why does my ds need to learn to count in 2's up to 50?

[griffalo2]

had a note off the teacher yesterday in ds's bookbag.
please could u help ds learn to count in 2's and 5's up to 50.

he can do 2's up to 20 and 5's up to 100.
has anyone elses dc done this in yr 1?

IMO it's a weird precursor (I'm sure much academic research on why it's the best way) to learning times tables. Look forward to the battle that comes when you say to DC "time to practice your times tables", "I know my times table", "erm no you don't know your 2x table because you don't have instant recall of 7x2".

Are you going to question every piece of homework?

thats why im finding it strange, they only learn the times tables x10 or x12 anyway dont they?
im wondering if the note just ment the 5's up to 50

um no?

Are you going to speak to the teacher about every piece of homework if you don't understand why they need to learn it

It's not actually up to you to decide what they need to learn, it's up to the teacher

I sometimes wonder why ds1 needs to learn trigonometry, he also wonders that but I haven't been to the school at any point in the last 2 years to ask- he has to learn it, he does. and I try and keep up

think some people got out of bed on the wrong side this morning....

sorry for being interested in my sons education

TBH i'm surprised that it is to 50 as I thought the objective was meant to be to 100 for counting in 2's, 5's and 10's. I think it just gets them thinking about the patterns as It certainly hasn't helped my DD learn her tables

They learn to count in 2s and 5s as a step to learning the times tables and to get a better understanding of 'patterns' in numbers.

To be honest once you are past the teen numbers there is no differnce between knowing to 30 or 100, it is understanding the pattern and that it repeated over and over again.

Dd is in yr 1 too, she hasn't had it set as homework (trust me we do get some bizarre and irritating stuff*) but they count outloud in class.

• for example- listen to noises at night, visit a place with plants, make an invitation with a menu for a tea party, loads of diarys that cover the holiday periods and endless pieces of do this/that, photograph, print off and send in

thank you ladyintheradiator

i was just wondering whether its needed to be learnt to follow on with something else

Littleducks your DDs homework sounds interesting, easy to manage for the
parent, age appropriate and designed to get her relating her learning to the real world. Not sure what you find strange?

Helps when counting money too.

DS has had this in reception, up to 100 in 2, 5 and 10s.

it's handy for

counting your stitches in knitting....
Your score in Mikado...
pocket money paid in 2p pieces.
Pairs of shoes belonging to the whole school...

why not learn up to 50/100 its pretty random learning tables up to 12X when you think about it?

Sarcalogos- don't get me wrong I'm not about to complain to the teacher, but I find her homework a PITA.

Printer ink is expensive, it uses a lot printing photos. I'm lucky to have a printer that prints photos for her homework what about people who don't and have to traipse to the library?

It's the level of involvement too, I would rather a worksheet she could read and complete herself or (gasp) no homework. I have to buy special materials frequently, like fabric glue and a2 card in a specific colour.

Every holiday requires a diary, usually around a topic, again a pain if you want to go away, have a few late nights, I'm working and she is in a play scheme, or we just want a break!

And the nights when she wouldn't sleep listening for an owl (we are in London) just pissed me off!

This is on top of the daily reading and weekly spellings btw.

There seems to be lots of emphasis on that.
Times tables might be one explanation.

But every adult can do it, so have you all learned it obsessively or would it come naturally at some point?

Just do it, can't hurt.

My dd had to do this too, we just use coins. Just wait until you need to build a rainforest , we are doing a mini beast hunt this week, not so good in the pissing rain!

hi there.... think it's probably to do with timetables. My DS did counting in 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, 10s... and hey presto the next year they did these timetables....

Hi griffalo2:

I can't remember what my DDs had in Y1 - but they did have counting by 2s work which gradually shifted into understanding even and odd numbers - so this homework may be part of that.

Teachers are damned if they do, damned if they don't...too much homework, not enough homework..crikey.

The more that 'numbers' are used in as wide a variety of ways and contexts as possible, the more confident a learner will become. How many adults still say they can't do maths?? But not many say they can't read, because text is around us all the time, and we just assimilate reading. 'Number' needs to be more consciously 'learned'.

Use Lego bricks of two colours for odds and evens, say RED odd, BLUE even, lay them out in pairs - much easier when child has something physical to see and handle.

Or Write numbers on wide lined paper; 1 3 5 7 etc on upper line, 2 4 6 8 etc on lower line, but slightly displaced so the 2 fits between and below the 1 and 3 etc.

Try and think up your own variations 'on a theme'!

Once child can do 'twos' to 20 or 30 they may realize they could go on for ever!

Then alternate the 'twos' - do one, miss one - and as if by magic you'll be counting in fours.

(late now, but I'll check tomorrow if any queries to this quick explanation.)

littleducks You can print digital photos out at Boots for about 10p, just take in the memory card or even a camera with USB cable.

LOL at "printing photos at boots" being convenient and cheap. I only go to a town with a photo printer once a fortnight, its 3.50 return on the bus , DS goes about once a half term.
Happily DS doesn't get given homework that requires photos printed. just a few spellings to learn and some maths skill to practise.

Many schools only do to 10x in times tables these days.
The 12x was to do with old currency units, etc.