At a Glance:
Product: Daily Word Problems Grade 5
Publisher: Evan Moor
Grade Level: 5
Teacher Prep: Minimal
Uses: Math Supplement
Rating: 4 out of 4 golden pencils
Workbooks are something I never have a shortage of in my home. However, I do not use them nearly as much as the space on my bookshelf warrants. However, one company always comes to mind when I think of the workbooks which get time in little hands and that company is Evan Moor. I am never disappointed when I purchase an Evan Moor product. So when given the opportunity to review Evan Moor’s Daily Word Problems from Timberdoodle I happily accepted.
Mathematic skills in Daily Word Problems for 5th Grade: (from site)
multi-digit addition and subtraction
1-, 2-, and 3-digit multiplication
1-, 2-, and 3-digit divisors
time and money fractions
decimals and percents
reading and interpreting graphs and charts
average, mode, range
area and perimeter
logic
linear measurement
weight and capacity
Features: (from site)
The weekly themes in grade 5 present challenges in many topics such as dog walking, computers, reading, travel, pizza, and car racing.
36 weekly sections
Each week’s problems center on a theme, creating more meaningful and interesting practice
Monday through Thursday contain a one- or two-step word problem
Friday’s format is more extensive and may require multiple steps, and may involve a chart or graph
What I liked:
I liked the organization and set up of the workbook. As you read in the features the book is divided up into 36 weeks. Each day the child is given a word problem to solve. That’s it, one word problem a day for five days. The layout makes this workbook perfect for warm ups before you begin your math lesson for the day or as a supplement for children who do not like word problems. I am an oddity and always loved word problems as a kid so beginning the math lesson with a word problem is great fun for me. I was not sure it would be the same for my 5th grader. I’ll be honest; he had no opinion on how fun it was. He was able to solve the problems and was able to address a few weaknesses so in that it was a success. He said he “liked” the book. Keep in mind this is an 11 year old boy who would rather play Xbox than solve equations. At any rate, the theme and progression of the word problems through the week is a genius idea.
What I didn’t like:
There is only one word problem a day. Is that a real complaint? I did put it as a “like” also. You see, I liked the idea that it was a simple warm up yet I truly would have preferred three problems a day. I found it too easy to skip this assignment and think you could just make up for it the next day. However, the quality of the product and the everyday skill practice make up for this flaw if it can even be called one.
Many kids dislike word problems. They think of math as simple black and white numbers on a page they must solve to get more black and white numbers on a page. This is a serious flaw in the teaching of math. Math is life. We use math everyday and that isn’t some math geek slogan. Word problems are essential to relating the equation to life to make it relevant to the child. If you can make math relevant you will have greater success with understanding. Evan Moor provides a few minutes a day of connecting the black and white numbers on a page with real life with Daily Word Problems.
Disclosure: As a member of Timberdoodle’s Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.