right start math level D- anything you'd not want to pass up?

[mom2Hh]

My son is almost done with Right Start Level C.  I have really liked Right Start however it's feeling a bit slow paced (hard to explain I guess since it doesn't seem to be a matter of just doing more then a lesson per day- my son doesn't really go for that).  My son does very well with math.  I'm also looking for something that might be less teacher intensive (I actually like teaching it but finding it a challenge now that I'm needing more time with my 5 yr old).  I'm thinking of trying Math Mammoth. 

However, I'm wondering for those of you that have done RS level D and liked it, are there any strategies or methods that you thought were just terrific and wouldn't have wanted to miss out on by switching programs?

[lexi]

I would love to know too! We are about to start D. We use MM alongside RS. My dd likes the chance to work independently sometimes.

[mom2Hh]

I would love to know too! We are about to start D. We use MM alongside RS. My dd likes the chance to work independently sometimes.

 

Which MM book(s) do you use along with RS?  Does your daughter have trouble learning it so many different ways? Does she have a preference for the methods she likes best- RS vs. MM?

[lexi]

While doing C she used MM 2. A lot of the topics lined up pretty well without me trying. Most of the time the topics were introduced through RS. MM pages provided practice and reinforcement. She needs lots of practice and I'm not good at getting to the games. She probably prefers how RS teaches things. But I think it helped her to take what she learned and do the same type problems in a slightly different way.
My dd likes worksheets so MM is not a big deal to her. She doesn't mind that I add it in. Checking her work gave me a good indication of how well she understood the topics. But RS is still a favorite here. I'm hoping we like D as well.
This spring and summer we are trying Beast and she loves that. We do it together.

[rainbird2]

We are living parallel lives! :)

I wanted to ask the same exact question. I love RS, and I don't want to miss a thing, but I'm not getting to the games as I should. What level will you use (if you add or switch to MM) when you get to level D? I feel the same way about the end of Level C...moving pretty slow, not much of a challenge.

My only apprehension to switching solely to MM is the RS Abacus and how numbers are grouped by 5's. I don't think MM presents problems in this way. The grouping has been key for our understanding of numbers.

Lexi, what level Beast Academy are you using? Is BA as teacher intensive as RS?

And back to the original question...what concepts are most noteworthy and not to be missed in RD D?

[mom2Hh]

We are living parallel lives! :)

I wanted to ask the same exact question. I love RS, and I don't want to miss a thing, but I'm not getting to the games as I should. What level will you use (if you add or switch to MM) when you get to level D? I feel the same way about the end of Level C...moving pretty slow, not much of a challenge.

My only apprehension to switching solely to MM is the RS Abacus and how numbers are grouped by 5's. I don't think MM presents problems in this way. The grouping has been key for our understanding of numbers.

Lexi, what level Beast Academy are you using? Is BA as teacher intensive as RS?

And back to the original question...what concepts are most noteworthy and not to be missed in RD D?

 

I was considering MM level 3.  I was thinking of either getting the blue series topical books for those topics RS hasn't done at all or gone as far with that would then catch him up to MM level 3 and if we liked MM then go on to level 4.  Or just get the light blue series level 3 books (complete grade 3 level) and skim or skip those areas he already knows from RS and then move on to level/grade 4 MM. 

 

I hadn't really thought of doing both together though.  That is why more info on what is unique and well-liked about RS level D would be useful.  Maybe I should do RS level D and supplement with MM level 4.  I haven't looked closely enough yet at what RS level D covers as compared to MM level 4.  It seems RS is ahead of MM in some areas and behind in others.

 

 

[Goldilocks]

I am about 2/3 through RS D with my third child. We are at the point where there is often his work is done independently after the warm-up and short time of teaching. I found that almost all of RS E to be this way.

My DD is doing MM after RS E. I appreciate the "training" that RS gave me to be a teacher through the scripted lessons. When she needs help, I am able to recall how we learned this concept in RS.

[Missouri Okie]

My son is a few lessons from finishing D.

Boy, I know I'm going to be ineffective putting this in words, but I love how they teach fractions. Although fractions are introduced in earlier books, it ratchets up in Level D.

It ties fraction with division so that the child sees that fractions are a type of division. It also has them think through many word problems using fractions instead of teaching algorithms. It incorporates rulers--using fractions of inches and centimeters to help teach fraction concepts too. I also like the fractions chart. I was talked into purchasing the plastic fractions chart a few years ago at a convention. I've considered it a very good investment.

Level D has been my favorite level so far.

[lexi]

We are living parallel lives! :)

I wanted to ask the same exact question. I love RS, and I don't want to miss a thing, but I'm not getting to the games as I should. What level will you use (if you add or switch to MM) when you get to level D? I feel the same way about the end of Level C...moving pretty slow, not much of a challenge.

My only apprehension to switching solely to MM is the RS Abacus and how numbers are grouped by 5's. I don't think MM presents problems in this way. The grouping has been key for our understanding of numbers.

Lexi, what level Beast Academy are you using? Is BA as teacher intensive as RS?

And back to the original question...what concepts are most noteworthy and not to be missed in RD D?

 

I plan to use MM 3 with RS D.  My dd is almost finished with MM 2 and we'll start RS D in May and then add in MM 3 over the summer.  I use the full curriculum.  We just do about 2 pages per day unless she is struggling with the concept and then we slow down.  The review and reinforcement has been needed.  At times I'm sure it's overkill but my oldest is not very mathy so she does need extra help.  The combo of RS and MM has turned her into someone who enjoys math and no longer struggles with it.  She is understanding and retaining it.  We no longer have math struggles!  Yay!

 

My dd flew through RS C in half of our school year.  (We got stuck in B several times and did lots of review and practice.  That's when I realized I needed to add in something else-hence I added MM.  Huge difference!)  I could not believe how quickly we finished C given our struggles in B.  Quite a bit was review and we doubled up on lessons frequently - especially the drawing lessons.  But it gave her a great foundation and she is really understanding.

 

Since she finished RS C so early I wanted to add a little something different before we started D (she's still working on MM 2 right now) so that's why we added Beast.  She started with 3A.  It has been challenging but doable.  I read through the comics with her and then we look through the workbook pages together.  Some of the pages I assign to her to do independently.  Others we work through together in the book or on a whiteboard so I can make sure she understands.  So, other than reading the lessons with her the pages could be independent but I work alongside her often so she does not become too frustrated (she is a perfectionist and gets frustrated easily).  She really loves doing Beast.

 

I've found that Beast has been a nice break from RS and it is challenging.  We'll add in the other levels of it sporadically when we need a RS break again.  I could not use it as my sole curriculum because for my daughter she needs more review and she needs to be taught in a more straightforward manner.  So, she learns things through RS, practices them in MM, and is challenged by Beast.  It works for us!

 

I don't plan to switch only to MM because I do love the way RS teaches things.  We would be lost without the abacus and many of the manipulatives.  Although MM does give ideas for games and manipulatives, since they are not specifically scheduled, I know I would not do a good job of getting to them.  I also love the extra teaching help and hand holding for the teacher that is in RS.   In Level C of RS, my dd did almost all worksheets independently.  I just taught everything in the lesson portion and then had her do all the pages on her own.  I'm glad to hear that the later levels allow for doing that as well. 

 

I was teaching 3 levels of RS for a while - A, B, and C.  In May when my dd starts D, I'll be teaching 3 again - A, B, and D.  It is a little crazy and does take up my time but it's been very worth it as my kids just "get" math.  With my other kids (in A and B) I usually only do 1/2 a lesson per day so I keep our time short (since they are still young).  That's been working well. 

 

I also recently blogged about why I love RS.  I'm so glad it was suggested to me several years ago and I plan to use all the levels. 

[mom2Hh]

I plan to use MM 3 with RS D.  My dd is almost finished with MM 2 and we'll start RS D in May and then add in MM 3 over the summer. 

 

....

 

I also recently blogged about why I love RS.  I'm so glad it was suggested to me several years ago and I plan to use all the levels. 

 

Have you compared the scope and sequence of RS D with MM?  I haven't done that yet.  Upon a quick glance of MM 3 it seemed that my son had been taught much of it in RS C.  I'm having him take the MM 3 placement exam just to see how he does.  I'm having him skip division on the exam since RS C doesn't really do division and a few other things and I know we still have to do division whether it be with MM, RS or both.  So far so good- he does a little of the exam at a time. 

He is mathy and he has been able to do some things is RS C without the lesson.  Like time, fractions, ?  So I've been trying to figure out how they correspond and how much review or practice he should be having.  He seems to do fairly well without extra practice but would be faster if he did.   I guess it wouldn't hurt to try both. 

any favorite places to get RS used?  besides homeschoolclassifieds?  I don't have much luck on this new forum for sale section.

[skeeterbug]

Have you asked this on the yahoo group?  Lots of great advice there.  While I've seen many mention skipping the drawing lessons in C to come back to later, I haven't seen much mention of skipping things in D.

[mom2Hh]

Have you asked this on the yahoo group?  Lots of great advice there.  While I've seen many mention skipping the drawing lessons in C to come back to later, I haven't seen much mention of skipping things in D.

 

I didn't mean skipping things in RS D.  I edited my post to try and clarify that.  I meant I had him skip things on the MM level 3 placement exam that we hadn't learned yet.  And if I get the MM grade 3 books we'll be skipping whatever we 've already done in RS.

 

Does anyone know the grade equivalency of RS level C and level D?  I've always been confused by that.

 

[ScoutTN]

Not sure they are meant to be grade equivalent but if you begin with A in Kindergarten and complete a level each year, then C is 2nd and D is 3rd.

[Aloha2U]

Not sure they are meant to be grade equivalent but if you begin with A in Kindergarten and complete a level each year, then C is 2nd and D is 3rd.

 

Yes, that's correct. The Level A samplers both state the following note right at the beginning.

 

Note: Rather than use the designations, Kindergarten, First Grade, ect., to indicate a grade, levels are used. Level A is kindergarten, Level B is first grade, and so forth. 

 

Therefore...

 

K5 = Level A

G1 = Level B

G2 = Level C

G3 = Level D

G4 = Level E

 

RS Geometry is the next level after E. However, it is my understanding that the RS2 version will eventually have/include a Level F—fractions.

[mom2Hh]

Yes, that's correct. The Level A samplers both state the following note right at the beginning.

 

Note: Rather than use the designations, Kindergarten, First Grade, ect., to indicate a grade, levels are used. Level A is kindergarten, Level B is first grade, and so forth. 

 

Therefore...

 

K5 = Level A

G1 = Level B

G2 = Level C

G3 = Level D

G4 = Level E

 

RS Geometry is the next level after E. However, it is my understanding that the RS2 version will eventually have/include a Level F—fractions.

 

I guess I'm wondering how those grade levels of RS compare to the levels or grade levels of other programs like Singapore, Math Mammoth, whatever they use in public schools, etc.

 

[ScoutTN]

At the end of last year, as we were finishing RS C, I had dd take the MM 2 test and she did great. Missed a few problems that were worded differently so she didn't understand what was being asked. One or two small things that a we had not done.
Dd is an average math student.
Planning on doing the MM 3 test this year.

[rainbird2]

OK, so it looks like MM 3 with RS D. Throwing out another idea here...Mom2Hh, have you looked at the AL Abacus workbook? Maybe this could be the extra practice the student needs when we don't get to a lesson? So many options, so little time. :)

Lexi, I'm going to read your blog post tonight! Thanks for sharing your experience!