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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Y5 h/w:'Research a famous mathematician': poster/powerpoint/article- 2 hrs work.. Who?

161 replies

ampere · 26/10/2010 17:30

Can any of you clever lot come up with a suitable mathematician DS can research? He could only think of Isaac Newton, which is OK, but can you think of any others?

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ColdComfortFarm · 26/10/2010 20:11

mrz, Ok, so we are being rude and insulting now are we? OK. I'm so sorry you don't seem to understand what I am saying. But I'm really glad that with such a low level of understanding, you aren't teaching any of my children. I asked what SUBJECT this was for. Research isn't a subject, is it sweetie?

ColdComfortFarm · 26/10/2010 20:13

Feenie, mean to whom exactly? It is clear this child cannot do this without his mother's intervention! This is why this thread exists!

mrz · 26/10/2010 20:14

Well my Y2s could do the research and produce a poster or article independently(they couldn't create a power point without help) and most are only 6

ragged · 26/10/2010 20:14

Yr4 DD could do it independently. She is doing an independent report on Charles Darwin right now (general topic = Victorians). I will help her find some refs in our books or take her to library, and remind her it needs doing a few times... and try to keep siblings out of her hair, but she either does it herself or not.

I am more involved in her science homework.

RustyBear · 26/10/2010 20:15

As I have said CCF, it doesn't have to be 'for a SUBJECT'

Feenie · 26/10/2010 20:15

"It is clear this child cannot do this without his mother's intervention!"

No, it is clear that her child is still musing about who to choose - very common. Doesn't translate to not being able to research, write, create or present.

mrz · 26/10/2010 20:16

No ColdComfortFarm research covers a number of subjects which people had already told you but you obviously failed to comprehend sweetie

DuelingFanjo · 26/10/2010 20:16

If not mentioned already what about Alan Turing

ColdComfortFarm · 26/10/2010 20:16

So you think six year olds could research and present the life and work of a famous mathematician with understanding and without help? You are mad!
(and I see you have stopped claiming that the subject this is for is clearly explained in the title, and even, heaven forfend, stopped being so rude to me!)

DuelingFanjo · 26/10/2010 20:17

or Ada Lovelace

ColdComfortFarm · 26/10/2010 20:18

oh just seen your latest post mrz, research may blur over several subjects sweetie, but the thread title does NOT say which SUBJECT this homework is supposed to illuminate, does it, possum?

ColdComfortFarm · 26/10/2010 20:19

(delighted to see you haven't stopped being rude, I was worried there for a moment)

Feenie · 26/10/2010 20:19

Oh stop it, CCF, it's totally unnecessary and also vomit inducing.

mrz · 26/10/2010 20:20

They can undertake a piece of research and produce a piece of work to use in a presentation as I said they would need help producing a power point.
Well the subject of the homework seems pretty clear to me from the thread title but perhaps my thinking isn't as narrow as yours appears

MrsVincentPrice · 26/10/2010 20:20

My 8 year old would know exactly where to start with this - Wikipedia: mathematicians. She would then trawl through the list looking for an interesting one and get very bored before she'd even started. But before then I'd have pointed her to an interesting subject or taken her to the library to borrow one of the Wicked Maths books, and she'd grab one from that.

We would then fight all weekend about the extent to which it was appropriate to cut and paste from Wikipedia (her, 100%, me 0%, or maybe I'd let her get away with a couple of pictures).

ProfessorLaytonIsMyZombieSlave · 26/10/2010 20:22

The mother has asked for suggestions of interesting mathematicians for her DS to research . There is no suggestion that, given a name, he can't do some research himself. There is no suggestion that, having done the research, he can't produce a poster/powerpoint/article.

I see nothing wrong with giving a child some options other than the "obvious" targets to research. The only bit of this task that's being collaborated on is the "think of a mathematician" bit, and given that it's vanishingly unlikely that "thinking of a mathematician" is the learning objective here I don't see that as a problem.

On the subject of times tables, I have to confess that I have chanted DS's two-times table to him . And I've helped him learn it by spot-checking him those he finds difficult. Clearly this means he is incapable of doing any aspect of any task without my intervention... But, on the bright side, he does now know his two times table, which you seem to be broadly in favour of.

mrz · 26/10/2010 20:23

My Y2s researched the Battle of Trafalgar and created a presentation about it on Friday

ColdComfortFarm · 26/10/2010 20:23

Mrz do you honestly not know the difference between 'the subject of the homework' and 'the subject the homework is set for'? Really? You do know the world 'subject' has more than one meaning, don't you? Because otherwise I'm really worried about your poor pupils.
And yes, cut and paste Wiki homework. Utterly and completely pointless.

ColdComfortFarm · 26/10/2010 20:24

Your yr2's parents had a busy weekend, clearly. Have you actually read any serious academic research about homework at this age Mrz. I recommmend it.

ragged · 26/10/2010 20:24

um, to be honest, my y2-DS couldn't do it except with much teacher support (I don't have a clue about Powerpoint).
And my Y6-DS would deny even having any such homework assignment .

I dislike primary age kids having homework too, CCF (I do the science with DD because I never got to do much science myself and I really want to encourage her in that area)... but I don't know why you are picking a fight about this. It's nought to do with you(?)

popsycal · 26/10/2010 20:24

to respond to appropriateness
I set similar recently but to do with a scientist

we read something in classon one scientist first....modelled how to make notes under various headings, practised forming sentences/paragraphs from notes (depending on ability). Then set homework research differentiated in various ways to support parentspupils.

This kind of homework is my worst nigthmare with ds1 (Y4) so I always have him in mind when preparing/planning/supporting homework tasks

As others have said, there are MANY skills involved insuch a task. Pupils need not to be spoon fed the whole time but supported to become more independent in their learning.

Hiyamaya · 26/10/2010 20:26

It does seem a little odd as a topic for a yr 5 homework - 1) there can't be all that much reference material on famous mathmaticians at their reading level and 2) almost by definition they are not going to understand what it is the person was famous for.

RustyBear · 26/10/2010 20:26

IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE 'FOR' A SUBJECT!

SWEETIE.

mrz · 26/10/2010 20:26

I even know subject has many meanings as a verb and an adjective sweetie maybe you should have made yourself clear which definition you were referring to

ColdComfortFarm · 26/10/2010 20:26

Ragged, i wasn't 'picking a fight' at all. I merely posted that I wondered what subject this was for and what children were supposed to learn from it, which instantly brought down the wrath of teachers upon my head, who are really astoundingly rude.

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