6 Year Olds Homework ??

[fruitsalad]

I'm helping my 6 year old grandaughter do her homework and I'm ashamed to say I do not understand one of the questions, please help!!

Write a word story for this number
30-5 =6

[New Judge]

Regretfully (though I'm not ashamed to say so and nor should you be) I haven't a clue what it means. I don't know what a "word story" is and I don't know how it relates to an incorrect arithmetical equation.

[Tilly2]

In a jar, on the table, were 30 brightly coloured Smarties. Grandma came along and said to herself, 'Those look nice'......

[bednobs]

me either and i have a six year old

[Mamyalynne]

I'm slightly confused with the numbers shown.

Is that

30 divided 5 = 6 ?

A number story seems to be a short putting into words the sum on the page.

[Buenchico]

The only 'word story' I can think of reads like this:

"Once upon a time there was a teacher who didn't proofread her worksheets properly. That made her pupils very confused, it made their parents very angry and it made the teacher look very silly"

Unless maths has changed considerably since I got my degree in it (and taught it to A-level) the question is clearly meaningless. Even if it was numerically correct it should say 'sum' and not 'number' but, as it stands, it's nothing but twaddle.

[Tilly2]

I read it as divided!

[New Judge]

You have a more vivid imagination than me, Tilly !!!

[Mamyalynne]

Click on some thumbnails here.

http://everydaymath.uchicago.edu/community/student-gallery/number-stories/

[Buenchico]

Mamyalynne has pointed out that replacing - with ÷ would at least produce a meaningful sum but division (in a formal way) seems to be a bit advanced for 6-year-olds.

[Tilly2]

What does the homework task actually ask/say, Fruit Salad?

[Tilly2]

Not if the Smarties are divided between Grandma and her four grandchildren. 'One for you, one for you, ...

[mallyh]

if it was a division sign it would be correct but thats as far as i.ve got

[Jackdaw33]

FAO Chico.

÷ does not result in a sum but a quotient.
As to the difference between a story and a word story, search me.

[fruitsalad]

Thank you for suggestions this is all it says
Write a word story for this number sentence
30-- 5 = 6

[Buenchico]

>>> ÷ does not result in a sum but a quotient

Agreed - but what is on the page is an equation, which translates into 'sum' for a 6-year-old. ("Doing sums" for 6-year-olds doesn't just involve "doing adds"; it includes "doing take-aways" as well!)

[aelmpvw]

sure we hadn't got as far divisions when i was 6

[Tilly2]

What is between the 30 and the 5, Fruitsalad? We now have two hyphens.

[Prudie]

First time you put -, second time --. Which is it (not that either make sense but in maths you have to put it exactly as written)?

[Buenchico]

>>> Write a word story for this number sentence
30-- 5 = 6

Ruddy eck! Now it looks like it's got a negative number in it!

In reality, it's beginning to look more like it should be a division symbol. In which case, it's then straightforward. ("30 sweets were shared out between 5 children, so they got 6 each").

[Prudie]

And when I was 6 all maths was called sums :-)