Math question....rounding help!

[annaz]

We don't use Singapore, but I'm hoping that maybe someone here will help me. dd does not understand rounding to the nearest hundred. Even dh tried to explain it today, but to no avail. We've been trying to explain this for a few days, but on an every other day basis.

Perhaps you have some tricks you can share? We've tried a few and she can round to the nearest 10, but is soooooo off on rounding to the nearest hundred, we are getting nowhere.

Thanks!

[Busymomma1]

If she understands place value, tell her she just needs to look at the "nearest" 10 when rounding to 100's in the same way she looked at the "nearest unit" when rounding to the nearest 10. Assuming the rule to round up is 5 and up, and rounding down is 4 and lower...say you have 26, you use the "6" unit to know you need to round up to the next 10, which is 30. Well, if you have the number 167, the # to consider when rounding to the nearest 100 is the one in the 10's place, (or the one next to the 100's place) which is 6. So you would round up to the next 100, making the answer 200. Basically, she can "focus" on the 10's place to figure out the nearest 100. I hope that makes sense. That's how we learned it/taught it with Math U See, and it made sense to our dd.

[annaz]

If she understands place value, tell her she just needs to look at the "nearest" 10 when rounding to 100's in the same way she looked at the "nearest unit" when rounding to the nearest 10. Assuming the rule to round up is 5 and up, and rounding down is 4 and lower...say you have 26, you use the "6" unit to know you need to round up to the next 10, which is 30. Well, if you have the number 167, the # to consider when rounding to the nearest 100 is the one in the 10's place, (or the one next to the 100's place) which is 6. So you would round up to the next 100, making the answer 200. Basically, she can "focus" on the 10's place to figure out the nearest 100. I hope that makes sense. That's how we learned it/taught it with Math U See, and it made sense to our dd.

It makes sense, thank you....but "been there, done that".
I've tried the number line.
I've tried underlining the "target" number; the place value we round to (i.e. 151, then "1" is the target number); Then we use the tens place as the power number and we circle it, because the tens place has all the power.
Yep, I've done 171 as a "17" to show that she'd round to 20, but if the number is a hundred number; like 171, then she'd round to 200 (20 vs 200). She'll round to the hundred below the hundred and above it (which we tell her she can only go up), so if the number is 570 she'll say between 400 and 600.
She'll round to the hundred that is the tens number; so if the number is 570, she'll say it's between 700 & 800.....she's all over the place. But go figure, she can round to the nearest 10.

[Busymomma1]

Wow! Sounds like you've got good tricks already! I know I've been at my whit's end at times with things (in my case, reading with my 2nd ds). That's when my hubby reminds me to pray over him! The Lord is faithful to answer! And when I don't have any whiz-bang answers of my own, I always pull out James 1:5 - "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." I know that may sound like "an easy answer", but seriously, I believe the Lord will give us insight when we ask.

Blessings to you! Let us know when it clicks for her, and what the trick was!

[annaz]

Wow! Sounds like you've got good tricks already! I know I've been at my whit's end at times with things (in my case, reading with my 2nd ds). That's when my hubby reminds me to pray over him! The Lord is faithful to answer! And when I don't have any whiz-bang answers of my own, I always pull out James 1:5 - "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." I know that may sound like "an easy answer", but seriously, I believe the Lord will give us insight when we ask.

Blessings to you! Let us know when it clicks for her, and what the trick was!

Yes, I should absolutely ask for insight. Thank you for the verse. Sometimes I just need to know that this (rounding) isn't that important and will be grasped when it's grasped.

[MamaBear23Cubs]

Maybe just take a break over that part of math and come back to it later? I had to do that with my oldest with some parts of math. I was just stopping everything but I always end up not being done with her math book until mid summer. Now I just add extra practice to the parts she needs help or take a break for a few days or week and go back to it.

[Mom2Monkeys]

For my dd the trick has been to try a few days then move on! Come back in a week or two or 4...lol..and see her say "oooohhhhh, now I get it!" Sometimes they just need to let it soak in and process and step away so they can come back to it refreshed.This has been the case for several things...money, time, rounding hundreds, etc.

[Tansy]

My dd didn't get rounding either. we spent 6 weeks on it you know the scatter brain bit sounds very familiar! My dd still will take 16 and round it to 60. I know with her the information goes to the wrong place in her brain and then comes out jumbled. Many times it is easier for her to just guess at it then deal with the cross wired-ness of her brain.

My suggestion is weird but it has worked for us. Listen to Mozart for 10 minutes right before you do math. It is very orderly music and helps order and focus the brain.

I also make her round the tags in the grocery store she gets a 5 cent credit for each right answer, and at the end of shopping she can pick something with the credit she has earned. Its amazing how focused she becomes... also the answers are usually pretty easy they all round up! This helps her see rounding has a purpose, but she still doesn't think it is a good purpose.

[annaz]

My dd didn't get rounding either. we spent 6 weeks on it you know the scatter brain bit sounds very familiar! My dd still will take 16 and round it to 60. I know with her the information goes to the wrong place in her brain and then comes out jumbled. Many times it is easier for her to just guess at it then deal with the cross wired-ness of her brain.

My suggestion is weird but it has worked for us. Listen to Mozart for 10 minutes right before you do math. It is very orderly music and helps order and focus the brain.

I also make her round the tags in the grocery store she gets a 5 cent credit for each right answer, and at the end of shopping she can pick something with the credit she has earned. Its amazing how focused she becomes... also the answers are usually pretty easy they all round up! This helps her see rounding has a purpose, but she still doesn't think it is a good purpose.

Ha! Cute! Great ideas....