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Right Start A or B for first grade
- This topic has 13 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 7 months ago by
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I need some advice from somone who has experience with the second edition of RS.
DD6 loves math and has retained the concepts we have covered. When she was 5, I gave her the choice of whether or not we did math on a school day. Most days she asked for it, but we still went very slow and kept lessons to 10 mins. We played the games over and over.
We only got to Lesson 22 in Level A, Second Edition. My question is: Do I continue with Level A and then do B in second grade? Or will we be behind? I know that we will proceed faster through the first lessons in B because it reviews level A, but it feels funny to discard the whole rest of A and proceed to B. (Yes, I am OCD and don’t like unfinished things. LOL!)
Or do I go to Level B (second edition) immediately in first grade like SCM recommends?
I am a little nervous about this decision…..the placement test places us in Level A based soley on the question “Has the child been through a solid kindergarten program?” to which I answered “no” since I only made it to Lesson 22 with her and because CM reccomends no formal lessons until 6. I have been very careful to just play with my children outdoors and do bible/habits everyday. But now she is six and we need to move forward in math.
Yes, I have looked at the sample and table of contents of Level B, but I keep freezing right in my decision making tracks.
Thanks, Mollie
Why don’t you just finish A then start B mid year when you have finished A. You could always skip some review if it is already well known.
I thought about that, Kayla. I am worried about being behind.
If someone could alleviate my fears about that, then I would love to just finish A then move on to B, skipping the well known concepts.
We are enjoying RS so much. I love math and wish I was more confident to teach it from my Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching book by Richele Baburina without having to have a Teacher’s Manual. But, for now, Right Start makes me feel more complete and organized. I could teach science without a TM but not math.
There is no behind in homeschool! (Repeat, repeat!)
If it makes you feel any better, my almost 11yo is in lesson 40 of Level D…..
Suzukimom, ha ha ha! I know. I know. I know! I don’t worry what everyone else is doing.
However, the SCM recommendation is making me paranoid…LOL! No offense to SCM, of course. It’s just that I trust everything they suggest and offer so I was wondering if i was messing up by sticking with Level A in second grade. Yes, you made me feel better.RS2 will have 7 levels (A-G). I believe that RS math will prepare the student for highschool math. You will have 8 years to complete the 7 levels. I would stay with Level A. We are using it now and I am finding so much of it is foundational for the years to come. I would hate to skip it and wonder if it would have been better.
I can relate to your situation. We get the idea that we are on a schedule, or there is a correct way that we must follow, and it is hard to pull away from it. We started RS2A in January and I thought it was very doable to finish by Christmas. At the end of April I decided to make May a month of review, math games and only do a few new lessons. Wow, what a struggle I have had to accept that we will not finish in December, even though we have enjoyed the gentler pace the past few weeks! I even find myself thinking that when we get to the assessments 2 and 3 we’ll zip through them because we’ve been playing the games so much.
Level A is great – fight the timetable. I’m right with you!!
Vanessa
You ladies are so helpful. Thank you. There are so many times when people post things and I wish so badly that I knew enough to help them, but I just don’t since I am still pretty new to homeschooling. I am just so thankful for people who take the time to respond.
Vanessa, thank you. I figured there were more families like me, but it’s hard to be courageous and speak up. 🙂 That is exactly how I felt about missing all those foundational things that are laid out so thoroughly in Level A. I have no problem fighting the timetable, but sometimes I need someone to hold my hand.
Vanessa, do you mind me asking if you are able to complete a lesson in 15 minutes with your first grader? Sometimes I can’t and I am completely okay with that. I go by my child, not my schedule, but I am still curious about your experience. I do skip some parts of the lesson if I know she can already demonstrate a concept.
Sorry I only read through the posts quickly so If I repeat sorry. If you finish level A then you will find that you will skip some lessons in Level B because of doing the first level. So I second just finishing up level A first.
Kim.
Hi again! My ds is at a kindergarten level. No, we do not complete a lesson in 15 minutes! I usually teach 4 days a week, and my goal is 3 lessons per week. Some days we finish a lesson, then start a new one. When I first looked at the lessons I thought 132 lessons in 12 months is 11 per month, which is spread over 16+ teaching days. Seems easy enough to do in a year. We finished up lesson 44 at the end of April, so we were on track with my plans. I then decided we were just doing the lessons, but not enjoying the games unless they were part of the lesson, so I decided to change the pace. I’m thinking we’ll do another ‘change of pace month’ this fall.
Vanessa
I agree. Finish w/ A and then move on. Personally, Level G could even be skipped (we found it very difficult, too much so) and use a PreAlgebra. Either way, there is plenty of room for your dc’s development. MUS is very similar in that you work at the pace of your dc and their understanding. You “camp out” where they’re at for however long is needed. That foundation and true understanding of what they’ve learned is much more important than how “fast” they move along.
If it’s any consolation, my ds just finished up a 2nd gr book about a month or so ago. We’re finishing up what would be considered 4th gr. (For us, it was more attitude and heart issues than ability, but the idea is the same.) He’s now moving right along. While there is a bit of concern, it’s mostly because of outside
My 2nd son hit a wall w/ fractions and we needed to go over those quite a while. He could sort of do it but didn’t really understand or grasp it until about 7th gr.
So, yup. Take the time and there is **no** “behind” when it comes to truly understanding and having a solid foundation! Have fun!!
ps- the hardest part is not comparing or worrying about what others around you think, especially when it’s family. YOU have to stand strong and know in your heart that it IS best!
Thank you Kerby. Thankfully, I am not one of those moms who worries about what other people think about our homeschool. as I said above, I trust the SCM recommendations so much and was unsure what to do.
Also, my extended family is supportive of us. If they aren’t, they sure are hiding it well.
I really appreciate all of the encouragement. My hubby will be glad I don’t have to buy anything else. LOL!
However, the SCM recommendation is making me paranoid…LOL! No offense to SCM, of course. It’s just that I trust everything they suggest and offer so I was wondering if i was messing up by sticking with Level A in second grade. Yes, you made me feel better.
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