Right Start Support

Joanna – I separated them for a few different reasons.  First, during the warm-ups I would alternate questions out loud.  It worked well up until a few months ago when one son started taking longer than the other.  Fast son was starting to say unkind things (which he got in trouble for), but it was frustrating for him to have to wait a rather long time for his brother to answer.  If I had them reciting things together (say, the multiples of 3) one son would just mumble along and not really say anything because he knew his brother would answer.  This made the daily lessons harder for him because he wasn’t learning, he was skating by on what his brother knew.  That was reason two.  Third, on some lessons one would “get it” faster than the other, but I’d keep them together.  So one was rolling his eyes about the “easy” math and the other struggling to understand it.  Because of the combination of the 3 things we decided to separate.  

Real life example – Right now we’re subtracting multiple digits (4 digits).  One son hates the symbols and the abacus for doing this.  He can quickly and easily do it without.  I made sure he understood the principle behind the lessons and then moved him forward.  Second son has gotten every problem wrong, every time he’s tried, for the entire week.  Symbols were great, abacus is killing him and trying to do it without is sheer torture.  I’m not worried, he’ll figure it out.  He always does and I completely trust the “system”.  Time after time I’ve not understood why Dr. Cotter was doing something and then several lessons later it clicks for all of us.  

I don’t actually prep the lessons anymore.  I’ve already taught Level A once so I feel comfortable with it.  And for the older boys I just open the book, grab what I need (and it’s all in a very organized, central location), glance through and teach.  Sometimes we’re learning together and I have no problem saying, “I’m not sure how to do this” or “I’m not sure why we’re doing it this way” and we work on it together and have that Ah-ha! moment and I learn a completely new way to do math.  Perhaps as we get into later books I’ll need more prep time, perhaps not.  

Good luck with your experiment!

Heather

Sometimes my husband panics because the boys are only in Level C (near the end), but they really understand what they’ve learned.  They can do mental math really well (most of the time) – one of them is a human calculator and it is ONLY because of how RS teaches.  We move at the pace they need with just a tiny bit of pushing.  Kids rise to the level of expectation you have for them.  

One of mine has ADHD as well.  I set a timer for him.  In the beginning we would work 15 minutes and when it beeped we were done.  Now that he’s a little older we set it for 30 minutes (we gradually worked up to that).  If he worked hard the whole time then he’s done for the day and we just finish the lesson the next day.  If he dawdled and messed around then he needs to put in more math time during play time.  The same rule holds for all subjects though, not just math.

I should have mentioned at some point that they have worked together through Levels A, B and most of C.  It was only then that I needed to separate them.  And they have both come to me and thanked me for splitting them up – maybe I should have done it sooner.  They are 4 months apart, one is a regular if not advanced learner, the other has ADHD and several learning disabilities.  But we were able to do it for that long.  Even though they are separate we still do the games together.  

Heather

I’ve been wanting to reply to this post for a few days but for some reason I could not….but now I can.

I’ve been using RS math for about 7 years.  I transitioned my older three children into Level E.  They varied in age from 9 to 13 or there abouts….I actually can’t remember their exact ages.  My oldest son had/has extreme struggles in math while the youngest had no problem. 

We did Level E together and it was a bit challenging as it required the children to think.  I had not realized how the other curriculums we used basically told the child what to do and then they just followed the example…never really having to think.

My oldest child disliked the games…they were NOT games to him…lol!!!  They were exercises.  But this child who struggled with math did very well with Level E and with the games.

After Level E, all three went into The Geomtric Approach.  They were still grumbling about having to think but were able to do the lessons.  My oldest though really had issues with it…as in he didn’t like it….and I was tired of arguing with him so I switched him to a computer program {ALEKS} so he could argue with the computer. [hahaha!!]  I am not a fan of ALEKS but it worked for a season and he could do it without any human interaction….or maybe I should say, mom interaction.

I started my youngest two sons together in level B.  One was 6, turning 7 and in 1st grade; the other was 8, turning 9 and in the 3rd grade.  They stayed together until we got to Level E.

As for staying together….it worked well for us.  I used a marker board for both and when we did any oral questions they would write their answer on the marker board and show it to me….so the other one couldn’t see….and I’d give them a thumbs up sign or thumbs down depending if they got the answer right.  After they both got the right answer I’d ask them to tell me how they got it.  It always amazed me how they both would get the correct answer a different way.

I also noticed that sometimes one of my boys would get the concept quickly while it took a little longer for the other son….but then it would switch and the slower one would get a another concept quicker.  I also like that they could play the games together.

When we started Level E it was mid year and at the end of the school year I felt that I needed to work through the summer with my older son so he could start The Geometric Approach in 7th grade.  I slowed down my younger son and let him take the whole year to finish Level E.  We just finished it last week and he is completing 5th grade.

So next year my older son will be completing the last half of The Geometric Approach and starting VideoText Module A, he will be in the 8th grade.  My youngest son will be starting The Geometric Approach and he will be entering the 6th grade.

For those that may not know….The Geometric Approach is RightStarts Middle School math curriculum.  Once they complete it they are ready for Algebra.  It takes about two year to complete as they, RS, suggests adding in VideoText Module A when you are about half way through The Geometric Approach.

For summer we started playing the fraction games out of the game book.  We set the timer for 15 minutes and play. 

I will have to admit that usually during the school year we only play the games if suggested in the book.  But not too long ago I actually picked up the game book and started really looking at the games and was impressed by how thorough  the games were in all aspects of fractions.  Figure why spend any additional money on another resource when I have this at my finger tips.  Because although fractions are taught in level E….it’s on the lite side and I know my boys could use extra practice.  Division of fractions are not taught in Level E but are in the game book.

I have been researching the CM methods and bought some items from SCM at a conference this past April and look forward to implementing more this coming school year.

Blessings,

Debbie

FYI….I have 6 children.  The two oldest have graduated.  This coming school year I will have a senior, sophmore, 8th grader and 6th grader.  I have been schooling my chidlren at home for 18 years.

Thank you, Debbie.  That info was very helpful. 

Jo, you’re posts here and in a couple of other threads i’ve read have been hugely helpful.  As another Math geek (just w/ less experience than you), I can totally “get” what you’re saying and why. 

I am soo torn right now as to what to do/use.  I have hsed for 5 yrs now, and I am finally ready to truly grasp on to CM-type studies (at least w/ the littles). 

Math, my strength, has never been an issue.  I have used R+S w/ success and another program that is similar but which I lean more toward.  BUT … (isn’t there always a but?) I have been battling the wills this yr w/ math and I am tired.  I was looking around at some options, and RS seems to be sticking in my head for some reason. 

So, here I am, looking at it for several dc (some older) and just wondering how – between cost, time, and the uncertaintly that comes w/ switching to something so totally different.