5th Grade. Is Khan Academy enough?

[Tiberia]

Hi All.

 

10 yo dd hates math. She can do it, but she hates it.

 

She tested high in math reasoning but low in computation because she got bored during the test and started guessing. She hates Saxon and any workbook or worksheet with more than five problems per day. I let her look over a few other math texts, and she hates them all.

 

She doesn't hate Khan Academy and is willing to try it next year for 5th grade. (We will also use some of The Great Courses, Dr. Sellers' Basic Math.)

 

But is Khan enough without a spine text? Has anyone done Khan as their only math? 

 

Thanks!

[Trilliums]

My kids were strong conceptually but weak computationally with math throughout elementary years.  For them I think it was more than just being bored though.

 

In any case, we didn't use a spine until around grades 7-8 when they started pre-algebra/algebra.  Prior to that we did a lot of math discussions and used Khan extensively. One of my sons used saxon for prealgebra and then algebra and then went onto Art of Problem Solving.  Other son continued to use Khan for algebra.  They have not suffered from the lack of a math curriculum during the lower grades.  They are now exceptionally strong high school math students, earning A+s in honors and AP math classes. Older son enrolled in math at the high school for precalculus and younger son enrrolled for alg. 2.  Their teachers have consistently commented that the kids have strong problem solving abilities and creative (appropriately so) approaches.   SO yes, I think you can use Khan as your primary math source for that grade.  We did incorporate a lot of math into our lives also though-we watched documentaries, read a ton of math books and always asked math realated questions and then figured out the answers.

[OneStepAtATime]

Have you tried doing a lot of math games and practical application math to keep her interest and her skills up?  Have you looked at this thread?

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/499692-looking-to-do-some-relaxed-math-here-want-to-share-ideas/

 

You might consider doing Khan Academy plus some math games and throw in the Key to ... series of workbooks, just a page a day maybe to keep her skills up and advancing.  I love the Key to...math workbooks.  Easy to use, very thin so not intimidating, explanations are written to the student, etc.  I am using them myself.  

 

Or maybe add in Life of Fred...

[wapiti]

Khan tends to lean heavily toward procedures.  Personally, I'd feel the need to add in some concept instruction and some problem solving from elsewhere, which could probably be done easily by pulling together a few different resources.

 

Fifth grade is typically the time for the main instruction in fraction and decimal concepts.  A lack of understanding of fraction concepts will come back to haunt in pralgebra/algebra and beyond.  In particular, it seems unfortunately common among elementary programs to fail to develop the concept behind the procedure for division of fractions.  It's been a while since I looked, but last time I checked, Khan had no instruction on that concept; it only taught the procedure.

 

Bottom line, like many programs, Khan has strengths and weaknesses.  I'd use it for its strengths (procedure instruction and drill) and fill in its weak spots (concept instruction and problem solving) with something else.

[Mandy in TN]

It sounds like you are planning to use Khan alongside lectures from The Great Courses. That sounds like a plan. :) If you wanted to add in something that wasn't textbook-ish and provided some more conceptual learning, I know a family that uses Khan alongside Zacarro books at the appropriate level. I also know a family using Khan alongside LoF.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Ellie]

Yes.

 

And the reason I say this is that even if it isn't, it is still *math,* and if she spends a year learning to like math--or at least not to hate it or be afraid of it--she can easily catch up to wherever it is she needs to be, when she needs to be there. She is just 10ish. :-)

[Tiberia]

Thanks, everyone. I think Ellie hit the nail on the head. Dd needs to learn to like math. She already understands fractions and decimals and percents pretty well, but she cringes when she sees worksheets, problems, or hears the word "math."

 

Math is so much more than a worksheet of problems, but she doesn't see it that way. Maybe Khan can help de-stress her. I also bought the book "Math Doesn't Suck" and left it in the bookshelf. Dd read it and seemed to enjoy it.  

[Ali in OR]

I am not familiar with Khan at this point--is it just watching, or are you actively working problems? Whatever you do, she has to be working problems on her own, not just watching someone else work problems. As a former high school math teacher, I want my kids to develop a facility with numbers. That doesn't come from avoiding them. I've had too many high school students who are not able to even participate in the more interesting math because they can't do simple things like divide both sides of an equation by 3, or figure out what to multiply both sides of the equation by to get rid of all of the fractions. I'm very willing to assign only some problems on a page--many math texts have way more problems than are truly needed for sufficient practice. But we would be working through the reluctance to work problems rather than finding some way around them. You want to get to the point  where it's easier to solve the problems than put up a fight about having to do them or just guessing on a test. That facility only comes with actual practice.

[Erin]

Honestly, I think one could easily get away with using Khan for their entire math program, particularly in the elementary/MS grades.  Fill in all the little boxes that go with the grade and you've covered more skills than they will in classrooms...