Tell me what to do for math

[melbotoast]

DS7 is almost done with RightStart C and I cannot decide what to do next. I looked through the table of contents for level D and it looks like it is half review. I hate to spend $$$ if I'm only going to use half of it! I remember reading someone saying that they skipped D and jumped right to E instead, so I looked at the placement test. Out of the 3 questions that determine whether you place in D or E, he got 2 right, and the last one is on fractions, which we haven't done for a while. It looks like he could handle everything in E fine, but maybe it is time for us to switch to something else instead. 

 

We have really enjoyed RightStart so far, although it definitely feels like C is slowing down. He knows how to do a lot before we get to it in the book, so I just show him all the methods in the book and then he does it however he feels like. He has been whinier about math lately but I've just attributed that to being 7. He is very much a perfectionist and gets upset if he misses anything or doesn't understand it right away, so we do end up having meltdowns fairly often. I want him to have some challenge so we can work through that, but I don't want something that is too overwhelming.

 

I've been looking through old threads and it looks like half recommend jumping ship at this point and half recommend sticking with what is working. I just can't decide if it is working well enough.  :svengo:    Any advice?

[lewelma]

I've never used rightstart, so I can't help.  I'm wondering if you might get more responses on the K-8 board where there are just more people.

[serendipitous journey]

What would you like to see happening?  how would you know if things were going better? 

 

Given the general tone of your post, I'd suggest considering a move to Singapore as your main maths because you can just keep going in it and it is pretty straight-forward to compact, and it is rigorous and challenging enough that the child will learn to apply himself.  This would help meet goals of being on a track you can stay on (through secondary maths, if you want) and provides excellent training.  The child might still complain, though, and it is possible he would just detest Singapore (though not esp. likely, from what I've seen on the boards). 

 

I do suspect that the challenge level of Right Start will become more of a problem as you progress, not less, though you'd want more input on that.  Ruth's idea of posting on K-8 is an excellent one!

 

The MEP program is excellent and free but I can't get it to work easily with my children so I can't really recommend it ;).  I do keep trying it though, I think the maths is terrific. 

[melbotoast]

What would you like to see happening?  how would you know if things were going better? 

 

 I think what I would like to see is DS moving forward in math at a "just right" challenge level and enjoying it. Right now I feel like RightStart is definitely on the easy side and the whining is more of a character issue. So maybe it's me not wanting to let go of RightStart. We do have the game book so we can still do those if we switch our main program. We have been doing Singapore's CWP and he seems to like that well enough. I will have him look at some Singapore samples.

 

I will also post on the K-8 board to get some more opinions on RightStart. Thanks for thinking through things with me!

[CrunchyGirl]

We only got through maybe half of RS-B before both LegoMan and I lost our minds (I really wanted to love it) but from what I've seen the "too much" review complaint is common with RS-C and D. We went to SM which I really like and we're only using such a wide assortment right now to deal with the very wacky math progression we've end up on. I think SM was a great follow up to RS.

[melbotoast]

We only got through maybe half of RS-B before both LegoMan and I lost our minds (I really wanted to love it) but from what I've seen the "too much" review complaint is common with RS-C and D. We went to SM which I really like and we're only using such a wide assortment right now to deal with the very wacky math progression we've end up on. I think SM was a great follow up to RS.

 

Thanks, that's very helpful. I will soldier on trying to figure out which of the many books I should get. :confused1: I'm sure it will be straightforward once I figure out what to order the first time, but it is a lot to sort through at first! Perhaps this is why I don't want to switch  :001_rolleyes:

[Gil]

I do not use Singapore because we found MM first and it works for us extremely well. However as I understand it Singapore Primary Mathematics requires only two books: textbook and workbook. You can buy supplementary (but valuable) word problem books (Challenging Word Problems) and will have what most people would consider a well rounded math education. If that is not enough than for extra practice you can get: Singapore--Extra Practice (where the problems are more-or-less at the same level as the workbook) for extra challenge you can get Singapore--Intensive Practice (where the problems cover the same material at the textbook+workbook, but at a higher level of difficulty)

 

The kicker is that the books are sold in grade semesters so each grade has an A and B component, each of which is roughly half the school-year. So, you can do Singapore with just four books per grade (A and B of both the textbook and the workbook) or you can do it with 8 (Textbook, Workbook, Challenging Word Problems, and Extra *or* Intensive Practice.) It seems that Singapore PM is a very versatile/customizable program.

[melbotoast]

Thanks, that is a great explanation. Having it all laid out helps me break out of panic mode. :willy_nilly: I'm thinking I will order one semester's worth and figure out which books we want to use. I was reading some interesting threads debating the merits of the workbook for an advanced student, so I'm interested to see what it is like. Now I'm trying to decide if I want Standards or US edition, although it looks like Intensive Practice only comes in US edition, so maybe that answers the question for me. (And I'm also looking at BA...so much for spending less! ;) )

[kiwik]

Most people advise the home instructors guide too. Without it you often end up teaching the maths you did at school using Singapore books. There is not enough in the text to make up for the fact you have a different mindset and background. That was what I thought anyway when I bought a text to trial.

[deerforest]

I'd recommend Beast Academy. We have dabbled in RS and Singapore, but Beast Academy is our true love. If you out pace it (level 3 and half of 4 are done, rest of 4 and all of 5 are still 6+ months away so you will out pace it), then switch to MM or Singapore.

 

We outpaced it and went from BA 4A to Singapore 5A but DD really prefers BA so we plan to swing back to it whenever a new one is released. 4B is due next week (but 4C and 4D are 6-12 months away...)

[melbotoast]

Most people advise the home instructors guide too. Without it you often end up teaching the maths you did at school using Singapore books. There is not enough in the text to make up for the fact you have a different mindset and background. That was what I thought anyway when I bought a text to trial.

 

I think I would start with HIG, Textbook, Workbook, and IP. We already have CWP.

 

 

I'd recommend Beast Academy. We have dabbled in RS and Singapore, but Beast Academy is our true love. If you out pace it (level 3 and half of 4 are done, rest of 4 and all of 5 are still 6+ months away so you will out pace it), then switch to MM or Singapore.

 

We outpaced it and went from BA 4A to Singapore 5A but DD really prefers BA so we plan to swing back to it whenever a new one is released. 4B is due next week (but 4C and 4D are 6-12 months away...)

 

It seems like most people use it as a supplement, so how do you think it works on its own? It looks like it is arranged topically. Does it review the earlier topics in later books? Do you think there was enough practice?

 

My other worry about using BA is how DS will handle the challenge level. If it is constantly very challenging for him, it may be too frustrating. I guess the only way to find out is to try it :) He did do OK on the placement test. 

[acurtis75]

We use BA as a supplement but it would probably work as a full curriculum. The only reason I didn't consider switching to it exclusively is because the grade levels weren't going to come out quickly enough and the topics covered in the 3A-3D books were all things we previously covered in another curriculum before BA came out.

 

The challenge level is appropriate for building stamina. There is a lot that seems very easy. The equivalent of doing lots of review problems in another curriculum but presented in an interesting way so it doesn't seem boring to the student. There are a handful of challenge problems in each section. Sometimes dd completes those with little effort and other times she either needs to make several attempts, use the hints provided or get help from me. There have been a few I had to work on for a bit before coming up with the answer.

 

DD loves the books and even though we are starting AOPs pre-algebra in a month or so after we finish MUS pre-algebra we will continue to use BA books.

[deerforest]

We used it as our main math curriculum but I am always supplementing and mixing in other things. She rejected most standard math curricula and has thrived in BA. We are using a Singapore reluctantly and will likely move to Jousting Armadillos next year while the rest of BA 4 and 5 are released because I would like to get through it before moving to AoPS.

 

DD has always had a strong conceptual understanding of math but has been very averse to workbooks and extensive operational/procedural practice. BA caters to her learning style better than anything else. Just the right amount of practice and challenge.

 

But, she is emotionally young when it comes to handling frustration and perfection and anxiety so I know she isn't emotionally ready for the full AoPS even if she could likely handle the actual math in it just fine. BA and I hope Jousting Armadillos are a gentler discovery-based approach.

[melbotoast]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. It sounds like BA might be what I'm looking for!