Right Start & MUS questions

I started Math U See this year and LOVE it!  The video is very helpful to me, I think that’s why I fell in love with this program.  He clearly explains how to teach each lesson.  I love that he gives me the words to use.  I’m not a math minded person so it was hard for me to explain the new concepts to the kids.  Math U See has taken all the stress out of our math lessons.  I enjoy the mastery style of teaching math and the manipulatives are great!!  Best decision I made for our homeschooling so far.  We’re very early in math years, I’m not sure what it’ll be like further down the road.  All I know is that it’s giving the kids a great math foundation for life:)

I used Right Start for many years.  My eldest just finished Level E, and my 8 yr old daughter just stopped midway through Level C.  We switched to another curriculum for her. 

I can say in all honesty, Right Start is a wonderful Math approach…BUT; Math-U-See might be a bit less teacher intensive.  Right Start is all scripted for you with explanations along the way.  Using Right Start, I understood math in a way in which I had never before.  Light bulbs went off in my head many times.  I stopped counting on my fingers to add and subtract; something I had been doing into my 30’s.  This said volumes to me.  Because of that and much more, I am a huge Right Start fan!  I haven’t had enough experience to give you any opinions with Math-U-See.

My only issues with Right Start were the time it could take to go through a lesson.  I had to learn to do less.  There are warm-ups at the beginning, then perhaps some fact practice, then the lesson.  Some days, games.  My children are short attention spanned big time; as am I.  Anything beyond 15-20 minutes for my 8 yr old and there were tears.  Many months of tears, and I finally switched over to Math Mammoth.  She just needed something different.  Right Start also needs a lot of preparation for some of the lessons; esp. with the lower grades. 

With all that being said, I love Right Start.  Thought you should see the whole picture.

We’ve used MUS for 5 yrs. and I still love it.  Kids’ and I watch the video together, then I may need to help with a couple problems of the new concept that week—-but after that they are mostly independent! Gotta love that:)  A few things I’ve needed to help my eldest (4th) with, like long division, etc.—but overall I spendvery little time teaching math and they get it without lots of busy work.   :)Gina

We do RS and have really enjoy it.  We keep lessons short by splitting them in half if necessary.  We just work for 15 to 20 minutes then stop and pick it up again the next day.  It’s truly helped my boys think mathematically and understand math.  Me too!  I’m getting really good at 3rd grade math!!!!

And to answer your original question – if you buy the starter set the only thing you would need to buy for the next child using that level is the workbook (which is $9 or so), not the lessons too.  So the cost for the next kid is $9 a year!!!!!

Heather

I actually have the old Math U See curriculum so I don’t know anything about Alpha/Beta etc. I found the old stuff at a used book sale.  All I know is that the Kindergarten (I guess it would be the Primer?) one is very basic, my son did it this year.  He learned to count by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, some basic addition and place value.  It was a good year, he liked it.

 My daughter had finished A Beka grade one math when I decided to switch to Math U See.  I called the Math U See people to see where I should place her and they said to start her at the beginning of grade one again (I guess that would be Alpha?) and let her go through it quickly until she reached her level.  Well, we took the whole year to do it!  

Does your daughter have her addition facts memorized?  That’s what took us so long this year- she knew how to add, just didn’t have all the facts memorized.  I’m so happy that she’s got the hang of her facts.. without counting on her fingers!  Even if it took us all year to do it:)

You’re probably right to start your daughter in Alpha from what I can see.  

Tracy

You can determine which level of Math-U-See your child should start at by using the competency exams on the MUS Web site: http://www.mathusee.com/placement.php .