I need suggestions for a math program for 5th and 6th graders who are coming out of PS. One is a kinesthetic learner who is fairly strong in math and the other is not a natural mathmetician and is dyslexic.
Well, we love Teaching Textbooks here. They have online samples to try it out first, and they also have placement tests if you decide to go with it. It's been a good math for both my advanced mathematician and my far-less-than-advanced math student. The only thing to note about the program is that it IS a spiral program. So, the info will repeat. This has been a good thing for my child who struggles with math. I thought it might bore my advanced child, but he doesn't seem bothered by it at all.
You might want to check out Math U See. That is a good hands on program and from what I understand also works well with kids who do not quite get math.
We have experience with Horizons & Singapore. I've found that Horizons (spiral) is very easy for my son. Singapore (mastery) is more challenging for him and is a different learning style (number bonds, etc). We will be continuing the Singapore math as he has done very well with it, and challenges him. I enjoy the learning style, though it is different than how I learned, when I went to school we did worksheets like in Horizons. Either programs are great though, and I've heard lots of good things about Math U See!
We have used Horizons (loved it!), Teaching Textbooks (hated it), and we now use Life of Fred (LOVE IT!). LOF are stories that incorporate math, so it would probably work great for strong math learner, not so much for your other. Also, I would look at Math-U-See... I have heard many great things about it.
I love CLE math! I haven't had anybody (out of 40 students so far) who didn't "get it". Coming out of ps, you might have to back up a level or so, but there's a placement test fotr that, and you can trust the results. It's an incremental spiral like Saxon, but the examples and explanations are much clearer to me. Even working "a level below", my students have scored at or above grade level when using CLE. I've had students who were plumb math phobic become not scared of math anymore using this. www.clp.org
