Right Start Math Games Used as Supplement?

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  • Anonymous
    Inactive

    Does anyone use the Right Start Math games as a supplement to math u see?

    suzukimom
    Participant

    I don’t, but the RS math games would be a good supplement to any math program…  (we use RS)

     

    They are organized into broad sections 

    Number Sense

    Addition

    Clocks

    Multiplication

    Money

    Subtraction

    Division

    Fractions

     

    And within a section, the games go from basic skills to more advanced… so you could in theory play the games in order to slowly work on a skill.   

    The later versions include a DVD showing some of the games being played – although I think they are all available on Youtube if you get a used copy of the book without the DVD.

    Anonymous
    Inactive

    suzukimom-

    Thanks!

    I am considering starting child #3 on RS. I have used MUS with first two kids.

    I keep hearing how time consuming RS. Is it really that bad?

    Could you tell me why you chose RS? Did you ever use MUS before this?

    suzukimom
    Participant

    Hey Alicia

    No, I have never tried MUS.

    I did use the MEP free (UK based) program for a while with my 2 oldest… The oldest did Year 1 and 1/2 way through Year 2… and the next did Reception (Kindergarten) and most of Year 1 (or maybe even all of year 1?)

    I switched because I was having problems helping him with adding/subtracting where you “cross 10’s” (Ie, when there was trading/borrowing…) and didn’t know how to proceed.

     

    I chose RS because it was very highly recommended on Milestones Academy, and on here.  At the time I was thinking of switching, there was a mom on here that was professionally involved with math (I forget what exactly) and also tutored math.  She ended up doing a number of posts on why she personally felt that RS was her math program preference.    I looked at the samples on the website, and was pleased to see the way that math is done – and that it actually works well with the way that I do math.  The ways to use the abacus (the main manipulative) is just ingeneous.   The main problem is the expense… but I was fortunate to have Book Samaritan supply me with what was needed.

     

    RS is time consuming in that you teach each lesson with them, each day.  There isn’t a lot of preperation – there is occasionally a bit for Level A and B (and that is greatly reduced if you buy the appendixes, where they did all the copying for you).    Sometimes I just use a timer.  (I go in and out of doing that…) – So I set the timer for the amount of time I want to do math with them – say 20 minutes.  If the timer goes off before we are done (and there is more than say 5 minutes of work left) we just stop and start there the next day.  Or if we are done the lesson and there is more than a few minutes left on the timer, we play a quick math game.     Right now I’m doing Level B with my 5yo, and Level C with my 7 and 9yo’s – they are at the same point.  I have occasionally had to do math seperately with all 3…. and it is doable.

    Is your 3rd just starting in A or B?  I think I’d do their new 2nd Edition if I was just starting.  The 1st Edition (which I’m using) has a few places where there are “walls” that some people hit – where it seems you need to sit on a lesson for a while (playing games etc) because the student just isn’t getting it…. and then after a while they get it and are going along just fine.  I suspect that the 2nd edition will have done what they can to get rid of those spots.  (We are in one right now, and it is very frustrating.)  I understand the lessons use the manipulatives a lot more.  It also looks like there will be an additional level… it will be Levels A-F and then Geometry (nicknamed Level G) whereas right now it is Levels A-E, G.   Some of the current levels tend to take a year and a half for most families – so the new level should break things up a bit more and cause less stress for the people that want to do a book a year.  (I am one of those people…. I know that I need to teach the child, not the curriculum…. but I still wish to do a level a year… lol.)

    One thing to be aware of is MUS is a mastery based program – but RS would be called a Spiral program.  So far I’ve done kids in Level A, Level B, and 1/2 way through level C.   There is a LOT of review at the start of a level.  (which you can zoom through quickly if not really needed…)

    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Thanks so much! This is very helpful. I want to switch to RS with my ds but I need to go over all the details with my DH. This will help me in communicating to him. Thanks again for the lengthy reply – so helpful.

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