Wednesday, May 23, 2007

The Math that Refreshes


There is a huge math problem in my state. The state has been attempting to provide required math testing requirements. But they found that almost half of the kids would fail at every level, and they don't know why.

I have my suspicions.

These are two questions that were taken from my kids homework over the last month. Both required you to show your work. I am not making this up. These are from pre-printed commercial worksheets, for 3rd grade math.

1. Abdul has $43. Alia has $39. Do they have enough money buy a present for their mom?

2. Harold and his brothers are earning money over the weekend. Harold earned $6. How much money did his brothers earn?

He got the second one wrong. Apparently WTF?! was not a good answer. He turns the first one in today!

More Later...

6 comments:

David Glickman said...

I'm guessing that the correct answers are as follows:

1. No.

After contributing their money to a charity which is a front for radical islamist terrorists, Abdul and Alia found that they did not have enough money to buy a present for their mother.

2. $6 total for all the brothers.

While Harold's brothers are all lazy SOB's, they did muster the energy to beat up their industrious brother and take his money.

likesforests said...

I'm curious, what did they expect your son to write??

Were they mixed in with solvable problems to see if students could identify when there was not enough information to solve a problem? But in that case "WTF??" would be a great answer. ;)

hisbestfriend said...

These were mixed in with totally normal, solvable math questions.

We have no idea how they got in there, and the teacher even said "don't do" some of the problems, ignoring these two.

It would be funny, if teaching math wasn't so problematic. It is just kinda sad otherwise.

And DG...
LOL

Temposchlucker said...

1. WTF no, they have $6 short

2. His brother Abdul has $43 and his brother Alia has earned $39

Not too difficult:)

Blue Devil Knight said...

Unbelievable.

Korsmonaut said...

Is it quicker to Minneapolis or by bus?

Those kind of seem like a comedy sketch setup. Steven Wright perhaps.