PagesandFields Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I LOVE Rightstart. But I don't plan on using it after B or C for several reasons. I also like Life of Fred and will probably use it in some way. But I keep changing my mind what to switch to after Rightstart. I thought I was decided on Singapore, then I thought about MM, now I'm thinking Beast Academy... What have people switched to successfully? I'm interested in how much teacher time versus independent time there is. Thank you!!! I know it's probably not true but there seem to be more math curriculum than anything else and it's slightly dizzying! :) ETA... I'm a long time away from this switch still... but I like to plan really ahead with curriculum because while my kiddos are still so little I'm focusing mostly on just gathering materials - cause I have to buy used if at all possible... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highfamily Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I LOVE RIghtStart B - definitely don't quit before you finish that one! My oldest did RightStart all the way through G. At the point that I was faced with doing RightStart with 3 children, I switched to MM (after RIghtStart B and D). I am really happy with the extensive practice, the application of concepts in many different ways (more so than RightStart, I think). I don't need to supplement like I felt the need to in the upper levels of RightStart. In doing MM all that's required of me is printing, planning and organizing before the next level, and daily spending about 5 minutes intro'ing and then grading the pages assigned. Jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 We've done MM after gone through to half of D with oldest and starting in B with almost 6 year old. We did some A but it was just too slow for her. I just couldn't sit down and teach through another RS lesson, even at the B level (maybe especially), again. MM is working out great. We still discuss and intro teaching but I don't feel like I have to show up for everything. Math gets done. I have had go to back in multi-digit subtraction and borrowing with oldest because I feel RS really didn't cover this as thoroughly as they did addition, which is covered extremely thoroughly. MM covers many of the strategies RS teaches and includes word problems and other ways of thinking math that RS doesn't cover as much. We did BA 3A also and loved it. I did it to supp RS. I don't feel MM needs supplementing and we have catching up to do so have dropped BA for now. Also publication is too slow to be in track for where I'd like to be with oldest to hit pre-algebra. But, Beast was fun. Dd enjoyed solving the problems and I enjoyed doing math with her (rather that *at* her) when she got stuck in a problem. We may dip back into beast when I feel we're firmly where we should be with MM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 We tried a variety of things after RightStart, but really BJU was the best fit for us, highly recommend. Btw, I don't think you're choosing between bad options but more like multiple good options. :) When in doubt just buy a dab of each, try them on the kid, and pick the one that seems to fit the best. One, not three. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 My oldest finished RS C and then went to SM 3 supplemented in parts with MM "blue". The explanations are better in MM and it's a more incremental program. Maria Miller is awesome in terms of walking the student through the concepts step-by-step-by-step. Singapore makes conceptual leaps and expects the student to keep up. My oldest could do that some of the time but not always. Hence my need to supplement with MM. My DS did RS C through the subtraction section and then went to SM 2. He is more "mathy" than his sister so he hasn't needed as much MM (I did use it for long division) and I added in BA 3 towards then end of SM 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I switched my kids to MM. My dd stuck with it through MM5 and then started pre-algebra. My son last one MM book and switched to TT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhappyjoyjoy Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 After B we tried C and didn't like it. We went to Abeka 3 and then Saxon after that. I don't use RS anymore. I just use Abeak before Saxon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksoika Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 We really like Miquon as a break from the teaching-intensive RightStart. We usually do a level and then add in some Miquon for a break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 We added in BA while doing RSD and finally quit RS part-way through E. As of now we're still continuing BA and a hodge podge of other things, some Horizons for review and lots of other living math, HoE for beginning algebra. We're getting ready to try some MM again for some concepts, it didn't work work well when he was younger but looking again I think it might work some now in measured doses, we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 We are going through Rightstart C with my oldest, and transitioning from there to Saxon with Beast Academy as a supplement. I don't see nearly as much benefit in persisting with RS in the higher grades and my kids have needed more repetition than it provides, anyway, but it is awesome in the early grades despite the immense teacher load. Which Saxon level? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 No opinion on Right Start but I wanted to give you gentle caution about purchasing programs several years in advance, especially when your kids are young enough that you don't know much about what works and doesn't work. I've been to far too many yard sales/curriculum sales of people selling books they never even cracked to believe you can save money this way. Not to mention that used prices for things just don't change THAT much year to year.I mean, unless its free or nearly free you are risking, A. That you wont learn something new about your child's learning style or your teaching style. B. that you wont find an even better deal (or even a loan) later on. C. That a new, better, program wont come out before then. D. That something in your family/life wont make more independent or less independent work necessary. Sorry to but in and give unasked for advice, but I know the math program I THOUGHT would work for my oldest DS did not at all work. And then the reading program I THOUGHT I'd love teaching, I ended up hating. And thats been within 2 years. No way I'm going to make guesses on what he'll be using 3 or 4 years from now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirstenhill Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Agree with Coco_Clark's post above. My DD went through RS D (and a bit of E), and then it turned out that CLE is the best fit for her starting with the 400s (4th grade math). My DS is using BA as his primary program now, and RS is secondary. After RS D I don't know that I will buy another RS workbook for him (but since I already owned the D teacher manual and I wanted to give him a little bit of review and cover some concepts that I weren't sure were covered in BA, I went ahead and got the workbook to do D with him). It was not obvious at all when DD was in RightStart levels A-C that later she would really like a totally different program. As she matured, her strong preference for independent learning became a dominant factor in making a math choice. DS has very little desire to be independent now, but who knows what he will like in a couple years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PagesandFields Posted October 22, 2014 Author Share Posted October 22, 2014 thank you all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyhappyjoyjoy Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 Which Saxon level? From Abeka 3 to Saxon 5/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 We've used all levels of RS and have been mostly happy with it. From our experience, I found that the teacher intensiveness lessens towards the end of C, especially D, and continues that way till the end. DD10 is independently using G this year. So, if it's working for you and your children, I would keep that in mind before going somewhere else. We supplement with Beast Academy starting at the end of RS C. We also add in review and additional instruction for all operations in fractions, ratios, decimals, and percentages during RS G before going to a Pre-Algebra. I realize you're asking for something different than RS, but I wanted to give our perspective and experience with RS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daffodil Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 We switched to Singapore after RightStart B and later added Beast Academy. My second child is doing Singapore and RS simultaneously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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