Frustrated Parent Posts Ridiculous Common Core Math Question that Teaches to Solve 7x5 in Six Steps

Pundit Press ^ | 10/22/14 | Aurelius

[therightliveswithus]

A concerned parent posted a picture of their third grader's common core math homework yesterday. Frustrated, they called the homework "ridiculous."

Just how ridiculous? Third graders are now being taught how to multply single digit numbers using six steps.

Common Core is the over-complication of simple problems.

So, how do you solve 7 times 5? You don't just solve it quickly in your head. You don't count by seven five times.

Instead, you are supposed to break five into two smaller numbers. It doesn't explain why you don't break seven down, but students are supposed to instantly know that five needs breaking down.

Then, you decide how big the numbers you want to be from that 5. So let's say it's a 3. You then subtract 3 from 5 to get 2.

Then you write out 7 x (3 + 2), which I think looks much, much more complicated than 7 x 5. Then, you multiply 3 times 7 to get 21. After that, you multiply 2 times 7 to get 14. Finally, you add 14 plus 21, to get 35.

You can see the problem (and additional ones) below:

[combat_boots]

Rim shot!

[Principled]

I do not support common core. My post said that the "worksheet" did not have the intent of teaching multiplication - that was the straw-man assertion by the thread's "author".

I further intimated that such an argument is likely intended to gin up opposition to common core. Sadly, though, this is a bogus argument and only adds to the pile of things said about people who do support common core. There is plenty wrong w/ common core without having to make up bogus stuff.

So I don't "still" support common core - I never did. Maybe you posted to the wrong post?

Perhaps that's the source of your mystification?

[Veto!]

very cute and “kid friendly”:)

[dfwgator]

I made a point to show my kids all of the Schoolhouse Rock videos, they really helped a lot.

[wita]

“Well, that most people on this thread don’t understand what’s going on tells me THEY don’t have a clue. Or maybe they just want to complain about common core and don’t know enough to know the math part is fine.”

If I have misread you I apologize.

I focused on the last part of the above sentence. In my opinion and the opinion of many parents Common Core math is not fine. It is not age appropriate, and takes parents out of the equation and ability to help their children. I believe the data mining, language arts and the soon to be science standards are not rigorous or validated as claimed.

It is common knowledge that standards in an of themselves are no guarantee of success and whether you have them or not might not have much to do with a states standing.

That said, using the standards of the highest ranking state in the US might just be preferable to others but again research indicates they are not the end all to the subject.

[Principled]

Thanks wita -

Any math lesson focusing on a detail can have the same things said about it as this or most any CC math posting.

The sheet in this lesson is not to help with multiplication. It’s to help with properties of real numbers that will help later in other calculations.

So much depends on who is using the sheet and why. None of that is available on this page [that I saw] so it’s folly to try to use this against cc any more than saying it’s witchcraft.

Notwithstanding any of my post, CC sux camels.

[ForYourChildren]

Get your children out of the public schools (government indoctrination centers) - NOW!