It doesn't help that the current (US) curriculum, at least in text books in my area, ask deceptively complex questions without explaining what sort of answer th

It doesn't help that the current (US) curriculum, at least in text books in my area, ask deceptively complex questions without explaining what sort of answer they're looking for. My first grader would have questions like "Sarah has 9 apples and then adds 3 more from another basket. How many apples does Sarah Have? Write the answer in equation format, then Explain why the answer is true" That last part is a strange question or at least phrasing. A proper answer verges on number theory, while the actual answer they're looking for is a tautological "Because 9 + 3 = 12". These sorts of questions confuse my kids because they realize the "explain" the book wants is just repeating the answer again, which doesn't make sense, so they think that can't be what the question is really asking.