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MUS Alpha: Finding the Unknown-Need help
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My daughter has a serious learning deficiency in math. I have been consulting with a math specialist, and there has been some progress. My daughter is a 10yo with dyslexia. Although her reading proficiency is slow in coming, she has good reading comprehension. She is intelligent in a lot of ways, but she has had a very hard time understanding math. She is able to do simple addition in her head or with manipulatives, and she does understand ‘taking away’. However, we reached a problem lesson in MUS, which is the curriculum recommended by our consultant, after doing a numeracy system to help create number sense. This lesson is ‘solve for the unknown’. We have been stuck on this for weeks. My consultant said we should not move on until it is mastered. She even suggested putting my dd back into the numeracy system to learn this concept. But, I really would rather not do that. My dd can find some of these answers in her head, but seeing the equation written out does not make sense to her, or should I say, she is looking at it backward. Here are examples.
(_+2=2) If she looks at that, she will say the answer is 4. We have talked about the signs, + and =, and what they mean. If I talk her through the problems, she can give me the correct answer, but when there is a word problem, she is writing the equation in the wrong order. I believe she understands whole to part, but she can’t seem to understand how to write it down. She is putting the whole in the place of a part when she writes it down. I’ve been stressing this over and over. Some things have clicked, but looking at, or writing the equation in order is still a problem. I think some of it is a language problem when it comes to the word problems. She knows the answer, but does not know how to express it properly. Seeing equations like above, I don’t know. I was surprised to have something like this so soon. It would have been easier to just go into subtraction. She understands that. Does ANYONE have any suggestions to help my dd understand this better? I want to avoid going back to the numeracy system. I really believe she can learn it this way, but I need some other ideas. We have used all kinds of real life objects and manipulatives, and even used written number along with them. She can usually tell me the answer, but does not understand how to write it down.
I’m thinking a math balance would work like the RightStart one http://store.rightstartmath.com/mathbalance.aspx (I’ve seen a less expensive, smaller version somewhere….
The = means the 2 sides balance.
So for _+2=2, she would put 2 on the left side, and 2 on the right side…. so they balance? then you need 0
or for
_+3=5, she puts 3 on the left side, and 5 on the right side. Does it balance? no… she can then work on what needs to go with the 3 so it does balance. She will quickly realize that 8 doesn’t work….
That is my 2 cents…
suzukimom, Thanks! That may be just the thing we need. I am still concerned about her not understanding the language of word problems. Hopefully this will help in some way with those as well.
We have a RS balance we never use, if you’d like to buy one used.
My youngest is slow in understanding numbers also (we’ve talked before about this 🙂 ). I had him in MUS Alpha but it went too fast for him and I wanted to keep going over the very beginning steps until I was sure he understood what he was doing. I started Miquon math on the recommendation of a friend and he really liked that for a while but then I wanted to slow down AGAIN so I bought a copy of Two Plus Two is Not Five and for some reason this really works well for him. He really comprehends what is going on now and enjoys math finally. I’ll return him to Miquon or MUS (his brother uses that and is doing great) but so far, there is very little in MUS that I feel he is missing by going through 2+2 is not equal to 5. Maybe either of these resources will help reinforce the topics you are working on.
Has she been building and solving it with the blocks? Draw on a piece of paper the plus and equals with a box to put the whole in after the =. Then she puts the blocks in the spaces that are filled in for the problem. Now she has to solve to puzzle to find the piece that is missing to make both sides the same. Have her actually put a piece in the empty space. Then she can take both across the equals to see if they fit on top of the 4. If she needs a
‘story’ to help her remember not to add the 2 and 4 tell her the = sign is a wall, nobody goes over the wall right now.
Tristan, we have tried different ways, but not exactly like you stated. I like the idea of a balance, but I will try your suggestion.
Shannon, I sent you a PM.
Oo, another, slightly simpler way:
Have her grab whatever is to the right of the equals sign first. So she would grab a 4 block. Explain that this is what she wants to make. Then she puts everything from the left on top of the 4. All she has is a 2. What piece is she missing to make the four complete(or cover the four)? It’s easy to see the missing piece is a 2.
Using the blocks or other ‘real’ objects is easy for her. It is reading or writing it on paper that confuses her. I guess I need to use both together again until she understands it.
Have you seen “Hands on Equations”? http://www.borenson.com/tabid/956/Default.aspx
It’s a program that walks the students through doing what suzukimom and Tristan mentioned, that is using a balance board and making the problems concrete. Then it shows how to do it pictorially and then the written version.
We have the program and even my young kids are understanding and able to solve simple problems, not to mention enjoying it. There is an app (ipad and android that I know about) that you could try it out if you have an appropriate device. The android version has a free version that shows the first few lessons, then you pay for more. The app might be enough if you don’t want to purchase the whole program, but at the very least it will give you a feel for the program. You could also use the app for the lessons and then just use game pieces and dice or whatever manipulatives you have around to make it concrete. That’s probably what I would have done if I had known about the app before I bought the books and DVD.
jmac17, thanks for the link. It looks good, but I may just go with a scale for now, like the one on Right Start, and follow the steps that you and others have suggested. I don’t presently have a device for the app, and it will be a while before I do. I am going to save this link for down the road, though. It really looks interesting. I wish I would have had this for my already graduated kids when they were homeschooled. I really appreciate all the suggestions. I am determined to get dd through this without going back to the other program. I knew I would get some good ideas from this board:)
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