I started off the year using Saxon 3 math with my 3rd grader. It was super good. She got so good at skip counting, money, calendar, ect... But for some reason, I jumped ship and started back with CLE but still cont. to use the "meeting strip". Well, my Dd loved saxon math but I felt it was lacking so I found myself giving her more problems to supplement. Now she's mastered so many things and has been doing mult. of 0, 1,2,3,4,5,7,and 10's. She also started some division. She hates CLE math, and the reason for that is becuase there are so many pages. I can understand that! I honestly don't think she's getting enough now of those things she got with saxon. Well, I do it on the side tho. But, now it's overkill in CLE and she's kind of at a stand point cuz she's ready to move farther ahead with mult./div. but she can't in CLE because of the other stuff that they teach is tougher or new. I can't win and not sure what to do. Do I continue on with CLE at a very slow pace, wouldn't even got to div. until the middle of next year. OR do I go back to Saxon and start where we left off? Also, I'm not too math minded so I need to have a math that is very Teacher friendly. How is Saxon in that area as they get older and the stuff gets harder. Thanks so much for reading this and please help!!
Go back to Saxon, but I wouldn't start where you left off. Give her the first test after the lesson you left off. See how she does on it. If she does well, assume she knows it fine, and the next day give her he next day. Keep doing this as long as she does well on the tests. When she drops from the 90's to the 70's (or lower!), you can assume that this is stuff she DOESN'T know, and start there. Also, Saxon has lots of review built in to the beginning of the year. If you chose Saxon next year, do the same thing. Start at the beginning, give tests until the scores drop, and start there. Why bother teaching what she already know? You have to when you've got 30+ kids in a classroom, but not one-on-one!
Thanks Jackie, that helps alot. I would have never thought to test her on those tests to place her back in. Good to know that there is alot of review at the beginning of each year if a child needs it. Thank you so much!
I learned to do that when I switched Rachael from Horizons to Saxon. She complained, "MOM!!!! WHY DO I HAVE TO DO THIS??? I ALREADY KNOW THIS!!!!" And it occured to me "HEY! Good question!!!"
Yeah, I can understand that. I looked ahead at the assesment tests and she could do 6 fine but then on 7, it has points with lines. We've learned about ray, line, lines segments and labeling points, so it will interesting to see if she can do it how they have it layed out. Have you used Saxon 3 at all? I'm assuming you have. Did it get too hard once they got to smudged missing numbers or square roots? Thanks!
No, I haven't. I use Horizon through third grade,and then switch to Saxon. Phillip was doing 54, but it wasn't working for him. I finally gave up and switched to Life of Fred Fractions, which he likes SO much better! My girls, however, went through 76. No, Faythe didn't finish 76. I decided the heck with it, and started her in a pre-algebra book that had been retired from the public school years ago!
Having used both, I would suggest getting her through Saxon 3 and 54, then give the CLE test and see where she would place at that time. By that time, she might (or might not) be glad to see "only" the number of pages CLE has (about 4?), and not have to copy them all down into a notebook to work them. I've found that to be the case with the kids I've used Saxon with and then switched to CLE -- glad to change. I've also found that kids who had been working in 54 needed to switch to CLE 400 at the beginning, and one in particular who had just finished CLE 400 tested at "ready to begin Math 76" - I didn't change her over, just wanted to see how she'd do. YMMV.
Alexis was working in Saxon 5/4 and we are just now switching her to CLE 400 and starting her at the beginning.
