Shiller Math and MEP math

I don’t know anything about Shiller Math – but I LOVE MEP math.

I’ve just written about this recently on another message board – I’m cutting and pasting it in….

I love MEP, because it is inexpensive, and seems to do a great job of helping kids think about math.  There is your printing costs, but that is about it.  Recommended manipulatives in the first couple of years are a set of dominoes (optional), some type of counters (beads, nuts, rocks, whatever), and I recommend Cuisenaire Rods – but they have math strips you can print and cut out that are the same…. but my son prefers the rods. (we borrowed a set from the teacher library, and now I’m looking to buy them.)   If you happen to get a Math Scale like Right-start has, that is a nice bonus as they have a few problems showing a math scale in Year 1 anyway – but that would definately be optional.  Oh, in Year 1 a set of blocks is helpful for a couple of lessons (we had the math rods then and just used the 1 rod as unit cubes – but could have easily grabbed our set of wooden blocks.)  Oh, for Year 1, if they have a bunch of students line up – to go over concepts like 1st, 2nd, 3rd… or taller, shorter… we used stuffies.
 
Anyway, one main thing to know about MEP is it was designed for a classroom setting – yet it does really convert well to homeschooling, and homeschooling in the CM method!  It is a bit teacher intensive though – so it isn’t a send one student off to do his math sheet while you do a different subject with another.  Basically, (for year 1 anyway, which is what I mostly know) there is a single Practice Book Page, and there is a Lesson page (or 2) for you.  You need both, as there are activities to do on the lesson page that don’t have anything on the practice page… and that is where most new concepts are learned!  For a lesson, there is generally 6 or 7 activities.  For a classroom, it is designed (in Year 1) to take about 45 minutes.  Homeschooling, we do them in about 15 to 20 minutes.  I have occasionally broken a lesson up to a couple of days if I can see it is being too much.  Mind you, I think this has happened maybe 3 or 4 times all year… 

So, there is generally 6 or 7 activities.  One of those activities, in about the middle, is actually having the class get up, stretch, maybe sing a counting song or something like that.  So that leaves 5 or 6 activities.  The practice book page has usually about 4 activities.  The lesson will often start with a mental math review of concepts, or if it is starting a new concept, will introduce that concept.  I don’t know that I’m explaining it well…. sigh.    Anyway, the practice page will have some problems to work out.  These include math puzzles, word problems, a set of math problems, etc.  At the start of year 1, there is also practice for writing numbers and math signs.  This is all sounding much more boring than it is….   They will do math problems like  ?+3=6  or 5=8-? as well as the standard format…  Also, although in year 1 it is basic addition and subtraction, there is stuff that I can see leading up to multiplication…. and although the problem was extremely simple, and done in a trial-and-error manner, there was a problem that was an algebra – 2 equations with 2 variables type of problem!  I can see a lot of other things in it that show working through math in a way that algebra will make sense to the student later (and this is in Year 1!!!)  There is also a lot of work with inequalities… stuff like   5 < ? < 7  
 
Anyway, the main thing to me, is that my kids LOVE this math!  Echo was always watching Delta’s math, and really demanded that she get to do math too.  Delta is always thrilled when it is math time in his workbox – and when he decides the order of work, it is always math first (although German seems almost as popular now… lol)  
 
The Reception level of MEP (Kindergarten level) became available around Decemberish (a bit at a time, it is all there now) – and so, as Echo was demanding math, I started her on it in January.  This one costs a touch more, as basically her practice book is pretty much all colour pictures to be printed.  There is generally about 3 to 4 activities (to take about 30min in a class – about 10-15 min to us) and has a LOT of looking at a big picture and answering questions about it.  (How many birds are in this picture (imagine a whole nature scene…)  – If 3 birds flew away now, how many birds would there be now?  How many trees are in the picture?  Which is there more of, trees or birds?  How many more? )   There is also tracing of different shapes in the pictures (to practice for Year 1 for writing numbers eventually) – some mazes, some little games that would be basically like a file-folder game, etc.  She loves that she has her own math – and I have no doubts that the start of Year 1 will be very easy for her after this.
 
Finishing MEP year 6 leaves a child ready for High School math!

I too use MEP.  I’m sorry I do not know anything regarding Shiller Math. 

MEP has been great for our family.  This was our first year.  My boys just completed 1st and 2nd grade (woo hoo, summertime!).  I started them both at YR!, with the advice of other MEP users.  Both of my boys were ahead in some areas, mainly the addition/subtraction.  YR! just starts with number 0 then goes up to 20.  My boys were already past that.  But it has been good for review.  As suzukimom said all the other concepts were so new to them, and I loved that.  What I did was one day a week we would focus on addition/subtraction of the larger numbers with oeral math, manipulatives or worksheets (I found this great CM blog that offers these fun maths sheets.. butterflies/caterpillars ect for working on math facts). 

We did not complete YR1 yet, we will over the summer.  Then begin YR2 in Sept with the new school year.

I’ve really enjoyed the way it has taught my boys to look at math differently, to come up with different ways to solve problems.  As far as the spiral approach… one thing I did through the year (which is probalby why we also didn’t finish it this year as there are only 180 lessons) is that when a concept just wasn’t clicking with one of the boys.  We would stick with it for a day or two.  I would make up my own worksheets or we would do more with manipulatives, work on the dry erase board.  At least until they had a clear understanding of the concept.  Not always a firm grasp, but a clear understanding.  Then we would move on.  Or if it was something they really enjoyed, they would ask to stay on it for a day or two.  I would do that.  So it has taken us longer to get through the YR1. 

I am very pleased with the program though.  We love it!

Ah yes, Reception has a LOT of colour pages, and the kids do draw on them too, so they are consumable.

I have a colour laser printer, so it isn’t too costly for us to print them ourselves.

I believe the Reception student book can be bought – but I’m not sure if they ship the the US or not – at one point I don’t think they did.

Were you pricing it to be printed at an office store or was that with your own printer???

I use MEP YR2 with my daughter who is finishing third grade.  We started it late this year when she just was NOT understanding math.  She has improved greatly, and we will continue with the program.  I really like how challenging it is.  It really makes my daughter think.

My son did LOF fractions and decimals and percents this past year, and we will continue with LOF PreAlgebra.  I wish I had used MEP with him, and I think I will print out some MEP for him to supplement LOF this year.

Sorry, but I don’t know anything about Shiller Math.

Hi Sue,

When I was looking where to start my ds8 we were advised to look at the ‘Scheme Of Work’. Also most people start their students in the previous grade as it is different from other programmes scope & sequence. So if in yr3 maybe start yr2. But it’s completely up to you of course. Just have fun with it. This programme really gets them thinking.

Click HERE

We started our ds8 on MEP Y2. It is quite challenging and fun and you just have to tweak to suit yourselves. The mep yahoo support group is very very helpful if you join you will be able to ask almost anything and get a helpful response. 

Basically there’s a page per day or lesson, so we do what I think my child needs off that page and try to re-enforce with games and other puzzels & games (which is our type of drill!!)We definitely keep it short (up to 20min) & fun /interesting. The Lesson Plans are helpful, but written for the classroom so do what we do and take the meat & leave the bones! 

Hope that helps a little.

Blessings, Renelle

Wow, it seems like there’s a yahoo group for everything!  There is probably one for clipping your toenails properly, lol!  These links and comments are all very helpful.  Thank you so much.

Sue M.