Jeannie Hana August 31, 2020 Worksheets fun
I teach the upper grades in my school, yet I continue to see kids who do not even have basic algebra skills in place.As a parent, I’m very aware of what my own children are learning in school. For the most part, I’ve been happy with their progress, but as they rise in grade level, I’m starting to see more emphasis on a loose understanding of the concepts and less emphasis on skills–particularly skills with arithmetic of fractions.
You might remember a concept in algebra called ”factoring.” Factoring means breaking up into parts that are multiplied together to give you the whole. You can factor numbers. For instance, 6 factors into 2 and 3–2×3 =6. In elementary algebra we learn to factor expressions such as x^2+4x+4. This particular expression is easily factorable into (x+2)^2.
The same is true for mastery of working with fractions.So, in general, kids who don’t learn their multiplication tables and arithmetic with fractions usually don’t do well in math. It’s been proven that success in science depends to a great extent on success in math. So, these same kids usually don’t do well with science, either.
Which brings us to the purpose behind this article.One of the most effective ways I’ve found to help kids in a focused area of weakness are printable math worksheets. The big problem with concept-based instruction is lack of practice. Printable math worksheets solve this problem nicely.
Remember to select worksheets that are the right level difficulty for your child. Get something too hard, and your child will become discouraged. Make it too easy, and they won’t learn much.
As a teacher, I supplement my lessons with appropriate worksheets. I can then check a student’s progress. I can also monitor how much work they actually are doing.For parents, printable math worksheets are a great tool for drilling their own kids in those same skills.