Primary Grade Challenge Math [Paperback]

Edward Zaccaro (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0967991536 | ISBN-13: 978-0967991535 | Publication Date: June 2003

Primary Grade Challenge Math offers material that goes beyond calculation skills for those children who enter the primary grades already knowing basic concepts. This curriculum allows parents and teachers to instill a deeper level of mathematical understanding and thinking skills in young children while nurturing a love of mathematics. (Grades 1st - 4th)

Each chapter’s questions are broken down into four levels:
Level 1 (easy)
Level 2 (somewhat challenging)
Level 3 (challenging)
Einstein (very challenging)

Includes chapters on: Sequences, Problem-solving, Money, Percents, Algebraic Thinking, Negative Numbers, Logic, Ratios, Probability, Measurements, Fractions, Division.

Product Details

• Paperback: 311 pages
• Publisher: Hickory Grove Press (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967991536
• ISBN-13: 978-0967991535
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Edward Zaccaro is a teacher of mathematically gifted children and the author of Challenge Math and Real World Algebra. He has presented at state and national conferences on gifted education.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun applications of elementary math skills, January 1, 2007

By 

Carol M (Oregon) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Primary Grade Challenge Math (Paperback)

The book is organized into chapters, with each chapter presenting a type of problem and the ways to think about that problem. And then there is a series of related story problems to solve, divided into 4 levels. For example, one chapter is about calculating whether an item (rope, building, etc) is strong enough for the intended use. Another chapter is about figuring out how much change you'd get in a store transaction. Another is percentages. Midway through, the concept of algebra is introduced and applied to the later chapters. The chapters are presented very conversationally, and explain how to think about the problem and approach the solution. They are illustrated with cartoons, and with characters discussing the problems.

My second grade daughter loves this book. She is gifted in math, and I was looking for some way to add extra challenge without "teaching ahead" in the normal curriculum. This has been great. It's not teaching new methods of computation (which she'll get in school thru the years), it's teaching approaches to problem solving. She usually does the level 1 problems with no help (but has to think fairly hard), but needs help on level 2. She is very proud of herself after conquering these questions. Levels 3 and 4 are beyond her for now. I can see us revisiting this book every year, and using it through about 5th grade.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great writing!, November 16, 2006

By 

Annmarie Hughes (Dubuque, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Primary Grade Challenge Math (Paperback)

This book is fantastic for a young student gifted in mathematics, or even a solid student who would like a bit more of a challenge. It's math of a more advanced level but the language holds the interest of a younger student, without talking down to them. And it explains the higher mathematical concepts in the way a younger child's mind would work! It's like the author remembers well how he thought when he was a kid and wrote the book from that POV. You can see the light go on in the child's eyes when that algebra or logic concept clicks!

This is the way math SHOULD be taught and if we gave kids a solid foundation and then gave them a challenge like this, and taught them like this, they'd be far and above students anywhere, I think, because it's not a book of tricks, it's solid math, and FUN.

38 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Awesome", January 17, 2004

By 

Karen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Primary Grade Challenge Math (Paperback)

I walked into my son's room and my mouth dropped open. My son was reading his Primary Grade Challenge Math Book ON HIS OWN. When I asked him how he liked the book he replied, "It's awesome!" Later he found me to tell me about about a problem he had just solved. He had such a proud look on his face. I have never seen my child so excited about learning math. What a great idea to write a math book that actually makes learning math fun! I can't wait to get my hands on the author's other books.