devise, assuming that your math skills are at the same level as theirs.

When you set a child to this task, give them just a few parameters to help them focus their work.  You might want to assign an operation or a level of complexity to the math involved.  Perhaps you could suggest that at least one piece of irrelevant information be included, or that the problem require at least two math steps.  No matter what other restrictions or requirements that you implement, be sure that you have your student create an answer key for the problem set that includes an equation and a solution for each problem.  In this way, you will ensure that your child gets the most out of the exercise.  You’ll also be better able to isolate any misconceptions or inaccuracies that are included so that you can help the student improve skills.

Creating math word problems is an outstanding (and sneaky) way to get kids to practice their math skills.  It’s also a great opportunity to put neglected writing skills to work, as well.  Remind children to proofread their creations for spelling, grammar and punctuation, under threat of having to solve the problems themselves if you find writing mistakes.  There’s nothing like a bit of blackmail to motivate kids to do their very best!

Summer Reading: Frankenstein

Posted by SFleming on July 4, 2010

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein can be an outstanding way to coax a reluctant reader into a summer project.  Many teens are drawn to book versions of popular movies, and this piece has many movie interpretations.  Some are more true to the book than others, and some don’t even go by the same title!  The reading level is 7.7, so it’s not too demanding for high school students.

In spite of its horror reputation, Frankenstein is a much deeper story than most people expect.  There are a lot of complex characters and relationships to explore, as well as monstrosity and society’s responses to things outside of the accepted norms.

This is a prime book to use for comparison projects, since there are so many versions and stories that have taken the same idea and gone a slightly different direction.  Use Venn Diagrams to explore similarities and differences, then have your student write a compare/contrast paper.  It’s also an excellent opportunity to discuss issues of morality and science, abortion, and social norms.

If you’d like to find further discussions of Frankenstein with study guides and questions, visit these sites:

• Sparknotes: Frankenstein
• Frankenstein Study Guide and Essays
• Frankenstein Study Guide
• Frankenstein Study Guide 2
• Read Frankenstein for free online

Enjoy!  Frankenstein is an outstanding novel that is referred to regularly in other literature and in society.  It’s important that a well-read person be familiar with the book.