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Math….I'm so confused! (and this is long)
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I have recently switched over most of our curricula to try and be more CM friendly. We are about to take a few weeks off this month for a break and I have been trying to evaluate our math program. I would like to have come to a good conclusion before we resume, but don’t know if it is possible……
I am not a mathy person, so teaching math is not something I do easily without relying heavily on the curriculum. I started out with Math U See for my daughter when she was 5. She also used the Abeka K workbook for fun that year. Then we moved to Abeka 1st & 2nd grade math (mostly because she did not like watching Steve on TV
, and she was doing the Abeka workbooks on her own with no problems)She is the type that can look at a list of numbers one time and repeat them very easily. She does not like math, but does not have a lot of trouble with it.Then enters, my son….. He did okay with Abeka K and terrible with Abeka 1st grade math. I ended up doing half of last year (1st grade) with a used Saxon workbook , counting bears and file folder games for him. He needs lots of practice and something to see and touch for things to stick with him.
I have been using Saxon 2 & 3 with them both, and am beginning to wonder if they really understand things or if they are just memorizing answers. I had never heard before that they should understand the “whys” of math until I started reading about the CM method.
If I am thinking about this correctly, this would be an example of them not knowing the “why”…..
My son has had practice problems the last week where he must tell how much money 4 dimes and 3 pennies would be. Then the very next problem says something like, “how much is 5 tens and 4 ones”. He has to have the dimes and pennies to count for the first problem, and the second one blows his mind….He has no idea, and we have been doing this for a week. He also has trouble understanding the way Saxon teaches the addition facts (like doubles, doubles plus 1, doubles plus 2, the plus nines). He can do 4+5=9 as a double (4+4 and adding on 1 more), but if there are different types of problems all mixed up on a page he has no idea which ones are doubles +1 or plus nines, etc. He can only do them when I say “Remember, that is a double plus one”.
My daughter is able to memorize answers without really knowing how she is suppose to get the answer. She pretty much memorized all her addition facts with Abeka and did not use the Saxon ways like doubles plus one. Now she is beginning multiplication and is skip counting by 10’s and 7’s to do those problems. Saxon introduced multiplication by using dimes and days of the week (10’s and 7’s).It will say something like: how many days are in 3 weeks / 7x 3 =? However, she does not relate at all, and just memorizes the answers.
Should I consider using something else? Should I add to our curriculum? Also, do I completely stop when they show that they are having a problem and address it before continuing even though we will return to that the next day for a review? I realize that there is a difference between a mastery program and a spiral/incremental program. I thought the spiral would work best since we would review more, but if they don’t get it the first time what good is the review, right?
Help please 🙂
Amanda
I don’t know much about the curriculums you have used. But, I am using Math on the Level. It has no grade levels. It shows you every concept from pre-K through pre-algebra. Then, it gives teaching guidelines and practice problems. It is CM friendly. I like that I will use the same curriculum for several years! I’ve only used it for a couple months, but my kids never complain about it because the lessons are so short and there are scheduled “Math Adventure” days. You might check it out. There is a yahoo group for it, also.
Jennifer
We use Mastering Mathematics. I’m not sure if it’s CM friendly or not but it has been a blessing to our homeschool. The children can move at their own pace with no grade levels to worry about. It covers grades 1 through 6 completely and some 7th and 8th grade math but does not include pre-algebra.
I hate to always be pitching for one math program, lol. But I’ve only ever used one. I just wanted to mention that a child does not have to watch the MathUSee video. In fact, it is for the PARENT, not the child. It is to train YOU how to present the material. Many people have their students watch (we do) but it is not at all necessary.
OK. After that. I just wanted to share my own experience with math. I was good at memorizing things, and in early grade school I was the Math Queen. I knew my facts, I beat all the boys in math bees (THAT was not a good thing to happen in the early 70’s!) and I was pretty sure that I had it all together in math. Enter fifth grade and fractions. All of a sudden there was something going on and just memorizing started not to work so well, I got more and more confused until by algebra and geometry, I had NO IDEA what to do unless someone told me. Word problems were my nightmare. I was clueless! I was still really, really fast at the basic stuff, but I was completely lost otherwise. When I started homeschooling, the one thing I wanted was that my kids really UNDERSTAND what they were doing in math. I didn’t care at all how fast they had the facts! I just wanted them to understand and be able to apply math to real life. MathUSee has done that for us. I am sure there are other programs out there as well that would help you. I just want to encourage you to wait and find something and not move on ahead until you know they are understanding, because they very possibly will end up tripped up like I did and have trouble.
Thanks for all the advice you guys…….:)
Michelle,
I have to say that your experience with math is similar to my own. I memorized things for tests, and never understood what I was doing but made good grades. Then came middle school and pre-algebra!! I never made above a C in algebra!! I did great with geometry, though! (I think the teacher made a difference there). But anyway, I struggle to this day with math. I rely heavily on a calculator!!! 🙂 I also asked my husband last night if he understood the “why” of math when he was in school. He said no.
We live in a state with no homeschool laws that require us to test our children. After really thinking about that fact, I have come to the conclusion that there is really no reason for them not to use a mastery program like Math U See. I am still trying to de-program my public school mindset sometimes. I was very concerned that if we used MUS they would only be doing additon or subtraction all year. But now I’m beginning to understand how important is is for them to get one thing before moving on to the next one.
So, where do I begin?
Right Start or Math U See????? Which would make an easier transition??? And which would work the best for 2nd and 3rd graders?
Amanda
Well, after looking at prices….MUS is gonna have to be my choice unless there is some awesome reason why Right Start is better.
Any opinions?
I think you’ll be very happy with Math-U-See, Amanda. There are placement tests on the website. As far as transition goes, Math-U-See starts at the very beginning of each concept being taught therefore the simplicity of it makes for a smooth transition.
Check out the archives here for opinions on both Math-U-See and Right Start. www.homeschoolreviews.com is another fantastic site for reading how each program worked, or didn’t work, for different families.
Personally I love RightStart!
Hey! I have used MUS with daughter since K, and at one point had to drop back and re-teach a whole section of addition in 1st grade because she suddenly drew a blank on those facts! She is in 3rd grade now and slowly changing over to multiplying, adding is well under her belt. Started twin boys on MUS and they weren’t picking it up all, not to retain it anyway-kept reviewing same facts over and over, and they kept looking at me blankly…so, I found a “game” math program via another homeschooling Mom(7kids)veteran, and they are alternating between the game and MUS and making progress. The game is Math-It, they love it. They all do the online drills on MUS. To review and increase speed. My boys are very visual/tactile, daughter is highly auditory; my 2yr-old daughter thinks she is a 6yr-old boy and goes either direction…HAHAHA! To me, if the “wiring” is not there yet, they cannot comprehend that the numbers are symbols for amounts of things, once the pathways are there in their brains, they suddenly “get it!” Hang in there! MUS is great for those of us who are intimidated about teaching math, but the more you look at it, the less complicated it is. Counting up, down, skipping, money etc. You can get them there, and you too.
We our currently using Saxon 5/4 and Saxon 2. My oldest son uses Math Mammoth. He was working on fractions as a new concept in the textbook (not completely new, but I’m sure you understand) and I thought he could use something that just concentrates on one concept until it’s mastered. Well, we’ve been happy with it so far. I believe it was $4.75 online and then the cost for printing the ebook and a $.94 binder. My oldest really likes it and will bring it along with him around town sometimes. It has really helped explain fractions for both of us. My 7yo wants a binder of his own, too.
We have used Right Start for over a year and we love it. My son is 7, it involves alot of games and hands on activities that keep it very interesting. Some days we just play math games and he’s shocked that that was math. We do 15-20 minutes with no pressure. If we get done 2 problems, that’s it, we’re done. They are very helpful with phone support as well. Good luck!
Update:
We have been using Math U See and it is going great! My son is still using Alpha, but doing so much better. My daughter will finish up Beta this week and begin Gamma next week. I am loving the dvds and being able to work at our own pace. I also use their website to make extra worksheets if needed and the online drills for my son have been helpful lately.
Thanks for all the advice!
Amanda
Hi,
I know how hard it is to decide on a math. It has taken me a while to finally find a math that will work for us. In the past I have used both mus and RS.(and many others) You will need to really look at your child and see if the child is a workbook/worksheet lover or not. That will help you decide between the two. If your child hates the sight of a worksheet then RS is your better choice. If the child likes workbooks/worksheets then I would try MUS. The mus worksheets are not colorful what-so-ever which may be a factor also. You can sometimes find used materials for both curriculum. I had similar issues as you and I became concerned that my daughter really didn’t get math. I noticed my daughter couldn’t apply what she was learning to our math games or real life math situations. It was a shock as she would get awesome grades but couldn’t apply the material. I am using math mammoth and I am happy to say it is a great fit. I hope that you find the curriculum that fits your kids. It took a while for me.
sincerely,
Penny
, and she was doing the Abeka workbooks on her own with no problems)She is the type that can look at a list of numbers one time and repeat them very easily. She does not like math, but does not have a lot of trouble with it.
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