5Th Grade Math Test

My daughter is in the 4th grade and whenever we have trouble on a item in math, I will make up short tests for her to practice the different items that she is having the problems with. We also frequently google different free websites with the homework problem of the day. For example I didn't know how to help her on front end estimation. We googled it and many webistes can help you narrow down the topic by grade and give you little quizzes on anthing from adding to algebra. One that we recently used was www.ixl.com There are tons out there. They help me, to help my daughter. I feel that practice is the only way to help with math. She recently brought up a B+ to an A-. Every little bit, helps. Good luck.

hey A.,
We home school and had the same problem with tests. My sister-in-law suggested graph paper for the problems as it automatically lines up the problems and answers. I thought it was kind of out there, but we tried it and had immediate results that day. (doing long division and multiple number multiplication) You might try sending the paper to school with her for scrap paper on tests, talk to the school and let them know you want to try it.

Hi A.,
My Husband is by far the most interlligent person I know. He's an Engineer, with a Master's degree. He has adult ADHD and had problems in class (both in morning work And Testing). I'm NOT trying to scare you,if your daughter had problems concentrating in school YOU'D KNOW IT! :-)
What I am saying is that he said he had to REally Focus on Math, he had to keep working the same problems over and over until he could "do the math" without having to really think about it b/c he would "choke" on Tests...
I agree with the advice you got about possibly having your daughter tested.
I do have 1 suggestion first-Will she talk to you? If not, will she talk to someone in the family-her Daddy, a Grandparent...someone with whom she feels comfy enough with that she will open up to them (I hope that's you, but as much as I LOVE my Mom, in the 5th grade, for me, it wasn't). Maybe there is a problem with a student/teacher and it is manifesting itself when she takes her Math tests??
I had a teacher in 5th grade who told me I just "didn't get it"-she was my Math teacher, and after that I wasn't a very good math student, I believed my teacher and never questioned my own abilities. After that my Math grades were b's mostly but I had to struggle b/c I'd developed a mental block.
If the problem is a teacher's comment, she might be able to get tutoring and get past it. If she is "choking" on tests she might need some place that works with her to get her confidence up and "teaches" her how to be calm when she's testing.
I hope this helps!
Good Luck :-) C.

You are going to hate this answer, but some kids, very bright kids, don't test well. Sometimes studying habits can be modified: for example, when she's doing extra math homework (that you assign) have her write everything out in longhand, and in three different colors: red, black, and blue..this helps the brains remember better. Also, if it's allowed, sometimes chewing gum will help a child concentrate on a test..crazy, I know but it works! Good luck, and many blessings.

Have you checked into having her tested for some under lying problem. Some children do not test well and have to have more time or a special environment. I have numerous siblings with a multitude of off spring and several of them have to have test adapted to their needs.

If you don't think there is anything else you can do, you might look at getting a tutor. You might be able to find a high school student or a college student who would be able to help for a lot cheaper than what a professional tutor would be. I would probably try to find a college student majoring in early childhood education, they might even need to do something like this for a school project or class credit. Good luck!

She is probably reading too much into the questions because she's got "test anxiety." Tell her that if the question is multiple choice or true/false, she will know the answer as soon as she reads the question (if she knows the material.) Then all she has to do is look for the answer that popped into her head when she read the question. If the answer that came to her isn't among the choices given, the correct answer will be the one that requires the fewest qualifiers. In other words, if you have to use too many "if..then" to make an answer work, it's not the right answer.

If you're not dealing with multiple choice or true/false, is it a matter of her not having enough time to complete the test? Does she spend a lot of time on some questions that may be more difficult and then not get to the rest of the test? If that's the case, tell her to look at the question and decide if she knows the answer or can figure it rather quickly. With those, she should answer them and move on. With those that she immediately knows are going to take more time, she should make a little mark and move on to the next one. When she's done with all that were easier, she can come back to the ones that she felt would take more time.

Also to be considered, is there any possibility that there is a reading problem -- that the teacher is talking through the morning work and so your daughter is able to follow along but, when the test comes, she has to read and interpret the entire thing on her own? Could some form of dyslexia be at work here that no one has noticed because she is doing relatively well? Remember, countless people with learning disorders have made it through school because they have developed methods that enabled them to maneuver through the system undetected.

Lastly, what's wrong with a B? Didn't Einstein actually flunk math? Good luck, A..

A., my son had some issues with test taking, he's in his JR year in college and still has some challenges....he knows the material but when he gets in a test situation many times he locks up....there doesn't seem to be any reason why, some people just do...he's extremely intelligent but locks up on tests...it's a struggle for him and because of that we watched his grades other than tests and cut him some slack on the final grade because he knew the material....you may want to check to find out what kind of learner she is....my son is an auditory learner....it will appear that he's not paying attention but if you fire him a question he can give you an immediate answer...kids learn and process differently. On his ACT the highest score he got was a 19 but if you gave him the practice test it indicated that he should score a 26-28...If you can identify the issues at this age, then you/she can learn how to work with/thru those issues....good luck, R.