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Math on the Level users please advise
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I have been leaning towards MOTL for awhile. When I was searching for a math curriculum this year I wanted to get it but couldn’t afford it at the time. I started my 3rd grade son on the 2nd grade level of CLE sunrise math. He absolutely hates it. It’s not that he doesn’t understand or do well, he just hates the huge amount of worksheets. I even go through and circle different parts for him so he doesn’t have to do the whole thing. I’m now considering purchasing MOTL again because I hate for him to hate math so much. I’m just a bit afraid of the program to be honest. From what I’ve read I will be completely in charge of what he learns and when. This is good and bad I guess. I’m worried about not being able to do it or teach him properly.
I would really love to hear what you love or don’t love about this program. Math has always been a real issue in our house and I just don’t want it to be. I will need to purchase something else soon because my son is well over half way through CLE now.
Thanks!
momof3, I totally get what you’re saying. MOTL is a totally different approach. I will say this though: your child will learn with it if you stick with it and you can teach to his learning style. You can go as slow or as fast as he needs. You can skip what he already knows, spend extra time, move to something else if it isn’t clicking, etc.
I will tell you this is how we use it with our oldest three: DS, 14, 8th grade; DS, 12, 6th grade; DS, 10, 5th grade.
1. I introduce a new concept once a week. If they get it, I don’t go over the following week. If they need more, I go over the next week. If it still doesn’t click, I just make a note to wait and go back to it later.
2. On the same day I intro a new concept, I have them watch a vido on Khan Academy on-line teaching the same concept BEFORE I go over the concept with them. This cuts way down on frustration levels on my part and theirs. 🙂 I am NOT strong in math, so I like having them watch someone else teach the concept first.
3. Every day I have them do a 5-A-Day worksheet that I have created with problems. I try to use each of the 4 teaching books once a week (so problems from the Fractions book one day; the operations book another day; the geometry book another; and the Money and Decimals book another). Some weeks we just get 4 of the 5-A-Days done. On the 5th day, I just make up some problems.
4. I have a teaching scope sheet that is fluid for each of them. I created it myself in Word. It just shows the concepts they have yet to learn. This was easier for me than the Excel spreadsheet MOTL provides to its users, but the Excel works for many and if you like the SCM organizer here you’ll probably love the Excel system as it is very fluid and adjusts as you make changes.
5. I just work through the concepts as I feel they are ready. I was very intimidated at first, but after 3 years using it I feel much more comfortable with it.
I wanted to mention that if you buy, you’ll get a complete Teaching Sequence. Now this is just a suggestions, but you could follow it if you wanted. It lists all of the 180+ concepts in the MOTL curriculum by category (there are 4 as I mentioned above).
I also use it with our two 1st graders, but they aren’t doing 5-A-Days yet. The MOTL system takes a gentle approach and basically you use living math in the early years exclusively. I do have abacuses for each of them, and we use the RightStart abacus book along with MOTL teaching suggestions. They provide an early years checklist and have tons of ideas for teaching basic concepts and when these are suggested.
Already this year our two 1st graders have learned to count by 10s to 200, a solid grasp of the number 0, counting by 2s, identifying numbers 0–100 in numeric form and some of those written out, adding and subtracting w/out manipulatives up to 10, adding and subtracting with manipulatives up to 20, the eight basic shapes along with parallelograms and trapezoids, fractions of 1 whole, 1/2, 1/4 and 1/3, the 4 basic coins, and several other things I’m not remembering. I used ideas in MOTL to teach all of these concepts along with things I see on-line, in RightStart abacus book, etc.
MOTL has allowed me to teach our children in engaging ways and at their own pace. Before MOTL, our oldest son HATED math and didn’t understand many concepts. Now he is ready for algebra after just 3 years in MOTL.
I can’t recommend it enough! I might do a post on my blog about it. I have so many people ask me. It might be easier to do that and point people to it. If I get to it, I’ll link back up to it here. HTH.
Thank you so much for taking to time to reply in such detail. Yes, you should definitely do a blog post. That would save you a lot of time in the future if a lot of people are asking! I really do appreciate the help. I think I’m going to take the plunge. I just want math to be better for us in this house. Right now the very mention of the “M” word makes my son drop to his knees and beg to not have to do it. It is not leaving a good impression on my younger son either. He is already convinced that he doesn’t like math either.
Anyway, thanks so much!
Just a quick note–don’t let yourself become overwhelmed by the Overview and Record Keeping book and instructions. I just can’t get my brain to use their record sheets. It’s just too much for me to think through. I also downloaded the excel spreadsheet thing, and I’m just not that way. So I have a card file box and if they are supposed to do something three times a week, I just have three cards with that on it and I put them in whatever days I want to do it. Now that’s fluid!
Best of luck
Totally agree with Art. I don’t use the record-keeping chart either. I use my own!
Also I reread my post and it might not have been clear. I teach our three oldest a new concept each week, but I teach them individually. I teach our oldest a new one on Monday, next oldest a new concept on Tuesday and third oldest a new concept on Wednesday.
I also use IXL for extra practice. It is on-line and offers an explanation to them for incorrect answers, they can choose any concept for
Preschool to Geometry. It is well with cost for us. All 5 of my DC have an account.
I purchase throuh Homeschool Buyers Co-op.
https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ixl-math/?source=56669
Thanks to you both. I must admit, I am not a very organized person by nature and really struggle to keep all of my homeschool stuff organized. That’s the main reason I haven’t taken the plunge yet. I am very afraid I won’t be able to keep up with everything.
momof3,
I’m a little late to catch this post, but I understand your fear, too, in using MOTL and not being organized. I do use their Excel spreadsheet and like it very much. It helps keep me organized by showing me every day what concepts my kids should be reviewing. All I have to do is add the concepts as we learn them. I have a math struggler, and while she hasn’t suddenly blossomed in her math abilities, she no longer fears/hates math since we switched to MOTL over a year ago. That’s a huge compliment for this program.
My suggestion: be patient with it at first. Give yourself a few weeks, even, to become familiar with the books before trying to use it. But do try it.
Thank you all. I found it used and went ahead and bought it. I am going to take my time reading and figuring things out before getting started with it. I was thinking of waiting until after Christmas break but I hate to make him continue like this until then.
momof3,
So glad you found a copy of it. If I were you, I’d spend a week reading through what you can as far as the getting started part. But no need to make your son wait. You could just call it a gentle approach!
You could just find a concept you think would naturally interest him or that he would enjoy. I suggest this b/c it sounds like he may need some confidence building in math, so pick a concept that you think will aid in this.
Then just sit down with him and teach it to him. Like I said, I do use the Khan videos to help me. I have my oldest three watch the video first, then I go over the concept again with them. With my oldest, I’m now allowing him to read from the manual himself, then we just work a few practice problems together. At that time, he can ask questions and/or I can help him if he is stuck on something.
You can always start adding in the 5-A-Days as you go, maybe even try to get two done a week at first and go up from there. Be sure to give your son problems on his first 5-A-Days that are concepts he knows. You don’t want him feeling defeated by not being able to answer them. I have to remind myself of this. The 5-A-Days should not be concepts he hasn’t learned already.
You can also use the 5-A-Days strategically by figuring out where he is at. Try to mark the book and page on the bottom of each problem. I have a 5-A-Day template with 6 boxes on it. I use the 6th box for an extra credit question, which is often a math vocab term and/or a word problem. I use funny names and scenarios that my older boys just can’t resist LOL!
Oh and when I say put the book and page #, I just mean like “Fr96” meaning Fractions book, page 96. Then you can assess and check easily.
Here is my 5-A-Day template that I use. I made spiral-bound books for our three oldest with these pages in it along with some blank notebook and grid paper for working out problems.
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