Jump to content

Menu

Official Beast Academy guinea pigs thread!


Rivka

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 582
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

This is problem #26 of the Perimeter and Area chapter. He says he has to do this to "see" the number bonds immediately. I'd also like to point out that this particular problem became a fire-breathing dragon that he had to find the size of in order to construct a sword strong enough to slay it. Yup, its a regular 3-ring circus of math around here. Is it any wonder it is taking us forever to get through the book? :tongue_smilie:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, I finally got around to reading the transcript--thanks Wapiti! Chewing it over now...

 

The perfectionist thing is going to be a real problem in our house, although not I think because it is learned the way R. describes (smart kid always gets 100% so comes to expect that and gives up when s/he can't). As far as I can tell it is a genetic tendency in the family and goes along with anxiety and negative self-talk. Argh! Dh is even worse than dd--I had to push him along every step of applying to MBA programs because even though he had an undergraduate degree from a well-respected business school with a great GPA and several years of work experience behind him, he was convinced his record wasn't "perfect" enough for him to be accepted. I'm determined to help dd develop a more practical perspective on life, but it's an uphill battle.

More challenging work--where 100% is really not a possibility--definitely sounds like part of the answer. Maybe allowing and expecting kids to get 100% is an American thing--part of our "build up their self-esteem" theory? I spent a few years in the French school system and their approach seemed to be the opposite--let's tear down any self-esteem they might accidentally develop! Grades were out of 20 possible points, except the 20 wasn't really possible most of the time! The saying among students was that "20 is for God, 19 is for the teacher, 18 is for the teacher's pet, 17 is for the best student":lol: And it was largely true. My best friend was the class genius, and she once received 18.5 on a history test and was told by the teacher it was the highest grade he had ever awarded in his 20+ years of teaching! As a French learner, it wasn't uncommon for me to receive 0 as a score, especially on dictations as points were taken off for every single spelling or grammar error. I don't personally think that approach helps most kids develop a lot of resiliency either--it's just to discouraging for many and makes success seem impossible--but there must be some middle ground somewhere...

 

Does anyone have a naturally anxious/perfectionist child they are working with? What helps?

 

--Sarah

 

:iagree: With a DD who'd never taken a test or been given a grade/score/evaluation or been in a class and yet was a natural perfectionist by age 4 I don't buy the idea that real perfectionism is a learned trait. I always got 100% but am NOT a perfectionist, so the first time I struggled it was more like I'd always expected to struggle, so it didn't phase me. On the other hand, more experience with HOW to struggle would have been helpful, but the point is I just was not and am not a perfectionist. But my dd is and will/would be regardless. Helping her deal with that is a major challenge (esp since it is outside my experience, LOL).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Where in the book series are most users now? Have many/most of you completed 3B? 3A? Given up? Put it on the shelf for later? I'm trying to get a feel for average progression rate.

 

:w00t::svengo:to the bolded!

 

:lol:

 

DS9 has finished and is (not so) patiently waiting for the next installment. We're plugging away with Kitchen Table Math and other supplements. I'm trying to convince him to let me throw a little SM back in the mix. He says when we officially start school again (after our geography/Olympics unit study), he'll do it without complaint (but I can tell he is just biding his time, earnestly hoping the next BA book will get here before that and I'll forget SM exists :lol:). He was ahead in SM and is working behind--but happily--in BA so I don't care too much, really. Obviously. :tongue_smilie:

 

DD has started BA and loves it too, but she's skipping ahead to do it so I have mixed feelings. Still, when you catch her working on BA at night in bed, whatcha gonna do? :lol: She's interesting. I think she's stealthy. She likes math a lot but doesn't really care about it, if that makes sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Where in the book series are most users now? Have many/most of you completed 3B? 3A? Given up? Put it on the shelf for later? I'm trying to get a feel for average progression rate.

 

My son requested not to do it anymore a while ago, while partway through 3A. We went back to MEP plus other supplements, although we've taken a few weeks off.

 

We may return later. Not really sure.

 

He did read the guides for a and b several times on his own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, the TOC from 3C made me want to skip 3B completely. We're sort of bogged down with it at the moment and I was wondering how everyone else was doing.

 

Any other parents of slow processors/bad computation kids have suggestions? BA is so completely opposite of how I was taught math that I'm afraid if we skip anything I'll end up missing some vital concept or something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're doing a lot of different things for math this summer, including a bit of BA here and there. Our big focus has been developing fluency with multiplication facts via Calculadder and XtraMath. She'll do a few BA problems here and there (she is on the Skip Counting chapter of 3A). However, I think she has read the Guide 10 times. Takes it to bed with her. Since she is young (7), I'm just letting her play with it, be intrigued with math, think it is funny. She has asked me several times when I'm going to buy the next book; I take that to mean she really likes it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Almost finished with 3A, he's got maybe 2-3 practice pages left and then we will move on to 3B. I worried that, if we kept up the brisk pace, 3C wouldn't be released in time for us to start it. It should work out great now that 3C is off to the printers b/c we will be able to get it in-hand in plenty of time since we are just starting 3B any day now!! :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Can those who have completed BA 3B please talk to me? Is it pretty much just tons of calculations in different ways? That is my impression of it so far. Since I have a slow processor who is conceptually quick, I'm not sure this is what I am looking for at this time. We loved 3A, but I'm not seeing as many interesting concepts in 3B. Is this a correct assessment or can you point me to some concepts I'm missing? I do plan on having ds do some assorted problems from the perfect squares and distributive property chapters, but not the entire book if this is the case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can those who have completed BA 3B please talk to me? Is it pretty much just tons of calculations in different ways? That is my impression of it so far. Since I have a slow processor who is conceptually quick, I'm not sure this is what I am looking for at this time. We loved 3A, but I'm not seeing as many interesting concepts in 3B. Is this a correct assessment or can you point me to some concepts I'm missing? I do plan on having ds do some assorted problems from the perfect squares and distributive property chapters, but not the entire book if this is the case.

 

Are you bogged down in the multiplication chapter? It is definitely the least interesting one, particularly if your kid can already multiply. Remember that the gym teacher is "Sergeant Rote" - the multiplication section is supposed to be slightly-more-interesting practice that helps you through the tedium of learning your times tables by rote. I think you could skip to page 38 (number blobs, which I thought were cool) and do the final multiplication word problems.

 

The perfect squares chapter actually has a lot of cool stuff, like methods of squaring any number that ends in 5, finding the next perfect square up or down from any known square, multiplying numbers that differ by 2, and dissecting squares into smaller squares.

 

The distributive property chapter is excellent. It starts out rather mundanely with order-of-operations stuff we had seen before in MEP but then essentially introduces long multiplication as an exercise in the distributive property. There are also some neat problems of the variety:

 

39 x 17 + 40 x 13

17 x (40 - 1) + 13 x 40

17 x 40 + 13 x 40 - 17

30 x 40 - 17

1183

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, we have taken the last 3 weeks off to enjoy the summer, and as I was looking at it to plan it out for next week, the multiplication chapter looked endless and repetitive. I think I'll have him do a page a day as fact practice and move on to either word problems or perfect squares. The number blob thing might totally freak him out with so many calculations. I better let him work up to that one with some fact practice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Tragically, we are reaching the end of 3C, and the BA people say that 3D is expected to be out in January. January! Which I guess could even mean February (shudder).

 

Any other guinea pigs looking to fill this gap? Care to share plans? A poster in another thread suggested LoF, but I have not looked closely at this yet. We went through SM3A before jumping to BA, FWIW.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tragically, we are reaching the end of 3C, and the BA people say that 3D is expected to be out in January. January! Which I guess could even mean February (shudder).

 

Any other guinea pigs looking to fill this gap? Care to share plans? A poster in another thread suggested LoF, but I have not looked closely at this yet. We went through SM3A before jumping to BA, FWIW.

 

 

We're doing Primary Grade Challenge Math and Singapore 3B textbook along with the CWP 3 book. If we still need more we'll do Math Mammoth Blue Fractions books, Khan Academy, and Crewton Ramone videos. We may even go on to Singapore 4A... not sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tragically, we are reaching the end of 3C, and the BA people say that 3D is expected to be out in January. January! Which I guess could even mean February (shudder).

 

Any other guinea pigs looking to fill this gap? Care to share plans? A poster in another thread suggested LoF, but I have not looked closely at this yet. We went through SM3A before jumping to BA, FWIW.

 

We finished a week ago and have started MEP 4a. I am taking a leaf out of Beast Academy's book and cutting down on the number of problems I assign. In the first place, we'll be going through 4th grade math again, eventually, with Beast Academy. In the second place, Alex really thrived with the "less practice, harder problems" mindset in BA.

 

She's doing fine, but it's not... joyful. Alas.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We finished a week ago and have started MEP 4a. I am taking a leaf out of Beast Academy's book and cutting down on the number of problems I assign. In the first place, we'll be going through 4th grade math again, eventually, with Beast Academy. In the second place, Alex really thrived with the "less practice, harder problems" mindset in BA.

 

She's doing fine, but it's not... joyful. Alas.

 

I actually printed out MEP 4A a few days ago but have been wondering whether that's the right level at which to jump into it after BA 3C. There seems to be a fair bit of overlap with BA 3A - 3C (and officially MEP is supposed be third grade math, right?). OTOH, I'm quite sure plenty of this stuff needs reinforcing, and we're new to MEP so it will undoubtedly take me a while to figure out what I'm doing.

Edited by JennyD
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually printed out MEP 4A a few days ago but have been wondering whether that's the right level at which to jump into it after BA 3C. There seems to be a fair bit of overlap with BA 3A - 3C (and officially MEP is supposed be third grade math, right?). OTOH, I'm quite sure plenty of this stuff needs reinforcing, and we're new to MEP so it will undoubtedly take me a while to figure out what I'm doing.

I would take with a grain of salt the oft-quoted statement that MEP's levels are +1 from the US, and to "translate," one should subtract a year. This would mean that Y1 is K, Y2 is 1st grade, Y3 is 2nd grade, and Y4 is 3rd grade.

 

For example, in MEP Y2 the kids learn their times tables, with corresponding division. This is taught in Beast Academy year 3, and indeed many third grade programs. Certainly it would be inaccurate to say that learning the times tables is first grade work in most American schools!

 

MEP Y1 concerns itself with numbers between 0 and 20. That does not mean the problems are lightweight or babyish. I would take a look at exercises from multiple levels of MEP before deciding on a level in any sort of conclusive fashion. There are some interesting problems throughout.

 

MEP Primary page

Scheme of Work for y1-y6

 

There is, however, some repetition. However, after Y2 of MEP, some of the problems in Beast Academy were very easy. So I don't think they line up particularly well. Unfortunately.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Anyone else started 3D?

 

Ours came Friday, and the little man and and I were up till almost midnight (after Mommy fell asleep) working on "Fractions."

 

Love this!

 

Bill

 

 

That's got to be a unique way to spend father/son bonding time :tongue_smilie:

 

I haven't ordered 3D yet. We're freezing our family budget (other than essentials) while we wait to see how the sequestration cuts fall out. DH is likely to take a big hit in salary unless The Powers That Be get their act together soon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would take with a grain of salt the oft-quoted statement that MEP's levels are +1 from the US, and to "translate," one should subtract a year. This would mean that Y1 is K, Y2 is 1st grade, Y3 is 2nd grade, and Y4 is 3rd grade.

 

For example, in MEP Y2 the kids learn their times tables, with corresponding division. This is taught in Beast Academy year 3, and indeed many third grade programs. Certainly it would be inaccurate to say that learning the times tables is first grade work in most American schools!

 

MEP Y1 concerns itself with numbers between 0 and 20. That does not mean the problems are lightweight or babyish. I would take a look at exercises from multiple levels of MEP before deciding on a level in any sort of conclusive fashion. There are some interesting problems throughout.

 

MEP Primary page

Scheme of Work for y1-y6

 

There is, however, some repetition. However, after Y2 of MEP, some of the problems in Beast Academy were very easy. So I don't think they line up particularly well. Unfortunately.

 

Thanks for mentioning this.

 

I think I've decided on MEP for my accelerated K-er for next year. I was going to start MEP and Y2 with him, because he is already doing sums up to 20, and an online assessment places his work at the moment at grade 2.3. But then I looked deep into MEP, and decided to start him with Y1 and breeze through it when necessary.

 

I've been thinking of doing BA with him in the future, and saw a lot of people saying that they did it after MEP Y3. But I just looked at the BA3A assessment test and, huh, it looks like my kid is already nearly there. He's been introduced to most of the concepts they're asking already, though not with such large numbers.

 

So now I'm thinking that my plan should be a quick Y1, followed by starting Y2, and keep checking the BA 3A placement test to see when to start switching over/combining. But from looking at the MEP Scheme, numbers up to 10,000 aren't introduced until Y4.7, but BA3A seems to expect that already? I see the problem. Darn it!

 

Wish BA2 was out, I could maybe've started him there....

 

Anyone else switch from MEP to BA3? What's my solution???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Thanks for mentioning this.

 

I think I've decided on MEP for my accelerated K-er for next year. I was going to start MEP and Y2 with him, because he is already doing sums up to 20, and an online assessment places his work at the moment at grade 2.3. But then I looked deep into MEP, and decided to start him with Y1 and breeze through it when necessary.

 

I've been thinking of doing BA with him in the future, and saw a lot of people saying that they did it after MEP Y3. But I just looked at the BA3A assessment test and, huh, it looks like my kid is already nearly there. He's been introduced to most of the concepts they're asking already, though not with such large numbers.

 

So now I'm thinking that my plan should be a quick Y1, followed by starting Y2, and keep checking the BA 3A placement test to see when to start switching over/combining. But from looking at the MEP Scheme, numbers up to 10,000 aren't introduced until Y4.7, but BA3A seems to expect that already? I see the problem. Darn it!

 

Wish BA2 was out, I could maybe've started him there....

 

Anyone else switch from MEP to BA3? What's my solution???

 

Neither program, MEP or Beast Academy, can be judged easily by the usual metrics because they both have a level of challenge that is entirely unusual with-in the scope and sequence.

 

While MEP may deal with small numbers (by their intention) longer than one might expect for an "advanced" curiculum, what they do in the problems is challenging and brain-stretching. Don't sell MEP short. There will likely be some material in Y1 you could zoom though, you will also find some tough stuff.

 

And using the activities in the Lesson Plans as much as possible really rounds MEP into an extraordinary experience.

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone else switch from MEP to BA3? What's my solution???

I took a detour from MEP to BA3A. The pentomino chapter in BA 3A was very nice, but there are other/additional resources on pentominoes. I've listed a few in other threads, I think, but I could try to reconstruct them (inc Penrose the Mathematical Cat). I am now closing out MEP 3B, but never finished BA3c/d. MEP was way ahead on multiplication going in, although BA has some very nice "tricks" and ways of thinking of some of the problems. Somehow MEP is a better fit for my son, although he did like reading the guide.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Spy Car and stripe!

 

I'm leaning towards MEP and BA because I'm not sure my kid is firm on the theory part, and he likes discovery-based learning.

 

I'll have to just see how it goes, definitely. Just wish there was an obvious junction between the two we could try to use.

 

stripe, if I understand you right, your son uses BA as a supplement? So, if it doesn't click with my kid, it could be a fun reading book to reinforce MEP?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I'm working on reading through all 12 pages of this thread, so please forgive me if this is redundant.

 

I'm considering BA for my son who is extremely mathy. He talks about numbers all the time, processes life via every day math problems he talks to me about. We're currently flying through Primary Math 2. He could probably jump to PM3 except for the fact that I wanted him to get the hang of some of the problem solving methods & tools introduced in 2 just to be sure he had those under his belt. But the further we get, the more it seems PM is too prosaic for him (which kind of blows my mind because I often wish I had learned math the way it's presented in PM!)

 

He does 3 digit addition & subtraction in his head with and without regrouping without a problem. He also knows most of his times tables, understands basic division (can usually work it out in his head single digit) and has a handle on the concept of fractions. I already intended to move him from PM to AoPS when he was ready for Prealgebra. So now that I'm looking at BA, I'm wondering if I shouldn't switch him over earlier. It just seems like BA material is presented the same way he thinks about numbers.

 

Thoughts from anyone using it already about whether or not BA has a good chance of being a good fit for him?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm working on reading through all 12 pages of this thread, so please forgive me if this is redundant.

 

I'm considering BA for my son who is extremely mathy. He talks about numbers all the time, processes life via every day math problems he talks to me about. We're currently flying through Primary Math 2. He could probably jump to PM3 except for the fact that I wanted him to get the hang of some of the problem solving methods & tools introduced in 2 just to be sure he had those under his belt. But the further we get, the more it seems PM is too prosaic for him (which kind of blows my mind because I often wish I had learned math the way it's presented in PM!)

 

He does 3 digit addition & subtraction in his head with and without regrouping without a problem. He also knows most of his times tables, understands basic division (can usually work it out in his head single digit) and has a handle on the concept of fractions. I already intended to move him from PM to AoPS when he was ready for Prealgebra. So now that I'm looking at BA, I'm wondering if I shouldn't switch him over earlier. It just seems like BA material is presented the same way he thinks about numbers.

 

Thoughts from anyone using it already about whether or not BA has a good chance of being a good fit for him?

 

I would try it. No question.

 

In my home we are not "switching," but doing both. I like the systematic (prosaic) build of Singapore and am not willing to let that go. But BA is a joy. My son absolutely loves it.

 

If you have a math loving kid who you think would find the format and presentation appealing, I can't see not trying Breast Academy. It is pretty special in its own idiosyncratic way.

 

Do it!

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

I would try it. No question.

 

In my home we are not "switching," but doing both. I like the systematic (prosaic) build of Singapore and am not willing to let that go. But BA is a joy. My son absolutely loves it.

 

If you have a math loving kid who you think would find the format and presentation appealing, I can't see not trying Beast Academy. It is pretty special in its own idiosyncratic way.

 

Do it!

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

I would try it. No question.

 

In my home we are not "switching," but doing both. I like the systematic (prosaic) build of Singapore and am not willing to let that go. But BA is a joy. My son absolutely loves it.

 

If you have a math loving kid who you think would find the format and presentation appealing, I can't see not trying Beast Academy. It is pretty special in its own idiosyncratic way.

 

Do it!

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Bill. I gave him the 3A assessment and he did the first 5 or 6 problems before he had to go to gymnastics. Listening to him talk through solving them, he basically solved them in the same ways the answer key proposed, so I'm thinking we will most likely order this for him soon and see how it goes between the two once it finally gets here. Very glad I found this for him!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Bill. I gave him the 3A assessment and he did the first 5 or 6 problems before he had to go to gymnastics. Listening to him talk through solving them, he basically solved them in the same ways the answer key proposed, so I'm thinking we will most likely order this for him soon and see how it goes between the two once it finally gets here. Very glad I found this for him!

 

 

I don't know how I embarrassingly quoted myself multiple times yesterday, I must have (subconsciously) wanted to really convince you! :D

 

I think you are going to like it.

 

Bill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

My daughter was too old to start BA , but she really enjoyed an extra curricular activities with MEP challenging problems. When she was young and was doing MEP2-3 over the summer, SM challenging problems and IP were so trivial for her so she just zipped through them. Don't give up MEP, especially MEP 4/5, where it covers LCD and different base math. SM doesn't even touch those topics until later. My daughter still going to do some problems from MEP 6 and 7 this coming year. My son will be doing MEP selectively with BA and SM.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...