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Math woes… change to TT or MUS?
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Oh, I typed a big long post and then lost the internet signal… So I will try to make this shorter.
<span style=”line-height: 1.5;”>Dd12 started math lessons with Math Mammoth, but we changed to Abeka workbooks for a spiral approach (and they were reasonably priced. Some were even gifted to us. The textbooks have been our servants, not our masters, and guide our math lessons. We don’t do all the problems or drill that Abeka suggests. </span>
<span style=”line-height: 1.5;”>So math lessons have been ok until this year… The book dd12 is using has lessons on decimals and percents in such an odd order, completely different from the sequence of other math resources I have seen recently. We have been muddling through with the help of a library book and YouTube videos, but I really don’t want to do this again. We can’t buy new curricula until the summer, but I am not sure what to go with then even. She should be ready for a pre-algebra/grade 8 math.</span>
TeachingTextbooks is appealing to me as it seems that it would free me up a bit. The transition may be easier for the children too. But I have always admired Math U See and I am sure my boys would love it. I would want to go ahead and change everyone, I think. The price of both TT or MUS for 3 or 4 students makes me gasp though!
Thought I should post that much before signal disappears again 🙂 So….. any thoughts on which to go with… TT or MUS? Would the transition to MUS be terribly difficult? Can either program be purchased used? I think I looked on Homeschool Classifieds once but the editions seemed old? I can’t exactly remember. I know I have more questions but need to get in the Kitchen at the moment. Thanks!
Have you listened to Mr. Demme of MUS teach a lesson? How about the computer voice of TT? I’d get input from my child…. mine, and I, had a preference. 🙂
My daughter and I finally sat down this weekend to watch some video of Math U See and YouTube reviews of Teaching Textbooks. She thinks she would prefer Math U See. I am concerned about the transition though. I am wondering if she will need a quick run-through of how the other concepts have been taught in order to understand new material. I want to get appropriate levels for her brothers too. The almost 8 yo has a good grasp of addition and subtraction. The 10 yo has the four operations under his belt and working with fractions th is year. I am wondering if they will need the same explanation of past concepts to be successful. I guess we would be working on that with review pages… Does MUS start each level with review of the previous one? Most math texts have several weeks of review of the previous year’s material. And we only used that as necessary, if at all.
MUS has review built into worksheets D, E, and F (A, B, and C are focused on new material). Two of my kids switched over at the Gamma level and had no issues with earlier concepts. The reviews focus on the previous year’s material. We haven’t used Teaching Textbooks.
You can skip problems or worksheets if they don’t need as much practice. On the flip side, they provide worksheet generators on the website if they need extra work. We only had to print extra problems once in several years of lessons, so they usually have more than enough practice. We usually only did the test if they needed extra time spent on the topic.
Another option worth looking into is Christian Light Education. Their math is spiral and I think it is excellent. We have used it successfully for years. The lessons can get long in later years but after using it for awhile you find your groove and understand how to cross out review questions that your child no longer needs. I mention CLE because it is affordable, has a placement test and is great for a kid who thrives with spiral. My 7th grader who used CLE through 6th is using Math U See Pre-Algebra and it is going well. My youngest also uses Math-U-See. He is a different learner (right brain learner) and he ADORES MUS. We did use CLE with him for a year and then tried Math-U-See due to his struggles and it’s a great fit! I should mention that my oldest son (high school now) used Math Mammoth through 6th grade and that fit him beautifully! Math Mammoth and CLE were my only math programs for many years until this school year when we ventured over to Math U See for the youngest and the 7th grader. My 6th grader is still using CLE but will move to the MUS Pre-A for 7th. I’m rambling a bit but found that my kids had different needs over the years and certain programs/methods fit better than others. As far as ease of use I think CLE and MUS are the easiest! They are open and go which we need when we’re teaching math to a houseful. 🙂
My 7th grader struggles with retention which is why we used CLE/spiral math. He needs continuous review for a long time before he gets to mastery. Even then, he forgets! We are just now adding in Key to Fractions and Key to Decimals to strengthen those two areas for him. I’ve heard numerous reports that the Key To series is excellent! If your daughter needs to focus on her Fractions and Decimals you may want to look into that for her.
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