Books to recommend?

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splash
Posts: 68
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2012 10:21 am
Location: Uk

Books to recommend?

Post by splash »

Hi all
My daughter has started secondary school, and on the whole she tells me it's great fun, but I've notice she doesn't put much time into maths-she tells me none of her friends like maths either. I suppose girls don't like maths very much. My DD is the type of person that won't do something if they are bad at it or if they don't like it, so I really want to change her attitude towards maths and get her better at it, because if she doesn't start doing her homework properly she'd get a scolding from the teacher.
I've also noticed she doesn't like Science, either; especially Physics. I guess that's unsurprising-Physics is quite a mathy subject and maths is quite a sciency subject, so they all link together. Anyway, the main point is does anyone recommend any KS3 Physics/Maths books?
Thx
From Splash :-)
Tinkers
Posts: 7240
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 2:05 pm
Location: Reading

Re: Books to recommend?

Post by Tinkers »

What about http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Maybe it's just not getting explained well enough. If none of them like it maybe it's a teacher issue.

(And lots of girls do like maths. :D and physics.
I certainly did, so much so, I'm now an engineer.)
Daogroupie
Posts: 11099
Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:01 pm
Location: Herts

Re: Books to recommend?

Post by Daogroupie »

Maths is wonderful, I love maths. Lots and lots of girls love Maths and Science and do brilliantly at it. I was not taught Maths well at school but rediscovered it later in life and I believe that everyone can enjoy maths if they have the good fortune to have a great teacher. See if you can find a female sixth former who is doing A level maths who can convey a love of the subject to her. Do not let her believe this myth that girls don't like maths. DG
solimum
Posts: 1420
Joined: Wed May 09, 2007 3:09 pm
Location: Solihull, West Midlands

Re: Books to recommend?

Post by solimum »

Another "girl" who loves Maths (and Science) here!

She might be inspired by a couple of fiction books - "The Phantom Tollbooth" is a classic, and should (IMHO) be compulsory for everybody! Also "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" famously uses the heroes obsessions, including Maths,and has the chapters headed by prime numbers

Also the various Usborne puzzle adventure books I seem to recall being popular - there are often some logic-style puzzles hidden amongst a story about hidden treasure or haunted castles..

There are equivalents to the "Horrible Histories" paperbacks for Maths & Science topics (i can't remember the names but there were books like "Murderous Maths" "Chemical Chaos" etc - these are great fun and easy to dip into

there are plenty of popular Maths books written for the non-specialist - such as Ian Stewart's "Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities". Try reading them yourself to dispel the idea that maths is only a boring thing you have to do at school.. There have been some interesting TV programmes too by Marcus de Sautoy and others. (Time to drool over Brian Cox perhaps...)
southbucks3
Posts: 3579
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:59 am

Re: Books to recommend?

Post by southbucks3 »

Just to give an alternative perspective, i regarded maths as a necessary evil, ditto physics. I still passed them both, and ended up in a career where i had to use logarithm on a daily basis...bleughhh!
As it is her first term, there is no harm in you checking her maths, until she gets in the flow, and if she gets stuck on any element i strongly recommend bbc bitesize on the internet. Should she refuse help, and refuse to put in full effort then a teacher 'scolding' her is probably for the best.
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Books to recommend?

Post by mystery »

Have you looked at the maths and science results at gcse 2012 very carefully at your school. Look at the dfe performance tables and see what percentage of children with level 5 at ks2 make expected progress. Ask the school for results grade by grade and subject by subject.

What did your dd get at ks2? Is she in top sets or not? Is this a single sex school or not? I am always surprised at the statement that girls do not like maths. I went to a girls' school and I was surrounded by friends who liked maths.
pheasantchick
Posts: 2439
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:28 pm

Re: Books to recommend?

Post by pheasantchick »

Is she in year 7? If so, it's still early days, and a pupils liking for a subject can vary enormously over a year.
Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: Books to recommend?

Post by Amber »

solimum wrote:She might be inspired by a couple of fiction books - ... "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" famously uses the heroes obsessions, including Maths,and has the chapters headed by prime numbers)
It is indeed a great book and I have used it with children as young as Year 8, but I've been reading it closely with them 1-1. It is, however, an A level text and one needs to be mindful of both the subject matter and the language before offering it to a year 7 girl, I think.

Good ideas though, and Brian Cox does seem able to inspire children and adults alike. :wink:
silverysea
Posts: 1105
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:32 pm

Re: Books to recommend?

Post by silverysea »

Try also Skips CrossMaths puzzles-and thanks for this thread because as a result I now know they go beyond 11+! Hurray!
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