Bad "Common Core Math" question, again. (elementary school, grade, teacher)

[Sarah2k9]

Here is a word problem from my son's 3rd grade math quiz. His teacher crossed it out and asked every kid to skip it. It is on the "Go Math!", published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. How is the wording? What is the answer? Is it for 3rd graders?

It seems all the great problems are from Asia, and all those bad ones are common core related. I really wish my son's school using Singapore math.

[pobre]

I would say the answer is:

6 pages 3 stamps each (6 groups of 3)
3 pages 6 stamps each
2 pages 9 stamps each

so 3 ways?

[Everdeen]

I think the answer is too vague. It would need to specify the groups as either rows/columns, combinations, or permutations.

[PeachSalsa]

It's looking for how many factor pairs there are of 18, using 3, 6, and 9.

So as previously stated:
3 groups 6
6 groups of 3
2 groups of 9

3 ways.

It's really not that difficult....

[GraceKrispy]

I agree- not that difficult, really, and in line with the way math is commonly taught in elementary school.

As a bonus extension, beyond the 3 ways listed, you could also do a group of 9, a group of 6 and a group of 3 on 3 different pages.

[Oldhag1]

Everdeen is absolutely right. For instance, I could say:

• 6 pages of 3 rows
• 6 pages of 3 columns
• 3 pages of 6 rows
• 3 pages of 6 columns
• 2 pages of 9 rows
• 2 pages of 9 columns
• 3 pages of 3 rows + 1 page of 9 rows (it didn't say you couldn't combine them)
• 3 pages of 3 rows + 1 page of 9 columns

...I'm up to 8 ways and it goes on...

Or are all the stamps supposed to be on one page and it is just a matter of rows and columns?

The answer they are most likely looking for is 3, but maybe not. Yeah, bad question.

[saibot]

Seven ways.

9 in one group, 9 in another. (9-9)

9 in one group, 6 in another, 3 in another (9-6-3)

9 in one group, 3 each in 3 groups (9-3-3-3)

6 each in 3 groups (6-6-6)

6, then 6, then 3, then 3 (6-6-3-3)

6, then 3, then 3, then 3 (6-3-3-3)

3 each in 6 groups (3-3-3-3-3-3)

At least that's how I would read it. And I would be annoyed, because the question is not specific enough.

[germaine2626]

Originally Posted by pobre

I would say the answer is:

6 pages 3 stamps each (6 groups of 3)
3 pages 6 stamps each
2 pages 9 stamps each

so 3 ways?

Originally Posted by PeachSalsa

It's looking for how many factor pairs there are of 18, using 3, 6, and 9.

So as previously stated:
3 groups 6
6 groups of 3
2 groups of 9

3 ways.

It's really not that difficult....

I retired before Common Core, but I believe that you are supposed to do all of the combinations.
So, two pages with 9 stamps each
OR, one page with 9 stamps, then another page with 6 stamps and a third page with 3 stamps
OR, one page with 9 stamps, then three pages with 3 stamps each.


Three combinations so far. Then on to multiples using pages with 6 stamps.


Three pages of 6 stamps each
OR two pages of 6 stamps each and two pages of 3 stamps each
OR one page of 6 stamps, and four pages of 3 stamps each


So, we are now up to six combinations. Then on to multiples using pages with 3 stamps.


Six pages of 3 stamps each.
All the other combinations should have been already stated so the answer is seven combinations.

Unless, the order of pages is important. Then you would need to figure out all the combinations of 9 stamp and 6 stamp pages, as the first page or as the last page, etc.


Poorly written question.

[bill83]

Originally Posted by Oldhag1

Everdeen is absolutely right. For instance, I could say:

• 6 pages of 3 rows
• 6 pages of 3 columns
• 3 pages of 6 rows
• 3 pages of 6 columns
• 2 pages of 9 rows
• 2 pages of 9 columns
• 3 pages of 3 rows + 1 page of 9 rows (it didn't say you couldn't combine them)
• 3 pages of 3 rows + 1 page of 9 columns

...I'm up to 8 ways and it goes on...

Or are all the stamps supposed to be on one page and it is just a matter of rows and columns?

The answer they are most likely looking for is 3, but maybe not. Yeah, bad question.

Exactly. It is a stamp collection, highly unlikely 18 of a kind. Just imagine how many ways to put 18 different icons on one single Windows desktop. You also have to deal with groups of 3, 6, and 9. This is my final answer.

[steveklein]

Just because a question is poorly worded doesn't mean the concepts of common core are bad.

I find it quite laughable that so many parents can't figure out their 4th grader's homework complain about common core being bad. There's another way to look at it, parents. Perhaps the education you got was so subpar you never really learned the proper way to do math and it is being clearly illustrated to you because you can't help your 4th grader.