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RebeccaH

RebeccaH

Life is exciting, yes it is!
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Jul 12, 2009
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my daughter seems to be having anxiety issues when it comes to taking timed tests. she's 8. she KNOWS her multiples of 4, but she has taken the test at least 7 times now. she can't seem to pass it when she is given a time limit. when we practice at home, if i time her, she freaks out. if i DON'T time her (but really do time her secretly), she gets it done within the time limits that would otherwise be set.

how can i help her get over this issue with being timed? she's going to have to learn how to take timed tests...
 
Oh that's a tough one! Can she pretend that she's not timed? Can the teacher give it to her separately and time her secretly?
 
We have had an issue with this as well. My son was failing every timed math test because he felt rushed to complete all of the problems and would miss half of the ones along the way because he didn't stop to look at the symbols. What worked for us was to tell him that it was more important to get 5 problems correct than all 10 wrong, even if he doesn't make it to the end. This resonated well and he has done so much better since.
 
I had one son that thrived on timed math...another that froze.
Then we played with flashcards, not calling out numbers but I would take them and put them in a stack.
I pull them up, the boys would write answers down.
It was great...
they would laugh thru it
Having another person do it with them was the key, even if it is your husband.

You can also think about eating an elephant.
do you know how?
ONE bite at a time..
so time her
instead of the 100 problems in 5 minutes or so...
do 10 problems in 3 minutes, a very very long time for the amount.
or
give her the end time, not a timed amount

first time you did 100 in 4:34
second 4:32
etc..
then let her time you!
laugh and growl as you are doing it...
laughter is more important...laugh lauhg
 
Sorry, I don't have advice. However, as a teacher, I can tell you that I do not believe in timed tests (within reason). Have you discussed this issue with your daughter's teacher?
 
AmaG;n510740 said:
Sorry, I don't have advice. However, as a teacher, I can tell you that I do not believe in timed tests (within reason). Have you discussed this issue with your daughter's teacher?
Click to expand...
I emailed her and explained what I'm seeing. Definitely expressed my concerns. Haven't heard back from her yet, but it was just last night that I emailed. She is a fabulous teacher, and very available and cooperative, so I'm sure she will respond.
 
Anne, I LOVE your ideas! I think giving her 20 problems instead of 100 would be a great way to start!
I also think giving her her elapsed time rather than having her run out of time would be a much better mental approach to it for her. It would take away the pressure of coming in under 5 minutes!! Thanks for your advice!!
 
In my classroom, we use Rocket Math. (or an adaptation of it, anyway) I start out by giving a one-minute timed "test" but all they have to do is look at a number and copy it in a box. This gives me how many numbers they are able to write in a minute- which is how quickly they should be able to do math facts- look at the problem and write the answer. That's their goal.

So each child has their own goal, depending on how slow/fast they write their numbers. My kids range from 19 to 37 this year. (There are 40 problems.) If they reach their goal in the first level, they move on to the next. I absolutely LOVE this b/c it accounts for slower writers, kids who freak out during time tests, etc.

Maybe you could suggest it to your daughter's teacher? She can check it out at www.rocketmath.com. I'm sure there's a ton of teacher-made sheets for it, too, on Pinterest or Teachers Pay Teachers.
 
I did hear back from her teacher on this. She ended up just letting Meagan pass her 4's and move on to the 5s.
Funny thing was, she got all of her 5's but 1... She saw 5x11 and wrote 44!! I think she took her 4's SOOOO many times that she just saw the 11 and automatically calculated it as 4x11 instead of 5. :giggle
 
Still, though, we are going to work on some things together to try to help Meagan get more comfortable / confident with timed testing. It's important because their standards and acuity testing are all timed.
 
Oh my word! I didn't realize you were from Indiana until you mentioned Acuity! Where in IN are you?
 
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