Guest Theowonk Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Brand new to this site, am desperately seeking advice on math curriculum for my son who will be entering 4th grade. Trying to decide between Math Mammoth and Saxon. Thoughts? Anyone used both? Which do you like and why? (by the way, someone tell me what "dd," "df," etc. mean) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Love love love Math Mammoth. Very concept oriented. Teaches the why, and teaches multiple ways to get the answer. dd means dear daughter, ds means dear son, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I grew up on Saxon and I use a mixture of math mammoth and singapore with my kids now. I am not fond of the lack of fluidity with Saxon. If you flip through the book it feels like it jumps all over the place. I finished high school with an 85% average in math so I did just fine, but I would never use the same approach with my kids. I suppose it would depend on how your child learns though, as each child is different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I'd say look at both and see what will be a better fit for your kids. We ditched Saxon for MM, but you might find something different works for you. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babysparkler Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 We use both MM and Saxon, depending on the child. My daughter needs lots of small steps, and repetition/review, so Saxon works better for her. She also gets bored of staying on one topic, so the spiral curriculum keeps it fresh for her. My 7yo son picks up math very quickly and likes to dig deep into one topic, so I use MM for him. I used Saxon with my older son back before I knew about MM, and he is much like my 7yo... needs no review and wants to dig deep into something rather than take little steps... so when we used Saxon with him, I had to do LOTS of adaptation for him. I would say that both are very strong programs, and really depend on what type of learner you have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I used Saxon as a kid, and use Math Mammoth for my dd now. Love MM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyradmer Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I have tutored a lot of kids who use Saxon math, and we both end up frustrated. The review is wonderful, but it does not leave anywhere near enough problems for mastery of a new concept. I would either have to search other lessons for more problems, or make up my own problems just to make sure they had enough practice. Math Mammoth, on the other hand, is wonderful. The workbooks in the light blue series have been a perfect fit for my daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Aroon Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I grew up using it, my husband has used it all the way through calculus, and we are on year 3 of using it with my kids. It is a spiral approach which means the first time you encounter a new concept, you are not intended to master it. He teaches a way to solve it, along with cool tricks. he is very thorough about mental math and memorizing facts.You practice that concept every day for months but only a few problems of each kind. So everyday you get a new challenge as well as practicing 15 other things they are still cementing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Anything BUT Saxon! Every math teacher I know hates Saxon. They do have great word problems that make kids really think, and I liked the mental math sections, but the organization of lessons is confusing. It could be a great program, but it isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicai Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 We tried a little Saxon and found it extremely boring and dry. I investigated a lot of math curricula for my daughter as my husband and I have engineering backgrounds and math is important to us. I have been very impressed by the thoroughness and level of rigor achieved in Math Mammoth while still breaking the material down enough that my dd can do it mostly independently. I think it usually includes enough practice problems while not belaboring the topic, but I do enjoy that I can generate more practice worksheets if I want to. I especially appreciate that a concept is presented from so many angles and mental math is strongly emphasized over rote algorithmic problem solving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Anything BUT Saxon! Every math teacher I know hates Saxon. They do have great word problems that make kids really think, and I liked the mental math sections, but the organization of lessons is confusing. It could be a great program, but it isn't. Sorry, I disagree with the bolded - Moominmamma and I find it very easy to follow and it is perfect for the way she thinks. Now The Snork Maiden, not so - I've swapped her to MEP. But I do know several people, IRL and online, who swear by Saxon - trained teachers and homeschool parents alike. :leaving: !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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