I had a major scare yesterday after school during tutoring. My kids had a test the following day, and the homework I assigned was 1/2 odd problems (answers in the back) and 1/2 even on all the skills they needed for their test. One of the students was working an odd numbered problem, and then asked me if it was right. I told her to check the answer in the back. This was a total revelation to her. She didn't know the odd numbered answers existed, and after I told her, she couldn't track them down.
Then another student asked me how to do another problem. I asked her what the directions were and had her read them to me. Then I asked her to flip to the start of this particular section of problems. She didn't know what to do. We figured that out. Then I asked her to find an example they work through that is similar to that problem. We struggled to do that, too.
So, their homework tonight is a Textbook Scavenger Hunt (we use the Holt book).
This sounds like a great idea! I'll have to adapt to my textbook and give it a try.
ReplyDeleteWould you believe that I teach Developmental math at the college level and they have the same problems? I did a similar first day activity with the graphing calculator. I think I'm going to adapt your idea as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Yeesh. I guess that doesn't surprise me. I'm collecting the work tomorrow, so I'll see how they did. I think I want to revise it to have some sort of summary questions to make them process what and why I made them do this.
ReplyDeleteMs. Cookie
Yep, great idea - I'm gonna use it too, and pass it on to colleagues. Thanks!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post! It will be perfect to get my kids to understand how they're supposed to use their book as a tool to help them, not just a vessel to deliver the homework problems!
ReplyDelete