@van_decaf that way no one is wrong.
— Kevin (@kevinpost) December 6, 2013
Everyone’s a winner! But we’re not handing Common Core cheerleaders any participation trophies for this one.
A teacher shared this breathtakingly stupid math problem with Twitchy reader @KevinPost. It’s reportedly from a Common Core-aligned book.
@michellemalkin a great common core question a friend,who is a teacher, posted. Cc @TwitchyTeam pic.twitter.com/LUxlyMEG3k
— Kevin (@kevinpost) December 6, 2013
Say wha?
After seeing this kind of gobbledygook many times, we’re all out of shocked faces. Twitchy founder Michelle Malkin called her daughter’s Houghton Mifflin algebra textbook a “nightmare” when she tweeted about the error-ridden text. Juanita’s sticker predicament appears to be from a Houghton Mifflin Assessment Guide.
@TwitchyTeam from assessment guild. This pic shows publisher pic.twitter.com/r41Qx6PPeN
— Kevin (@kevinpost) December 6, 2013
For context, check out this chapter a fourth-grade teacher uploaded to her website (PDF). It includes the same sticker scenario and the preceding questions offer no additional information to help students solve the poorly-worded problem. So the answer is up to you!
@TwitchyTeam no problem. Best answer so far " she buys all of them so no one is left out"
— Kevin (@kevinpost) December 6, 2013
@TwitchyTeam she buys zero because some kids might be allergic to sticker glue
— Kevin (@kevinpost) December 6, 2013
Special thanks to @KevinPost for bringing this example to our attention.
[Update]
Twitchy readers responding to our tweet of this post have replied that the answer is definitely “12.” Or “24.” Or “0.” Or “7.”
It’s all clear now, huh? Of those answers, we think 12 would be the smallest number of stickers she should buy (if we’re reading the problem correctly). But if the goal was to confuse people with a strangely-worded question, then score!
[Update]
Answers continue to come in (see comments below and tweets sent to @TwitchyTeam) and there’s one thing that is clear: the phrasing is misleading enough that adults are interpreting the question in several different ways. How does that help kids learn math?
Related:
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Michelle Malkin takes on reality-challenged Common Core mouthpiece
Dana Loesch slams Common Core, Arne Duncan on ‘Kelly File’
Education Secretary’s statement about Common Core opponents sparks ‘Moms Against Duncan’
First grade teacher mocks Common Core
‘Who should survive?’: Common Core assignment mixes race, religion and lifeboats
Michelle Malkin: My child’s Common Core-aligned Algebra book is crap
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