Maths homework help,

[onedayatatime73]

My daughter (reception) has a '5' minute challenge to double numbers and then double again

Eg double 2 = 4
Double again is double 4= 8

However some of the numbers are higher eg double 11 which is fine as she knows to double both digits

But some she is stuck on eg double 29. Her answer is 418 - I don't know how to teach her/ what method is used to carry over units of ten

Is this something to do with partitioning? Please help she is in tears!

I'm secondary so this might not help... But could you explain it as break 29 down into 20 and 9, double both then add back together??

Just an idea

Rachie I would teach it the same way as you.

Double 20 plus double 9 would be the usual mental method (or double 30 and take away 2 would be a short cut but hard to explain at this point).

This seems quite tough for a Reception homework!

I would say she can't do it.

Yes, Rachie's method is how my DD has been taught it. But she only learnt it this year, in Year 2. That sounds far too advanced for Reception.

I was going to say that this seems quite hard for Reception!

I would just get her to stop at the point where she finds it too hard. She certainly shouldn't be in tears!

Your reception teacher has extremely high expectations of your child!
was this a whole class homework or a particular challenge for your daughter-is she a maths whizz?
I think doubling a number twice is impressive enough-perhaps she thought most children would 'only' (!) get that far in the 5mins and so hadn't anticipated 29.

I would say double 30 take away 2
or
double 20, double 9, add together

Is she using a number line?

Are you sure she isn't just meant to double twice?

I.e 2,4,8
3,6,12

Even that would be a challenge tbh.

I would just put her answer - it is important the teacher sees how she has tried to do it and then it is up to the teacher to decide whether to teach her it now or leave it until a future time. It isn't usual work for Reception IME.

Does

Just wrote a long post which disappeared. Thank you for your replies - we had to step away from it and returned this evening - none the wiser.

It is really specific - double the number and then double again.

So it starts with 13 - she can double that instantly and write 26. But when she tries to double 26 she gets 412 (which obviously suggests the methods she is using doesn't work)!

Other examples are double 35 and double again

Or double 45 and double again. There is in way she can double. 45 to get 90, and she certainly couldn't double. 90 to 180

I have put her work in her homework diary and written a note asking for guidance if there is a method we should know and if so what.

That's really baffled me today! Thanks again for trying to help.

Yes, it really is too much to expect of Reception, even at this late stage of the year.

Were also reception, and have just had doubling homework. iirc, we doubled 2, 3 and 5. With pictures nest to them, so we had 2 fish. I got DS to count them twice. Were a long way behind you!

Have you worked out what she's going to get the answer - she is doubling each digit, and putting them together, so it is working for some numbers, but because she's doing it wrong, so if 10s and units are under 4, she gets it right (I think!).

She needs to split into 10s and units, and double both, and add together, but I'm not a teacher!

Hi Onedayatatime73:

I agree for Year R (ages 4/5) doubling single digit numbers would be achievable, possibly challenging and doubling beyond single digit numbers (10 and greater) will be more tricky (unless they have specifically gone through that in class).

Now it may be that the teacher has used Rachie1986's method (which is also my preferred method) - so taught the class that doubling bigger numbers like 29 - is about splitting them up into easier units -

double 20 = 40
double 9 = 18 (break this up into 10 and 8)

add 40 + 10 = 50 and then add 8 = 58.

But this would (in my mind) be KS1 level rather than EYFS. Certainly DD1 couldn't handle this even in Year 2. DD2 possibly could have managed this late Year 1, had similar in Y2.

HTH

Forgot to mention - our school had a tendency to give atrocious homeworks just before end of school year parent surveys so parents would respond that they wanted less homework.

Can't say this is what is going on at your school - but at our school delivery of a really difficult homework tended to have an agenda.

DD2 got 2 pages of LETTS comprehension one weekend - took us 4 hours to complete with a lot of help from me because she didn't understand what the questions were asking - we were one of the few families who attempted to do it all (presuming it was assigned for a valid reason of some sort) - lots of complaints to school regarding this homework and 2 weeks later the school announced that due to parental feedback (for which read complaints) literacy homework would be reduced to merely recommending children read at home for 1 - 2 hours a week.