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RS/MUS and the real world?
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In reading reviews I am hearing that RS and MUS used curriculum-specific terms and methods that differ from traditional methods in teaching math. How different are we talking about? As in, although I am committed to HS my DS this year (our first year, and he is a rising first-grader)…I can’t be 100% sure he will not end up back in PS for second grade or later on if things change. My concern is that he would not able to transition.
Do these programs teach math in a way that they can use it throughout their life, in school and beyond? I’m just confused about what these different methods mean. I see that an abacus is used, does that mean they don’t learn to do math on paper? Like being able to jot down numbers and figure them out like they would need to do in the real world. Sorry if this seems like an ignorant question. I am totally new at this.
I can only speak for MUS, and I haven’t see anything in MUS yet (weve done the first 3 levels) that wouldn’t be used n the real world. There isn’t an abacus, there are manipulatives are colored, so you don’t have those as an adult, but they use manipulatives in PS sometimes too. I personally have learned a lot of reasons for they why in math through teaching MUS to my kiddos! Maybe others will have more thoughts, and also about RS. Have fun with your first year, there is a wealth of info here on this forum.
Well, I know that MUS follows a different Scope and Sequence, it’s mastery instead of spiral like the PS maths are and has slightly differing terminology (so far, from my experinces anyway); so if you’re not committted to keeping him for a while, it may not be the best option. I don’t think it’s the blocks or an abacus that would make it not compatible w/PS math programs, but just what I mentioned above-it’s methodology.
Using MUS and RS (along with one my son uses-Developmental Mathematics) teach you to think mathematically, w/more critical thinking skills which allows you to function just fine in the “real world”; they just do it differently, with a different schedule than the gov’t school world (which isn’t the real world, actually). At home you get to add-in math from the real world, that being your home and the grocery store, etc that doesn’t happen in a gov’t school setting.
You may want to use a more traditional/spiral curriculum, just add-in an abacus or blocks for this year to facilitate his understanding.
Perhaps Horizons? You can see it at the Sonlight website. It has manipulatives as part of a first-grade package to help the child learn more effectively.
Just my 2c.
Right Start does use the abacus, but the child uses it less and less as they do things mentally and on paper. So – in level B (usually grade 1… you can start at level B or level A depending on the child) – in level B the main focus is on addition. By the end, the child can add 4 digit numbers with abacus or on paper, as well as add 2 digit numbers in their head. There is stuff on money, reading clocks, calandars, measuring, basic basic fractions, and other topics. There is some subtraction near the end – only done on abacus or mentally – but not at a difficult level.
Level C, I believe (we will be doing level C next year) has more on addition – and a lot more on subtraction. Again, things will be done on abacus first, then worked on mentally and on paper. I don’t know all that level C covers….
There is a HUGE emphasis in really understanding the base 10 system (place value), which is a concept that many kids don’t understand easily.
The big thing about the abacus – is with the side 1 – you are actually manipulating the number. You are moving that number of beads around (not something that represents that number.) Once they are using side 2, they are working directly with the place value system – but otherwise moving real numbers… It makes it more real for many kids.
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