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Using Ray's Arithmetic, considering RightStart
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I started using Ray’s Arithmetic with my 6 yo daughter (and a bit with my 5 yo dd). We are doing the Year One as laid out in the Manual of Methods. I think this is a great program, but it doesn’t seem to be very teacher friendly. All of the putting together of lessons seems to happen last minute for me. (Oh, we need to work on combos of 8 today, let me grab some of these crayons that are sitting here on the table….) and that’s about all we do. This isn’t a major concern for me yet, but as they get older, I know I will have to do more.
I’m still not all the way sure just how RA plays out through the years, but I like the concept so far. Just seems like it isn’t getting done right now. I’m thinking if I had something that tells me what to do, I could do that.
I have 5 young children (the oldest is 6) so time is a big concern for me. I am considering switching to RightStart because it seems to be similar in theory, but just already laid out. I don’t mind taking time to actually teach her, but I would like to spend less time preparing (and thinking of ideas) for each lesson, because it just doesn’t get done most of the time.
So, are my ideas about these programs correct? I would love to hear some thoughts and advice on this. Thanks!
Michaela
Right Start looks pretty good, and I’ve heard some good recommendations about it.
Have you heard of / looked at MEP math? My kids are loving it. It is free on the internet, so it only costs your paper and ink. I think it is VERY CM friendly (especially since it was designed for a classroom), and has plans for the teacher, without being completely scripted. It uses manipulatives, but you don’t need to find much…. Basically (in the early years anyway…. we have been doing Reception (Kindergarten) and Year 1 so far…) you need some sort of counters. Beads, rocks, sticks, pennies, whatever you have. Other things that are handy to have but not needed are Dominoes and Cuisinaire rods,
http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mepres/primary/default.htm
Do you own Ruth Beechicks Parent-Teacher guide for the Ray’s Arithmetics? There are also answer guides.
http://www.mottmedia.com/pages/publications.asp?Pub=#Intellectual
Rachel
Michaela, I LOVE Right Start! I too am a last minute mama with five children and one on the way, homeschooling three sons in grades 4,2 and K. What I love about Right Start is that it teaches Math in such a thorough and gentle way, mostly hands on, and lots of games. In fact, if you just get the game book, the cards that go with it and a very useful teaching tool, the Abacus, you could start at the beginning and work through it and your kids would get an incredible foundation in Math. I believe the book is called “Math Card Games” and is not very expensive. I am using the full on curriculum, and it only requires a little look ahead to print off this or that (which is not everyday, just once in a while and a bit more for the older grades). The books give you the entire lesson, what to do and say, which is great for very little preparation. Like I said, I love it. I hope this helps you in your quest. Remember, when your little people are so very little, just laying a really good foundation is all that’s necessary. Right Start does just that, in my opinion.
Thank you for the replies.
Suzukimom, I have looked at MEP math several times and it always seemed confusing to me, but the link you provided helped a lot! Do you print everything out at the start of the year or just print them as you need them?
Rachel, yes, I own Ruth Beechicks Parent-Teacher guide. Right now, though, we are going through Year One which doesn’t require a book. They learn to identify a group of objects up to 10 on sight (without counting). Maybe it is just supposed to be simple? I keep thinking I am not doing enough. Do you supplement Ray’s at all?
Lecia, this is great info! So are you saying that I would only need the lesson plan books, the card games stuff, and an abacus to make this useful? I already own the abacus and all the Saxon k-3 manipulatives. I was thinking I could probably just make the place value cards. If I didn’t have to order the whole kit I would probably do it. The price is holding me back.
Glad to hear you are in a similar situation and loving it!
The early stuff really is that simple. It’s not my primary math course; I use Ray’s as an oral drill supplement. I like the thoroughness of the review sections of math facts and I use those orally.
My son uses Developmental Mathematics and my dd uses Teaching Textbooks. I find it’s equally important to do math on paper as well as orally; I think it strengthens the brain.
Rachel
I cannot offer and suggestions for those, we use math-u-see. They see it, say it, write it. I have 5 age 7 and under so I can imagine you are busy. I am not sure if math-u-see is similar to what you are using, but it is no prep. (I don’t have much prep time in my life right now) The blocks are right there and you can even use the video to teach them if you are pressd for one on one time and then just help them review.
I am 1-hand typing (nursing baby) so this will be short but I use RS math and LOVE it. I usually have no prep work and my 7yo & 9yo love it. If you have q’s you can call the company and they are so helpful!
I need math curriculum for my children, who are at about these levels: 2nd grade, 4th grade, 7th grade. Right now, we are using what we have, concentrating on math fact memorization, and borrowing from friends & the internet. Money will be an issue for a month or so (unless I get a better home-based job!), so MEP looks attractive to me.
I have two questions I’m wondering if anyone can answer. How far advanced does MEP get? My 7th grader does not care for math, but she is probably ready for pre-algebra. The other question is, approximately how many pages are you printing out per student per day? I don’t think I want to print out more than a couple of weeks at a time in case I am able to purchase some other math curriculum in a month or so.
Sue M.
Ok, here are some more MEP answers….
Yes, MEP goes right to (including) High school stuff. It is kind-of 3 programs. Years 1-6 is one program (oh, and Reception/Kindergarten), and is the one I’m most familiar with. A child is ready to start Algebra after finishing grade 6.
Years 7-9 is a bit different, and is a good place to start with an older student. It reviews a lot of stuff from the last couple of years of the early MEP. The style is a bit different I hear.
Then there is the high-school stuff, which is a bit of a different style again. I believe it tends to have units of different topics? I am nowhere near there with my kids, so haven’t looked at it too much.
This info below is for the early years MEP, as that is what I’m familiar with…..
The course has a lesson book and a practice book. (it is broken into 6 pdf’s for each….) For each lesson, there is a teacher’s lesson plan (1 to 2 pages) and 1 page in the practice book. Some people read the teacher plan off the computer so they don’t print that. In the past I’ve printed it – In the future I’m going to try using my new Kindle. It looks readable. So that is 1 to 3 pages to print a day depending on whether or not you are going to print the teachers book. I generally print off 1 pdf at a time – so I print about 1/6th of the course at a time.
There are also Posters used in the first couple of years. I printed them at the start. There are also copymasters, which I only print off if needed. Often it is stuff from the practice sheet in a larger format for use in a classroom. In the copymaster there is also stuff (for the first couple of years) like number strips (can be replaced with cuisinaire rods) and number lines.
Here is my blog Math topics, with more info… http://maplehillacademy.blogspot.com/search/label/Math
and you will want to check out… http://ohpeacefulday.blogspot.com/2009/06/mep-101.html
There is a MEP yahoo group for homeschoolers… http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mep-homeschoolers
Hope this helps – the program is fantastic!
Suzukimom, you are a wealth of information! Thank you for your help. I’m going to take a further look at MEP.
Sue
Thanks, I try.
One thing to keep in mind with printing – the pdf’s were designed for A4 paper. Most people have Adobe set to something like “fit to page”. You can do that, however…. it will then scale the page, which means that the pages where the kids measure lines, the measurements won’t be right. You need to set Adobe to something like “No scaling”. (But I find it cuts off the page numbers, so I write them in. Measurements don’t start until the 2nd part pdf of Year 1B – but not sure where it is in Year 2 or other years….)
It also uses the metric system, but most people are considering that a benefit (it is easier, honest… is used in 98% of the world, and is used in science. You may want to suppliment something for US measurements (I don’t as I’m in Canada, so the course being metric is fantastic for me…) – or just let real life do the US measurement teaching…
So are you saying that I would only need the lesson plan books, the card games stuff, and an abacus to make this useful? I already own the abacus and all the Saxon k-3 manipulatives. I was thinking I could probably just make the place value cards. If I didn’t have to order the whole kit I would probably do it. The price is holding me back.
Hi, Michaela! I went to the website to see if you can just get the math card games manual, and couldn’t find it by itself! Have you seen the website yourself yet? Anyway, here is a link to download the table of contents for the game book so you can get a feel for what it contains:
http://www.alabacus.com/Downloads/Math%20Games%20for%20practice.pdf
When I was first deciding about Right Start, I downloaded the free sample pages and used them with my kids before I made the decision to get the whole kit. It’s also good to read what she (Dr. Cotter) has to say about math. It could be that what you are using (which I am not familiar with at all) is just as good and you just need the encouragement that you are doing the right thing! I love Charlotte Mason’s methods because she stressed short, gentle lessons and living materials. I think this applies to math as well. Don’t settle for twaddle — you can sense when it is. I hope this helps you.
I know what you mean about the price! What a commitment, ay? You could definitely make do with just getting the manuals (they include a lot of printables in their appendixes) and make your own stuff to go with them… Or get the games kit which is about $50, I believe. It depends what manipulatives you already have, too.
Although not necessary, but may be helpful to you are the Ray’s workbooks that have been developed. Don’t go to the Mott Media site above and click onto Classic Curriculum Workbooks. You could still do a good portion (if not all) of it orally, which you should do at this age anyway, plus use manipulatives if your child likes to (mine have always just used an abacus, a plastic clock face with moving hands and play money), but it may give you more structure without a huge price investment this year (only 10.95 for one). I don’t know anything about Rightstart, but I do believe in not purchasing a lot of different curriculums for each child or curriculum hopping before exhausting the possibilies with what you have already (as alluded to above). Both of mine used the same for 3 yrs. before I had to switch my dd due to her learning disabiilities, but my son will stay with the same till pre-alg. You definitely want them to enjoy math; if Rightstart is priced right; you think it’s a better fit for your teaching style, doesn’t require a lot of financial investment yearly, and you could possibly use it with all of your children, just with a little tweaking for learning styles, then it’s a good consideration. I just don’t know anything about it.
You could try the Ray’s workbooks this year and see how it goes. Another idea is pick a night (afternoon, whatever) to go through Beechicks PT Guide for your dd level she’s on and gather all the materials into a box once and for all, label it, and be finished with the prep for the year. It’s not full of bell’s and whistles, simple and basic. Just keep her lessons short; at her age CM said 10-15 min. **I also would recommend supplementing with living math books that she could read on her own (if she can) or together aloud (include as many of the others as possible) to foster enjoyment of the topic- http://www.livingmath.net Not only will you find lists of math ‘readers’ for different topics, but info. on many different math programs, including Ray’s. Hope that site helps you a bit. Use your library to obtain these living math books to save costs
I will say that Ray’s is adaptable for different learning styles, but I understand if you’re not a ‘planner’ it may not work for you, and that’s ok. HS’ling is challenging enough with raising a family and running a home and a teaching style is just as important as a learning style, IMO. I say don’t make it more unecessarily challenging than it already is.
Hope this gives you some workable ideas,
Rachel
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