Mathematics: An Instrument For Living Teaching

Hi Tara,

We’re so glad you enjoyed the handbook and hope it will be used to breathe some life into your math lessons.

At the end of the chapter on Arithmetic you will find the Scope and Sequence that goes along with the detailed information found in the chapter. This is the Scope and Sequence I would recommend using if you want to really free yourself from a curriculum that might not be truly CM-friendly, being sure to move at your child’s pace, including lots of hands-on and oral practice and ensuring your child has proven the facts before memorizing the tables, etc. 

I included the four different S&S variations for Form I for a variety of reasons. This was the history of the PNEU schools and show exactly what was scheduled for each form. The first programme is taken from the ABC of Arithmetic, the book we are most familiar with from Charlotte’s Vol. I on Home Education. As Charlotte continued to use this book and observed the children, they found some problems with it. Among them was 1)that children formed an ironclad association with the special apparatus used and math facts and 2)children taught in this manner were good at the analysis of a number but couldn’t relate it to problems outside of their Numbers class. The next two S&S were used at the same time and are based on two different textbooks – whichever one a class had. I say based because throughout my research it is clear that the goal in Charlotte’s classes was never merely to “get through” a book and be on to the next. They took their time, worked according to the students’ needs, they skipped whole chapters as well as skipping long and tedious calculations.  

The math textbooks seemed to be utilized mainly to provide examples a teacher would give orally to her class. Charlotte seemed to use the best she could find available then structure it according to her methods.  When Irene Stephens was a guest lecturer at Ambleside she even commented that ABC of Arithmetic should not be used in the way the authors presented the material but could be handy for examples. It would be difficult for us to use the textbooks Charlotte used today for our examples because they were written in pre-decimalized British currency and so many examples just don’t relate to our children, ie, balancing a “stone” or weighing a “gill.”

Sorry, long story short: the S&S found at the end of the chapter on Arithmetic – the final S&S in the Appendix. 

Hope that answers your questions.

Richele

I just looked over the sample for the book. I noticed that there are chapters on Algebra and Geometry and there is also a chart showing CM math across the grades. Does the book address the topic of upper level math for high school age? For example, how to accomplish CM style math and get the credits for Algebra 1, 2, and Geometry, etc.?

Thank you Richele. That does help. I also read the post you referenced from Joanna. Great post! It actually helped confirm for me a decision I have been trying to make with math for my daughter. So thanks for mentioning her post.

If I remember correctly, CM would have a couple of strands of math going at the same time. For example, they might work on Arithmetic 3 days a week, Euclid’s 1 day, and Algebra 1 day. Is that correct? MEP is like that from what I can tell. You cover Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, etc. all woven together throughout the course of study.

I got on to post a very similar message.  I’m on page 28 and am really enjoying this book.  I took a year long math class last year on how to teach math (from a non-textbook approach).  This book has really solidified for me what I learned in that class.  Thank you!  

I have read the book and am now going back to analyze it. As I am making notes, I have a few questions.

1. Addition and subtraction tables are mentioned in the early section of arithmetic where the children are exploring the numbers in grade 1. It is mentioned again in the four rules and tables section. Addition and subtraction are not in the grade 1 S&S. Is the intention of the tables in grade 1 to familiarize them with the numbers, but not necessarily memorize the table? Or should they be able to complete an addition table at the end of grade 1?

2. Did I read correctly that grade 1 lessons include 5 min of rapid mental math. Grades 2 & 3 those 5 minutes become work on the addition and multiplication tables? When do you continue to work on mental math problems in grades 2 & 3? During lesson time or an additional 5 min?

@cjwagner77 – Great questions and my hope is to be able to respond this evening if someone hasn’t posted before then. -Richele

Hi cjwagner:

I’ll print your latest questions out and add them to the rest. We don’t have internet at home so I’ll have to ask for your patience as I am unable to fully respond at the moment and am leaving our business – so I’ll try to write the answers out fully tonight and post them as soon as I am able.

Best,

Richele