Maths - can you ask your 10 year old dc to try this?

[admylin]

I want to compare what ds is doing at school abroad with what he would be doing in UK. He would be in year 6 in UK:

A garden path measures 8,40m by 1,60m. It will covered with tiles which are square, measuring 40cm by 40cm. There wil also be a border all the way round of stones which measure 0,50m in length.
a) How many tiles do you need?
b) How many edge stones do you need?

Could you ask your 10 year olds if they find this easy and can they solve it? Ds managed it but it took ages!

[brimfull]

blimey that seems hard to me
don't have a 10 yr old thougu

[admylin]

I know, ds just told me he had this sum in class and only 1 or 2 pupils managed to get either a or b but no one got it all. How come they give this sort of thing when no one seems to know ho wto solve it though? Teacher decided to send it home - presume so the parents get to spend Sunday teaching what he can't be bothered to explain.

[purpleduck]

If its any consolation, the lady at the tile store couldn't do similar..
she sold us about 3 extra boxes of tiles....

[BonsoirAnna]

Have asked DP what he thinks (as he does maths homework with the boys) and he says that in France that would be the kind of problem 10 years olds would be working on.

[BonsoirAnna]

DSS1 is now in first year secondary in France and his maths homework is definitely harder than that.

[BonsoirAnna]

DSS2

[evamariesmummy]

In what country are you?

[RustyBear]

I've seen questions very similar to that in the KS2 SATs papers, not sure if they would be level 4 (expected level) or level 5.
I'll ask the Y6 teacher tomorrow.

Thing is, if some of them in the class managed to solve (a) & some (b)then presumably that means they have actually been taught both the necessary methods, they just aren't managing to apply them.

[castille]

My 9yo and 11yos are doing/have done this sort of maths (in France), but their teachers don't set homework like that without working on how to solve such things in class first.

[scienceteacher]

My 9 year old guinea pig DD has just did this problem without any hesitation. She is in year 5.

[Feenie]

That's a fairly typical level 5 word problem (more able y5 and y6s).

Your dd is obviusly good at Maths then, Scienceteacher!

[singersgirl]

DS1 is 10 in Y6 and has done this type of problem, though I haven't asked him to do this one.