Math suggestions - elementary

Discussion in 'Homeschooling' started by happyfamily, Apr 1, 2012.

  1. happyfamily

    happyfamily New Member

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    Hi, everyone! Here is the long and short of it:
    This has been our first year homeschooling our 3rd and 1st graders. We are reassessing each year what would be best for each of them, and since we are moving to OK this summer from DC, we will homeschool again next year.

    This year, we began with Singapore - I LOVE Singapore, but found that I was not effective teaching it, so we switched for 2nd semester. Once again, I find myself wavering though!

    1st grader - Horizons (1st grade); a bit *too* much review, though I do not make her do every problem if she shows mastery of a few in each section; enjoys math still since switching to Horizons - she is able to understand it, and the spiral all in all is a good thing for my sweet girl with ADHD, processing, speech, and language issues. Considering switching to Math-U-See - she liked the preview online, the blocks would be a good visual for her.

    3rd grader - Teaching Textbooks 5 (has taken him a little less than 3 months to get through half of the CD-ROMS so far); he is starting to get bored with it. I am thinking of continuing with TT and supplementing with some Life of Fred and something from Edward Zaccaro's line (maybe "Becoming a Problem Solving Genius"). He saw MUS when DD watched it and would like to switch. He also has ADHD, and it definitely affects the easier problems, though he can do things in his head that impress me with the more challenging ones.


    My issue with MUS, though it seems like a fantastic program, is the sequence of it - it would not allow for an easy transition back to school if/when that happens. The cost is also a bit of a concern, since for DS alone I would probably have to order several levels.

    Would love to hear from you all - you were so helpful last year at this time and I look forward to glean even more in this year's curricular search! Thanks!
     
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  3. mom2twinboys

    mom2twinboys New Member

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    We used MUS Primer and Alpha (1/2 of Alpha) and, while the boys learned a lot from the Primer and it was a great start for their very active bodies and minds to comprehend, the Alpha left them a bit confused when we tried to go from the addition facts to the subtraction facts. They just weren't getting that they all go together like a family, so we switched to Rod and Staff 2nd grade and it's made all the difference in the world. We still use the MUS blocks for the visual effect. The videos in the MUS program were great, very helpful, and right on their level. Steve Demme does a great job explaining things and the workbooks are laid out very well. Again, my only issue with the program was just that the boys weren't getting the transition. I looked ahead at the future grades and they also do not go as a family and that is the style that seems to fit my boys' best at this time. Rod and Staff presents the math as a family throughout add/subtract/multiply/divide. There is a lot of review in both programs, but I have found that to be the case in a lot of other curriculum as well. The beauty is that it's there if you need it and we just skip over what is not necessary. We felt comfortable using MUS and may in the future go back to it after the major facts are learned as the boys did like it and I liked how it was presented.
     
  4. happyfamily

    happyfamily New Member

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    Thanks so much for your insights - my daughter needs things a bit more spelled out for her, whereas my son is able to make leaps. Perhaps I should just remain with Horizons for her since it is working - I wonder if she, too, may have difficulty with the transition as your little guys did. I will take a look at R&S - I never knew a year ago when we began that just one subject could take so much time to decide upon a year into this process! Thank you again - I always appreciate hearing real-life experiences with these curricula!
     
  5. Lindina

    Lindina Active Member

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    You might want to look at Christian Light for math. It spells things out well for your daughter, but has a very gentle approach, not as rushed as Horizons maybe? I'm not sure because I don't know Horizons... CLE is spiral, too. It's not colorful, but in 12 years I haven't had any students complain about that. www.clp.org
     
  6. kbabe1968

    kbabe1968 New Member

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    I don't think I'm much help because Horizons and Teaching Textbooks are what we use and I would suggest.

    We did try Math U See here. I will say this...I liked it. The kids did not. They got seriously bored with it. My kids definitely like the spiral approach over the mastery approach.
     
  7. Sea

    Sea Member

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    I think it will depend if your kids do better with spiral versus mastery. My son has done some horizons and then TT and both are spiral, and finally I realized he needed something mastery. We have switched to MUS and he is doing great- I agree the sequence is different and I too don't know how long we will home school. But what I decided is that right now this is the best approach for him, so why not use something he can learn from and be successful? So I am letting go of the 'what if and when'.

    Even though my son tested into Beta he used maybe 1/3 of it- the portions he did not get the way MUS presented it he got it- so we are moving into Gamma and I may keep plugging away with it through the summer and so he will move into the next progam at the beginning of next year- this too should help with feeling 'behind'. But mainly so he does not lose anything!

    My other suggestion is if you feel spiral is working and Horizons is too much you can look into McRuffy- my younger daughter is using this and is doing well- it's one page a day and has hands on and oral activities and mini tests. It's actually really well done I think. Good luck!
     
  8. happyfamily

    happyfamily New Member

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    Thanks for all the food for thought, everyone! There is just so much out there - wonderful resources! Sea, my son would likely need 4 levels (*gulp*), so this is quite the deterrent for me.

    The Horizons is fun for my daughter, though it is just *so* repetitive. Perhaps I will check into McRuffy - the oral aspect would be good for her with her fine motor and dyslexia and it sounds like the hands-on component would be a fun fit for us. Thank you for your suggestions!


    Krista, thanks for sharing your experience. It is good to hear some negatives about programs to get a more well-rounded idea!

    Lindina, I will certainly check into CLE - had not done it before. Color or no, we are good. She never minded the black and white Singapore workbook :)

    Thank you all!
     
  9. cornopean

    cornopean New Member

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  10. happyfamily

    happyfamily New Member

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    Oooh, thanks, cornopean!!
     
  11. cornopean

    cornopean New Member

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    Funny thing about that math curriculum I posted......it's from England. I was trying to figure out what a "lorry" was. haha! my son thot I was a pretty sad teacher.
     
  12. kbabe1968

    kbabe1968 New Member

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    Happyfamily, why are you thinking your son would need 4 levels of Math-U-See for one year? I'm just curious. From what I know of the program, you're not supposed to do them simultaneously, you are supposed to do them in order. Do you think he'd get through 4 in one year? If that's the case you could order one level at a time, and as he gets toward the end of that one order the next one. If you're thinking of using them simultaneously, I don't think Math U See would work at all. His philosophy is based on absolute mastery on individual skills...then builds into the next skill. I hope that makes sense.

    I'm really just curious....
     
  13. happyfamily

    happyfamily New Member

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    Hi Krista,
    I hope I am understanding MUS correctly! From what I have heard and can glean from their site, it seems that the scope and sequence varies a great deal from most programs. Since DS has done some fractions and some decimals, for instance, I would still need to purchase both Epsilon and Zeta since MUS will go more in-depth than our programs have done so far; the same would go for multiplication and division. If I am misunderstanding, I am all ears though! So while we would not have to go through the entirety of each level, we would have to start wherever his math program now leaves off in MUS. I hope I am making sense?
     
  14. happyfamily

    happyfamily New Member

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    LOL! I figured it must be after looking through and seeing some references to "Mum" in the word problems. I would have to look up "lorry," too! :lol:
     
  15. kbabe1968

    kbabe1968 New Member

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    Yes, I believe you've been misunderstanding their method. You work through ONE BOOK AT A TIME....not many simultaneously. For example, you work through ALL of Alpha until mastery, then move to Beta, and work on it until mastery, then Delta, Gamma, etc...each book is done on it's own. Each book contains "about" a years worth of work - depending on the child and the grasp of the concepts. MUS is NOT a spiral approach, they mean ABSOLUTE mastery. You're not even supposed to move on from a lesson/chapter until a child can solve all the problems in split seconds....without hesitation or thinking about them. This is why it bored my son to tears. It took him FOREVER to master a skill to their satisfaction. He spent more than half a year on 11 lessons....I moved onto Lifepacs which were spiral and he did sooooo much better.

    You might want to order the free DVD they send out where Stephen Demme explains the system and how it works....they may not send these out anymore....but way back when I first started homeschooling, I got the DVD. This was for my daughter....I knew it wouldn't work for her, so we went with something else. Then when I tried it for my son, I proved myself right in my instincts to avoid it to begin with! LOL :)

    Now, that being said MOST of my friends use MUS and absolutely adore it and Mr. Demme. My one friend is really over the moon over it! LOL :)
     
  16. happyfamily

    happyfamily New Member

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    Sorry I did not explain myself well...I understand we would use one level at a time; however, I foresee him flying through a lot of it since he has already had much of it with his other curricula...sorry I am explaining this so poorly :) I also really like Mr. Demme's approach in the videos they have available online - he seems very engaging and personable.

    I wonder if the DVD they used to send out might be the videos they have available online now? He speaks of MUS, then offers sample lessons at each level. I wish I could be sure where we might be school-wise in a couple more years. I do not want to put my children at a disadvantage if we decide conventional school might be a better placement for them later.

    I will check out Life Pacs and see if that may be better. You brought up a good point about some children and the mastery method; my children would likely become bored as well! Thank you so much for your help!
     
  17. Lindina

    Lindina Active Member

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    Um, Lifepacs. Yes, well.... it's not really mastery. CLE is way better laid out and easy to use. Lifepacs "suggest" that you do speed drills, but CLE includes them in the workbooks. Lifepacs "suggest" mental math exercises, but CLE includes them in the workbooks. Lifepacs have color, but that's about all they have that CLE doesn't.
     
  18. happyfamily

    happyfamily New Member

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    Maybe I should just stick with TT for DS and add in some Life of Fred to keep him on his toes and keep him from being bored...not sure about DD. Going to keep mulling over this one (why, oh why is this so challenging?!).
     
  19. kbabe1968

    kbabe1968 New Member

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    TT & LOF....:)

    And it's challenging because you love your kids and want what's best for them!!!
     
  20. MonkeyMamma

    MonkeyMamma New Member

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    I too am going to recommend CLE. We have used MUS in the past but it just was not a good fit for us. We have been using CLE for years now and just love it. It is a very good complete curriculum.
     

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