Works for Me Wednesday: Building Number Words
* This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. *
If you have a kid who learns asynchronously, you know how frustrating it can be for them to hit those hurdles built by a mismatch of skills. Even if you have a child who learns pretty evenly across the board, it can still be frustrating to have to remember so many new skills at once in order to complete tasks.
My kids were running into frustrations when their math book asked them to write number words. I’m not talking about simple words like one or two, but big, long words like sixty-three thousand four hundred one. That’s a lot to remember and get written down while trying to remember how to spell everything and not leave out any numbers.
So, I decided to take some of the stress out of the assignment by creating a set of “buildable number word” cards. I wrote the number words one through nineteen on individual cards, followed by twenty through ninety (by tens), hundred, thousand and a few dashes for connecting.
Now, they can build the number words. Once they’re satisfied with the way they’ve got the cards laid out, they can copy that onto their worksheets without the added stress of remembering how to spell everything and get everything in the right order and making their hands write the number words that they’ve got in their heads on the paper before they forget what they’re doing. They’ve been using the cards for about two weeks and it’s really working well for them.
Visit Kristin at We Are THAT Family for more Works for Me Wednesday tips.
Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.
Excellent idea! I've been sort of skipping those darn ones and just letting her orally tell me the numbers. Bad mom, I know!
Writing is just such a chore for her. We're in our first year and still in the detox from the hurry-up-and-finish-so-you-can-sneak-read tact that she learned in public school. I'm trying your idea tomorrow!
I love this idea. My kids have hated those types of problems for different reasons. I've often let them tell me the numbers orally, but this is better.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/kristenph
great idea! i am thinking of several ways to adjust to suit my Kindergartener. she'll love it. THANK YOU 🙂
You're not a bad mom, Melanie…or, if you are, I am, too! 😉 That's what I've always done before — let the kids tell me the numbers orally. That's how I knew they knew what they number words were; it was just hard for them to get what they knew in their heads out on paper.
Fabulous idea! You rock!
Samantha
Thanks for sharing that. I recently gave my daughter a "cheat sheet" with all the numbers spelled out for her so she could write it onto her sheet, but having them separate so they can build the number is even better.
Thanks for sharing another one of your great inspirations!
What a great idea! I've just been allowing my spelling/writing-challenged child to just skip those pages if I wasn't available to spell everything out for him. From now on, however, I think we'll use your method. Of course this means he may not agree your idea was so great, but I thank you for sharing it all the same.
This is a great idea and thank you so much for sharing it. In my house, I would add a card with a comma because we use Switched on Schoolhouse. If an answer isn't exactly as the software expects, it is wrong and I have to use my discretion on whether to adjust the grade or not. So, in your example: sixty-three thousand four hundred one, it would be wrong and I probably would over-ride it and give credit anyway. The answer it expects includes a comma between the thousands and the hundreds, as in sixty-three thousand, four hundred one.
It's still a great idea and may very well help my middle daughter who hasn't yet gotten to this level. I am excited to copy your method!
mychildsview.blogspot.com
chickhatching.blogspot.com
I remember having this problem when my 7th grader was in that stage. I don't have anybody doing that at this moment but, maybe I will start working on these cards and put them back for when that time comes. I know I will forget this tip by then. thanks
@ Chick Hatchers — Thanks for pointing that out. I went back and looked and my kids' math text, Horizons, expects the comma, too. (Figures since Horizon and SOS are both published by AOP). I'll have to make some comma cards and throw them in there so they get in the habit of using the commas.
So…she used them today! Zero stress. Zero fuss. Funny how a simple idea can make such a difference in a lesson.
I just had to thank you again. Thank you!
http://www.finallyhomeschooling.blogspot.com
Melanie, Thanks for letting me know. That's wonderful! I'm glad it helped.
Nice idea! We're early in our home schooling and I hadn't thought ahead to this stage. But I think my kiddo is ready for this.