MUS users, I'm struggling... Did you switch programs after Zeta? Or stick w/ MUS?

[angela&4boys]

I'm drowning in the sea of choices and need a lifeline! It shouldn't be this hard, but I don't want to regret my choice. I'm not opposed to sticking with MUS, but there seem to be fewer testimonies for the upper levels and that has me a little leary. The others I'm considering are Saxon and TT, but the varying reviews have me more confused. Is there something else out there that makes a good follow-up?

 

Fwiw, our ds is not math-gifted. He needs a lot of review and does not enjoy the subject. We tried BJU one year, but it frustrated him when a new concept was introduced daily and he didn't feel he'd mastered the previous ones. Ironically enough, he loves the sciences so I want to be sure that he is adequately prepared. I really want to make the right choice for him, but it seems the more research I do the less sure I am. :001_huh:

[Elizabeth Conley]

We're using MUS Algebra I and Us It! Don't Lose It! Daily Math Review (8th Grade) My daughter isn't wild about Math either, but she's enjoying this curriculum and making measurable progress.

[Tenaj]

I have finally decided, after much the same angst that you are going through, that for most of my dc, we are going to leave MUS after Zeta and go to Saxon. My oldest ds just finished up MUS Geometry this year and asked me if he could switch over to Saxon Algebra II because he just doesn't feel that MUS is preparing him adequately (he's thinking about a science/engineering major in college). The Geometry felt very babyish to him.

I'm hoping the switch will work out - he started the Saxon Algebra II book today and sighed in happiness. (I know, weird).

 

That said, my dd is going to remain in and finish the MUS series (she's in the middle of Algebra I right now) because she absolutely hates math and wants the minimum education she can get by with in that area :) That's why I said "most" of my kids will switch over after Zeta if not before.

 

Just to muddy the water, I also have a third grader who has hit the proverbial wall in the middle of Beta! He's the only one who has done MUS all the way through (the others switched at various points from Saxon) and he just stopped making progress! Any ideas on that? My theory is that he is depending too much upon the blocks and isn't confident enough in his basic math facts to go forward. I pulled out Saxon 3 for him and he loves it. Isn't it funny how different kids need different curr. Since I own most of both series, I guess I can just go with the flow based on their personalities.

 

I can empathize with your dilemma and hope you can easily find the right solution for your son without too much switching around.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

I moved my three older children out of MUS at algebra (for the two older, it was before the "Zeta" title was used). For my two math gifted kids this was a good choice. For my dd who struggled with math, it was a big mistake. We returned to MUS for geometry in her junior year. She told me she wished we'd never left. We tried Saxon, ALEKS, and VideoText. Saxon had too much work and she didn't understand the way the concepts were taught in tiny bits each day. ALEKS was OK, but did not have enough instruction. VideoText did not have enough review for her.

 

My math bright son voluntarily did MUS geometry even though he had almost completed another geometry text. He said he felt like he could do geometry problems, but didn't understand it completely. He loves Steve Demme's explanations.

 

In the future, I'm going to stick with MUS for the upper grades for my "non-mathy" kids.

 

HTH,

Leanna

[angela&4boys]

We're using MUS Algebra I and Us It! Don't Lose It! Daily Math Review (8th Grade) My daughter isn't wild about Math either, but she's enjoying this curriculum and making measurable progress.

 

Thanks Elizabeth. Maybe the supplements would help to liven things up and give him the review he needs. MUS certainly isn't out of the running.

 

I have finally decided, after much the same angst that you are going through, that for most of my dc, we are going to leave MUS after Zeta and go to Saxon. My oldest ds just finished up MUS Geometry this year and asked me if he could switch over to Saxon Algebra II because he just doesn't feel that MUS is preparing him adequately (he's thinking about a science/engineering major in college). The Geometry felt very babyish to him.

I'm hoping the switch will work out - he started the Saxon Algebra II book today and sighed in happiness. (I know, weird).

 

Lol. That's encouraging!

 

That said, my dd is going to remain in and finish the MUS series (she's in the middle of Algebra I right now) because she absolutely hates math and wants the minimum education she can get by with in that area :) That's why I said "most" of my kids will switch over after Zeta if not before.

 

The jury's still out as far as what he wants to "be". Part of what adds to my confusion, I suppose.

 

 

Just to muddy the water, I also have a third grader who has hit the proverbial wall in the middle of Beta! He's the only one who has done MUS all the way through (the others switched at various points from Saxon) and he just stopped making progress! Any ideas on that? My theory is that he is depending too much upon the blocks and isn't confident enough in his basic math facts to go forward. I pulled out Saxon 3 for him and he loves it. Isn't it funny how different kids need different curr. Since I own most of both series, I guess I can just go with the flow based on their personalities.

 

Geez. Does it have to be this hard? :tongue_smilie: Our 9yo ds is experiencing the same thing in Gamma. He is confused about "carrying" numbers in multi-digit multiplication. [sigh]

 

I can empathize with your dilemma and hope you can easily find the right solution for your son without too much switching around.

 

Thanks for commiserating and for the well wishes. ;)

[Elizabeth Conley]

PS - I've got a put in a plug for supplementation with Use It! Don't Lose It!. It's only supposed to take about 7 minutes a day. My kids enjoy it tremendously, and feel very encouraged by these challenging but fun exercise. I use it for the 5th grader and the 8th grader. They are both very happy with it. I'm happy too, because I am confident what they're learning from this will help them sail through standardized testing.

[angela&4boys]

 

In the future, I'm going to stick with MUS for the upper grades for my "non-mathy" kids.

 

 

 

Thank you Leanna. This does help. He's definitely "non-mathy". MUS is my "gut" feeling... I think. :blink:

[angela&4boys]

PS - I've got a put in a plug for supplementation with Use It! Don't Lose It!. It's only supposed to take about 7 minutes a day. My kids enjoy it tremendously, and feel very encouraged by these challenging but fun exercise. I use it for the 5th grader and the 8th grader. They are both very happy with it. I'm happy too, because I am confident what they're learning from this will help them sail through standardized testing.

 

Plug away! He won't balk at a few extra minutes. Do you know what level would match up well with Zeta? Going to check it out now...

[Elizabeth Conley]

I'd think that 6th or 7th grade would be appropriate with zeta. You can check it out on Rainbow Resource:

 

http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1251494796-127350&subject=10&category=2440

 

I like rainbow, but when I need something promptly, I buy from Amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Daily-Math-Practices-Skills-Practice/dp/0865306664/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251495133&sr=8-2

[Elizabeth Conley]

For the truly impatient, there are e-books.

Edited August 28, 2009 by Elizabeth Conley

[angela&4boys]

For the truly impatient, there are e-books.

 

Lol. Thanks Elizabeth. I think I'd rather wait for something tangible. I have a fear of losing the pdf notebooking pages I purchased a couple of years, but they had no other options!:scared:

[Lori in MS]

I debated back and forth between MUS and Saxon after Zeta. I finally decided on Saxon.

 

My 7th grader is doing Saxon 8/7 with the DIVE cd. I am glad I made the switch for these reasons:

 

He is totally independant with the DIVE cd and it still has a teacher to teach the lessons. He is learning to take notes on the lecture. Saxon has a lot of review but seems more rigorous than MUS. And a nice bonus that I didn't think of is that he listens to the lecture with headphones so the other kids are not distracted as they were when he watched the MUS dvds.

[Tenaj]

I debated back and forth between MUS and Saxon after Zeta. I finally decided on Saxon.

 

My 7th grader is doing Saxon 8/7 with the DIVE cd. I am glad I made the switch for these reasons:

 

He is totally independant with the DIVE cd and it still has a teacher to teach the lessons. He is learning to take notes on the lecture. Saxon has a lot of review but seems more rigorous than MUS. And a nice bonus that I didn't think of is that he listens to the lecture with headphones so the other kids are not distracted as they were when he watched the MUS dvds.

 

Would you mind answering a few questions about the DIVE cd? I am trying to decide whether I want this or not. Is there a lecture for every lesson? How long do the lessons last? My kidlet doing is about half way through Zeta and I just ordered 87 but wasn't sure we wanted/needed the DIVE.

 

Thanks

[Amy C]

My ds going into 8th grade used MUS through Pre-Algebra and then switched to LOF for Beginning Algebra. He started MUS with Gamma in the middle of 4th grade and finished Pre-Algebra in the spring of 7th. At the end of 6th grade he did LOF Fractions and Decimals. We both really liked MUS and I am thinking about getting Algebra and using it with LOF (he is having a hard time factoring quadratic equations). The only reason I did not continue with MUS for Algebra is because most homeschoolers seem to feel it is not a strong program in the upper levels. I would love to hear differently!

 

BTW, my younger ds, almost nine and starting 3rd grade, has used MUS all along. Like some of the previous posters, we have also hit a wall (lesson 28 in Gamma) and I am switching him to CLE.

 

Amy C

[justamouse]

You and me both!

 

Oldest Son did Alg with Video Text-I had called VT and asked what math curriculum transitioned easiest into VT, and VT said MUS. So be it. All was well with the world.

 

Then comes Dd.

 

Dd HATES VT with a passion, so I bought TT. She hates TT, too. I'm going to buy the solutions CD tonight and I'm going to cross my fingers that it plugs the leaks before the dam explodes.

 

I have a feeling I'm going to go back to MUS. And all my littles are using MUS with no problems.

[lovetobehome]

Subbing....I am in the EXACT same boat...

[lovetobehome]

I should add, I do not want to use Saxon. TT reviews seem sketchy just like MUS. Have you looked at ChalkDust? Going to search for more reviews of it now...

[Sunshine State Sue]

We used MUS from K through Algebra. I love MUS for the elementary years, but we are not continuing with MUS. I have a degree in math, and ds is math-oriented. Although ds likes MUS because it's easy, I decided he needed something more challenging. MUS Algebra does not cover all the topics that other Algebra books do. The topics do get covered, just later. It's not right for my student, but that doesn't mean that it isn't right for your student.

 

Of the 3 you are considering, honestly I would stick with MUS. I imagine that you are choosing them because there is a video component in all? I think the spiral method of Saxon can be confusing to some students. TT doesn't get any better reviews than MUS. I have seen reviews on the high school board from people whose students used MUS all through high school successfully.

 

I don't pay much attention to video math, but I believe there are DVTs for Lial's based on this thread. Margaret Lial has Basic College Math (for pre-algebra), Beg & Int Algebra, Geometry, and more. Lial's gets good reviews, and I think it would be a step up from MUS. When I looked through it at my library, I thought I might have used it in high school. If you do a search on the HS board, you'll find more info. Do a search with Lial in the title only on the high board. Here's a great thread. Another option is Chalkdust, which seems to get excellent reviews, but I gather it's very expensive. If money is an issue and these options are too expensive, I'd stick with MUS.

 

I hope I didn't just make your decision more difficult. Search and you will find what works for your family. Take care.

[Aletheia Academy]

Hi, Sue!

 

We are a *long* way off from this issue, but I wondered if you would opine on Jacob's Geometry and Algebra as options for high school. Just wondering.

 

As for our general plan, ds has started with MUS and it seems to be a good fit. MUS will *not* work for DD; she cares nothing for the blocks. I'm going to start her with R&S in 1st grade. Then I really don't know what to do after 6th grade. I was thinking of doing Saxon 8/7 then switching to Jacobs. Thus my question...

 

I would appreciate your thoughts.

[Lori in MS]

Would you mind answering a few questions about the DIVE cd? I am trying to decide whether I want this or not. Is there a lecture for every lesson? How long do the lessons last? My kidlet doing is about half way through Zeta and I just ordered 87 but wasn't sure we wanted/needed the DIVE.

 

Thanks

 

There is a lecture for every lesson. They last about 20-30 minutes each. You don't see the teacher, it's like looking at a chalkboard. He teaches the lessons and has you work through several practice problems. After watching the lesson my son can skip the practice problems in the book and go straight to the mixed practice. I really like not having to teach the lesson. It makes Saxon for the upper grades totally independant. They can also email their teacher if they don't understand something or have any questions about the lesson.

 

My Father's world http://www.mfwbooks.com has lesson plans for Saxon written to the student that tells them what to do each day. If they are doing well after 10 lessons, they tell them which problems they can skip. This has motivated my son to work hard to keep his grade up so he doesn't have to do all the problems.

Edited August 29, 2009 by Lori in MS

[ChicoryChick]

Angela,

 

I am in the same boat as you. My 11 yo daughter is doing Zeta this year (I switched the rest of my children who are younger to Singapore). I have been thinking about switching her to another program. Video Text seems the most likely right now if I do switch, however, I do not think she will be pursuing a vocation that requires strong high school math skills, so I may just stick with MUS since it is a more affordable option and has worked with her so far (she did struggle with multiplying and dividing fractions last year, even with the videos). Anyway all that to say, that I understand and look forward to reading other options as well.

[Sunshine State Sue]

Hi, Sue!

 

We are a *long* way off from this issue, but I wondered if you would opine on Jacob's Geometry and Algebra as options for high school. Just wondering.

 

I was able to obtain Jacob's Algebra and Geometry through ILL. They are both solid, rigorous texts. They both get great reviews on the high school board. I plan on using Jacob's Geometry next year if we continue to homeschool. I'm using Foerster's Algebra this year. It just appealed to me more than Jacob's.

 

HTH!

[angela&4boys]

Thank you Lori, Amy, justamouse, lovetobehome, and kayinpa. I appreciate your suggestions as well as your sympathy. :tongue_smilie:

 

Of the 3 you are considering, honestly I would stick with MUS. I imagine that you are choosing them because there is a video component in all? I think the spiral method of Saxon can be confusing to some students. TT doesn't get any better reviews than MUS. I have seen reviews on the high school board from people whose students used MUS all through high school successfully.

 

And Sue, thanks for your great advice. I was hoping you'd chime in. You definitely didn't add to the confusion, but rather gave me fresh food for thought. TT is out of the running and the spiral method is precisely why I don't think it's right for this particular ds. I fear the new and different material each day would bring tears. BJU did and it even stayed in the same operation!

 

I have a while to decide, but want to have my thoughts in order and, at the very least, narrowed down. Everyones' help is immensely appreciated!

 

The Hive rocks,;)

[Donna T.]

BTW, my younger ds, almost nine and starting 3rd grade, has used MUS all along. Like some of the previous posters, we have also hit a wall (lesson 28 in Gamma) and I am switching him to CLE.

 

Amy C

 

Lessons 24 through 28 or so were really hard! If you otherwise like MUS, you may want to consider that Steve Demme says his way of doing the regrouping (where the number that you carry over is put on the bottom instead of at the top like we did when we were in school) is optional. He says it makes more sense to do it his way (and I agree now that I understand what he is doing) but that if you are confused about it, go back to the traditional method. Not sure if that is the "wall" you are talking about, but I know that method drives some crazy. If you read the TM, he explains what he's doing and it really does make so much more sense. When we were right at Lesson 28, I went running to the yahoo group to search for info. on that lesson and it seems like alot of children take extra time with that one. We took atleast two weeks with it rather than our normal one.

[ChicoryChick]

Lessons 24 through 28 or so were really hard! If you otherwise like MUS, you may want to consider that Steve Demme says his way of doing the regrouping (where the number that you carry over is put on the bottom instead of at the top like we did when we were in school) is optional. He says it makes more sense to do it his way (and I agree now that I understand what he is doing) but that if you are confused about it, go back to the traditional method. Not sure if that is the "wall" you are talking about, but I know that method drives some crazy. If you read the TM, he explains what he's doing and it really does make so much more sense. When we were right at Lesson 28, I went running to the yahoo group to search for info. on that lesson and it seems like alot of children take extra time with that one. We took atleast two weeks with it rather than our normal one.

 

We also hit a wall in Gamma (somewhere in the 20's) this past year, so we took a break and started Delta (got half way through it) instead. I did end up switching to Singpore this year, but if we had continued I would have finished Gamma and Delta this coming year.

[Donna T.]

We also hit a wall in Gamma (somewhere in the 20's) this past year, so we took a break and started Delta (got half way through it) instead. I did end up switching to Singpore this year, but if we had continued I would have finished Gamma and Delta this coming year.

 

I considered starting Delta at that time, but decided not to. How did you place your child into Singapore? Did you do the placement test? My MUS son has used Singapore's Challenging Word Problems but not the regular series. He loves MUS and I won't switch him until after Zeta, if at all, but I do want to have him work out of Singapore some. I had read on the HOD that I would need to back him all the way back to level 1. I read that some moms had started at a higher level (when coming from MUS) and their children got lost quite quickly thereafter. The ones who had backed up to level 1 were happier. I have level 2 already. I thought about letting him just start with that a few days a week.

[AngieW in Texas]

Thanks for posting about Use It! Don't Lose It! My youngest needs a review program like this for math. She's been doing well with Evan-Moor Daily Math Practice, but it only goes up to 6th grade. Use It! goes up to 8th grade.

[Amy C]

Donna,

 

Thanks for the advice-ds does prefer the traditional way, and I like the "new" way. At this point neither is working. We have been stuck for quite a while. I might just move on to Delta, since I only need the workbook, and go back to Gamma when he is older. I just received CLE, so I might see how that goes too, or combine. Then I could combine older ds in MUS Algebra and LOF...there is no such thing as too much math, right?

 

Amy

[kloumc]

We are very happy users of MUS! I remember deliberating after Zeta if we should switch our oldest daughter to something else for Algebra on up. Yet, we were having such success with MUS, we wondered, "Why switch?" My daughter continued on all the way through MUS Pre-Calculus. She scored in the 95 percentile range or higher on all of her standardized tests for math throughout junior high and high school. After her junior year, she took the dreaded SAT and got a 690 on the math portion!! This score was high enough that she didn't have to take the placement exam for math at her university. All that to say, MUS is a great program and it is only getting better! We have the newest version for the Algebra I for our 8th grade son to use and these revisions are excellent. Our 10th grade dd will be doing Algebra II this year and her standardized test scores for math last spring were in the 97 percentile.

 

I hope this helps.

[angela&4boys]

We are very happy users of MUS! I remember deliberating after Zeta if we should switch our oldest daughter to something else for Algebra on up. Yet, we were having such success with MUS, we wondered, "Why switch?" My daughter continued on all the way through MUS Pre-Calculus. She scored in the 95 percentile range or higher on all of her standardized tests for math throughout junior high and high school. After her junior year, she took the dreaded SAT and got a 690 on the math portion!! This score was high enough that she didn't have to take the placement exam for math at her university. All that to say, MUS is a great program and it is only getting better! We have the newest version for the Algebra I for our 8th grade son to use and these revisions are excellent. Our 10th grade dd will be doing Algebra II this year and her standardized test scores for math last spring were in the 97 percentile.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Wow, kloumc! Now that's an awesome testimony! It does help and gives me more confidence if we choose to stick with MUS (which seems the to be the best fit). I'm saving your post when/if doubts creep in. :)

[Donna T.]

I've read lots of testimonies about the success of MUS beyond Zeta at the mus yahoo group. I read the daily digests regularly just so I won't overlook those kinds of reports.

[ChicoryChick]

I considered starting Delta at that time, but decided not to. How did you place your child into Singapore? Did you do the placement test? .

 

Hi Donna,

 

yes we did do the placement tests for Singapore and placed in 3A so that is where we are starting. We have only had a week of school but so far so good.

[Tenaj]

There is a lecture for every lesson. They last about 20-30 minutes each. You don't see the teacher, it's like looking at a chalkboard. He teaches the lessons and has you work through several practice problems. After watching the lesson my son can skip the practice problems in the book and go straight to the mixed practice. I really like not having to teach the lesson. It makes Saxon for the upper grades totally independant. They can also email their teacher if they don't understand something or have any questions about the lesson.

 

My Father's world http://www.mfwbooks.com has lesson plans for Saxon written to the student that tells them what to do each day. If they are doing well after 10 lessons, they tell them which problems they can skip. This has motivated my son to work hard to keep his grade up so he doesn't have to do all the problems.

 

Thank you so much for the information - I even use MFW and hadn't caught the fact that they had lesson plans.