Jump to content

Menu

CLE math? Help me think this through


Recommended Posts

I ordered CLE math for my 1st grader & now that I have looked it over I am thinking about using it for my DD who has dyscalculia.

 

Warning-scattered thoughts ahead

Here's the thing-After looking through CLE I am could head smack myself. I get now what explicit instruction is & I can tell you-I ain't been doing it! I feel like maybe DD doesn't have dyscalculia-just that her mama was a lousy math teacher. But CLE even makes sense to me. I think her scores were so low bc she doesn't know math facts & there are so many holes in her math.

 

I think she would fly through some of it but then I know there are concepts in the 1st grade units that we have never covered.

 

We have done some of the RB stuff. She really likes it. But so far I haven't seen any red flags. She just doesn't know her facts. She has to stop & think 7+2 is 9. It doesn't just come out.

 

I was thinking of teaching both my girls from CLE together (is that a bad idea?) and then doing RB stuff for fun on the side.

 

I am just really feeling like DDs issue is lack of exposure-not a true disability. I am probably wrong but I don't know. Or maybe it is a disability made worse by wrong curriculum choices. So whereas most kids would have gotten it anyway-she needs the explicit instruction. So maybe it is a disability. Anyway...thoughts? One Step I know you are using CLE so please share your thoughts on the program & how you have used it

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love CLE, but I have not used the level for 1st grade.  We started with Level 200 for both kids and were able to accelerate through it quickly because RB and Dynamo math had really helped with solidifying a lot of basics..  They just needed a bit more review.  Level 300 was great until DD hit more detailed measuring.  She is still kind of having issues there but we are moving forward as we continue to review.  

 

Things that I find awesome about CLE (don't know how much of this applies to Level 100):

 

1.  Checklist

 

Having a checklist of things to do that are written right at the top of the lesson and written to the student is great.   I do modify that list but DD loves having it.  Seeing it in the booklet makes it seem more official than a "mommy" list, KWIM?

 

 

2.  The really tight spiral.  

 

It helps DD to remember steps.  Mastery without spiral doesn't work for her at all.

 

 

3.  Ability to accelerate or slow down specific areas as needed.

 

It is easy to accelerate the program when something is mastered and she is bored.  I just cross out some of the review problems for specific sections since review of various things happens so often.  The bulk of the lesson is actually review.  Also, if she starts to struggle later, we can go back and do some of the review problems we skipped on a dry erase board.  If one area is an issue while other areas are not, she just goes through the mastered areas and I mark the struggle areas for us to review in detail.

 

 

4.  Clear explanations.  

 

Explanations of most of the lessons make sense to both of us and she likes that the instructions are written to her.  When I have had to modify instruction for her to understand something better, usually it hasn't been that difficult since the source material is pretty well done.  Our main snag has been certain types of measurement but that is definitely the LD issues, not the program, IMHO.

 

 

5.  CLE's version of how to use Flash Cards.

 

The targeted, specific way CLE has of using flash cards has worked well for DD.  Flash cards never, ever worked for her before.  (With the introduction of multiplication flash cards we didn't do just the multiplication side, by the way.  We did and continue to do the multiplication side then flip it over to do the division side right afterwards, then do the multiplication side again.  It has helped.  And I am moving her at a bit slower pace with these.  She reviews more than is called for in the program.)

 

 

6.  Speed drills, but we modified them.  

 

Speed drills used to fill her with dread so I just never did them once we started homeschooling.  They didn't help at all anyway.  However, doing a modified version of the CLE drills has been very helpful.  We have modified the speed drills so that she is only competing against herself, not an arbitrary amount of time she must beat.  

 

So for instance all the addition speed drills in her light unit will be highlighted in one color on her graphing chart.  I cross off the required time.  She does the speed drills and writes down how much time she took for each drill (we use a digital stop watch).  Since CLE rotates what skill is focused on each day, we highlight each skill in a separate color so she isn't feeling down that division, for instance, is slower than addition.  The goal is to improve the fluency of each individual skill without sacrificing accuracy.  Unlike what CLE has set up, our goal is not to complete the problems in under a minute.  She wouldn't be able to process the problems quickly enough.  She likes seeing progress of each skill set on the chart and it has improved her fluency.  It also gives her concrete goals that make sense to her.

 

We do not do speed drills every day, though.   It can get overwhelming if she has to do them every day.  Usually 3 times a week, sometimes 4.

 

 

7.  Shorter booklets instead of one big book.

 

Having the program broken up into 10 littler booklets has really helped.  DD feels like she is making progress because she finished one booklet and moves on to the next one.  Textbooks overwhelmed her and having no booklet at all made her feel like she wasn't progressing.  

 

 

8.  Uncluttered pages.  

 

Although this doesn't work as well for DS, (he does SOME CLE but is working in Math in Focus) DD loves that the page does not have a lot of distracting color and the problems are clearly laid out.  She usually can easily tell where to go next and what is expected of her.  Even though I am with her, she wants independence so it helps her to feel like she doesn't  have to be turning to me for assistance with every little thing.

 

 

No math program is perfect.  We supplement with other things, like math games, Beast Academy, RB, etc.  But CLE is working really well as a spine for DD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I switched to CLE for my DD that I think has dyscalculia and for my other DD who struggles in math but not as much. Honestly, it has been a huge relief. DD is finally making progress. I hear people saying that the lessons are long, but they seem very short to me. My initial problem with it was that it felt so incredibly easy to me, but I've been reassured that I should trust their process. We are using 3rd grade and 5th grade now. Every single lesson seems easy to me so far- we're about halfway through the year- but the end of year tests seem difficult. We skip the flash cards because we do other stuff and I didn't feel like buying them, but the timed tests are really helping.

 

I still use Math Mammoth for my youngest who is great in math and I'm still happy I used it with my oldest who is also naturally good at math. My youngest is actually doing MM 3rd grade at the same time my 5th grader is doing 3rd grade in CLE. Comparing 3rd grade to 3rd grade, MM is much more difficult and gives more complex questions the whole way through. But, you know? I'd rather have DD actually learn something with CLE than struggle and never catch on with MM. I think CLE especially excels with teaching kids to follow instructions. MM sort of assumed that you could follow along and connect the examples to the problems. CLE spells out exactly what to do which is very helpful for my DD who has trouble with inference and vocabulary. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use CLE.  What I found is that I was used to curriculums that were mastery and not spiral.  So, for the first couple of weeks if my son didn't immediately grasp the concept, I would stop the lesson and explain and explain and explain.  I thought, "This is our only chance to learn this!  I'd better slow this down and make sure he gets it!"
 

But I learned that if my son doesn't get CLE immediately that it's ok!  They will review it day after day after day and eventually, he will get it.  I don't have to stop the program anymore and linger on one concept until he gets it.  We can move on and I'm confident that CLE will keep bringing it up and he will get it over time.  

 

Just letting you know so that if you get CLE you don't do what I did and frustrate your student.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, and one other thing I did add was a few extra resources for word problems.  We have used Math in Focus word problems for some things, but MM might be just as good, but I also have her create her OWN word problem, with really basic computation, so she can understand the process and the steps and what is a critical part of breaking it all down to solve a problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wanted to add another thing that I have mentioned before on other threads but I think bears repeating.  We do a lot of skip counting and CLE encourages that.  But when we started multiplication again, besides manipulatives for the concept, I also had DD fill out a multiplication chart on a regular basis.   This has helped, since she can't really rote memorize anything, but can get used to patterns.

 

We started with just one or two number groups, practicing skip counting on a dry erase board, verbally, while bouncing a ball or bouncing on a trampoline or swinging in her swing, etc.  We discussed number patterns on already created multiplication grids, sometimes isolating specific groups like all the 2s and 4s, and I let her try to see the patterns.  Then, once the skip counting of certain sets was down pretty well, she would periodically fill in the chart but I let her go slowly.  Otherwise she would lock up.  The chart looked so intimidating with all those numbers.  

 

Eventually, I would casually leave blank charts lying around and she would pick them up just to see how many she could fill in.  She was thrilled when she realized that she could do them all without any help.  She then started doing one every Monday, we would put it in a protective sleeve and she would use it for reference when she needed to.  

 

Now, she really only fills one in every 2 weeks.  We still put it in a protective sleeve for reference when needed.  I always keep the CLE laminated reference sheet handy, too. but at this point I think I will have to print out multiple sheets covering the same material to put in her math reference notebook.  The little CLE reference sheets are a bit overwhelming, with too much crammed in for her to separate back out when she needs to look something up.  

 

Anyway, if I think of anything else I will post.  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I loved CLE math for the reasons others listed above.  It WORKED.

 

We did the daily drills daily but I never timed them as that just really frustrated my daughter.  I also let her use the math reference card/chart for her math facts during the regular part of the lesson and over time she needed it less and less.  I also found that has they introduced a new topic they had laid the foundation so well that she just "got it" without a lot of effort......and that is saying a lot as she has some LDs and borderline IQ.

 

CLE math sure beats the stuff my 4th grade foster son is doing at the moment.  I am struggling to figure out what/why he is doing what he is doing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with everything everyone has said so far. DD13 always struggled terribly with math until we found CLE (thanks to the Hive). And we gave it a good try (meaning multiple years each) with several other math programs. She started with level 400 in fifth grade and has slowly been catching up. She's now ready to begin 700 halfway through seventh grade. Although she has never been diagnosed with dyscalculia, I suspect there is a learning disability there. I haven't found it possible to cross off many of the review problems, because she needs continuous practice with all of it. She is the opposite of OneStep's daughter, in that she can memorize almost anything with little difficulty, so she doesn't have any problems with math facts, but she can't grasp mathematical concepts without a hard effort. She gets almost every story problem incorrect on the first try, for example. She has trouble with logical thinking (across the board in all academic subjects). 

 

In her case, she makes a lot of errors on the daily work. I correct it, and she redoes every single problem that she got wrong, with me sitting at her elbow, helping as needed. This is where the most learning comes in for her. I know it is working for her, because at the end of each lightunit, she gets A's on her tests. Hooray!

 

My three younger children are working through levels 300 and 400 right now. DS10 actually has a dyscalculia diagnosis, but his issues are different. In fact, I don't see much evidence of dyscalculia with him, but the neuropsych said it would show up once he hits higher math (algebra and geometry). We shall see. I'm hoping CLE gives him such a solid foundation that he will not run into the stumbling blocks that they predicted. His issues are with his ADHD, because just staying on task long enough to complete the work is challenging for him.

 

DD9 I suspect has dyslexia, though we have not had her evaluated yet. She understands mathematical concepts very easily but can't memorize the facts. I like CLE for her, because she gets lots of practice with the facts but still gets to move forward in the curriculum, which presents the material in small increments. Based on suggestions from people like OneStep, I have her fill out a multiplication chart every Monday, which she then gets to use when doing her lessons.

 

DD9 is an average student who is working consistently through the program as well. So I find that CLE is working for all of my four kids, each of whom has different math issues. I love it! :001_wub:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree with everything everyone has said so far. DD13 always struggled terribly with math until we found CLE (thanks to the Hive). And we gave it a good try (meaning multiple years each) with several other math programs. She started with level 400 in fifth grade and has slowly been catching up. She's now ready to begin 700 halfway through seventh grade. Although she has never been diagnosed with dyscalculia, I suspect there is a learning disability there. I haven't found it possible to cross off many of the review problems, because she needs continuous practice with all of it. She is the opposite of OneStep's daughter, in that she can memorize almost anything with little difficulty, so she doesn't have any problems with math facts, but she can't grasp mathematical concepts without a hard effort. She gets almost every story problem incorrect on the first try, for example. She has trouble with logical thinking (across the board in all academic subjects). 

 

In her case, she makes a lot of errors on the daily work. I correct it, and she redoes every single problem that she got wrong, with me sitting at her elbow, helping as needed. This is where the most learning comes in for her. I know it is working for her, because at the end of each lightunit, she gets A's on her tests. Hooray!

 

My three younger children are working through levels 300 and 400 right now. DS10 actually has a dyscalculia diagnosis, but his issues are different. In fact, I don't see much evidence of dyscalculia with him, but the neuropsych said it would show up once he hits higher math (algebra and geometry). We shall see. I'm hoping CLE gives him such a solid foundation that he will not run into the stumbling blocks that they predicted. His issues are with his ADHD, because just staying on task long enough to complete the work is challenging for him.

 

DD9 I suspect has dyslexia, though we have not had her evaluated yet. She understands mathematical concepts very easily but can't memorize the facts. I like CLE for her, because she gets lots of practice with the facts but still gets to move forward in the curriculum, which presents the material in small increments. Based on suggestions from people like OneStep, I have her fill out a multiplication chart every Monday, which she then gets to use when doing her lessons.

 

DD9 is an average student who is working consistently through the program as well. So I find that CLE is working for all of my four kids, each of whom has different math issues. I love it! :001_wub:

:hurray:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

6.  Speed drills, but we modified them.  

 

Speed drills used to fill her with dread so I just never did them once we started homeschooling.  They didn't help at all anyway.  However, doing a modified version of the CLE drills has been very helpful.  We have modified the speed drills so that she is only competing against herself, not an arbitrary amount of time she must beat.  

 

So for instance all the addition speed drills in her light unit will be highlighted in one color on her graphing chart.  I cross off the required time.  She does the speed drills and writes down how much time she took for each drill (we use a digital stop watch).  Since CLE rotates what skill is focused on each day, we highlight each skill in a separate color so she isn't feeling down that division, for instance, is slower than addition.  The goal is to improve the fluency of each individual skill without sacrificing accuracy.  Unlike what CLE has set up, our goal is not to complete the problems in under a minute.  She wouldn't be able to process the problems quickly enough.  She likes seeing progress of each skill set on the chart and it has improved her fluency.  It also gives her concrete goals that make sense to her.

 

We do not do speed drills every day, though.   It can get overwhelming if she has to do them every day.  Usually 3 times a week, sometimes 4.

 

 

Excellent post! I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the color-coding, but I think that's just because I don't have it in front of me. Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excellent post! I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the color-coding, but I think that's just because I don't have it in front of me. Thank you.

Well, the speed drills at the back of each Light Unit rotate the skill being targeted, at least in the 3rd grade material and above.  So for instance, day 1 would be addition, day 2 subtraction, day 3 multiplication.  Then day 4 would be addition again, and so forth.  On the graphing chart, the chart shows the overall results but doesn't tell you what each skill for each day was.  DD would get discouraged that her chart was kind of all over the place.  It made it look like she wasn't improving or was doing great one day and terrible the next.  So I highlighted each one in a different color and she only compares addition to addition and subtraction to subtraction and multiplication to multiplication and division to division.  Does that make sense?  I am rereading this and it sounds really confusing to me.  Sorry I am doing such a terrible job of explaining this.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the speed drills at the back of each Light Unit rotate the skill being targeted, at least in the 3rd grade material and above.  So for instance, day 1 would be addition, day 2 subtraction, day 3 multiplication.  Then day 4 would be addition again, and so forth.  On the graphing chart, the chart shows the overall results but doesn't tell you what each skill for each day was.  DD would get discouraged that her chart was kind of all over the place.  It made it look like she wasn't improving or was doing great one day and terrible the next.  So I highlighted each one in a different color and she only compares addition to addition and subtraction to subtraction and multiplication to multiplication and division to division.  Does that make sense?  I am rereading this and it sounds really confusing to me.  Sorry I am doing such a terrible job of explaining this.  

No, no, you're explaining it very well. I understand now. Thank you. Great idea.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have everything I need to begin CLE with dd-so excited!

 

I have planned to start at the beginning of 100 & skip over most of it-I read through & picked out the things I think she doesn't know or needs to solidify. I think I will have her do just the review portion if the lessons until we get to a place where she is struggling.

 

I want to continue with RB but I am finding the book so hard to follow along with. I wish I had an iPad for the ebooks. I have yet to find a thing she is struggling with. Estimation was the only hiccup so far-but she still got 80% correct. She enjoys RB stuff-I am just not sure it's useful.

 

I guess I could give her CLE placement test...

 

Anyone have thoughts on this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At this point I guess you COULD give the placement test.  It might help target areas that need additional work.  Easy to do since it is free off the website.

 

And areas she already has solid you can just cross off some of the review problems in each lesson.  Don't skip the daily flash card system, though, at least not usually.  The targeted way they do flash cards was really helpful here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is another idea, but it would require making another purchase (assuming you have purchased level 100 already). Light Unit 201 reviews all of the concepts taught in level 100, so you could purchase that Light Unit and start there instead

 

Each lesson in 201 will start with a pretest that reviews the math taught in level 100.  If she passes it, she skips ahead to the next pretest. If she misses a certain amount, the student completes the rest of the lesson instead of skipping ahead. The Light Unit also indicates the place in level 100 that teaches that concept, so for more reinforcement the student could work on the corresponding lesson in the 100 level.  

 

The first Light Unit of every grade is set up in this unique review format. I'm sure it is because children who take a summer break tend to forget some of what they learned the previous year. Since we do not take a break from math for the summer, we skip the first book of each level.

 

Honestly, though, I would start by having your daughter take the placement test. There is no downside to that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been doing CLE with both girls. My younger typical child loves it so far & has been doing 2 lessons most days. We skip a few problems though.

 

My older DD has done a few lessons. It went ok. I tried a new tactic with her yesterday that seemed to work but skipped school today bc she had dentist appointment & seemed out of sorts. Surprisingly the flash cards are her favorite thing...

 

I love the detailed instructions for both parents & students. I really think the whole set up is great. It has helped me so much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glad it is working well.

 

I am honestly thinking of getting it for my 4th grade foster boy who is struggling a bit with math.  I think he just needs consistency (has changed schools many many times) and a good systematic program.

 

How long do the 4th grade lessons take?  I would likely start him at the beginning but maybe skip some problems, etc. on topics he does well with.  He seems to know his basic math facts quite well which is a huge help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glad it is working well.

 

I am honestly thinking of getting it for my 4th grade foster boy who is struggling a bit with math.  I think he just needs consistency (has changed schools many many times) and a good systematic program.

 

How long do the 4th grade lessons take?  I would likely start him at the beginning but maybe skip some problems, etc. on topics he does well with.  He seems to know his basic math facts quite well which is a huge help.

Give him the free placement tests.  Then you can see where he may have gaps.  Target any gaps then start him at whatever level he tests into.  I would not just start him at a specific grade level since the scope and sequence of what he has been exposed to may be different.

 

The program is pretty easy to adjust and accelerate through if needed.  In other words, if he tested into 3rd grade material then put him there.  Have him work through the light units at whatever pace he can master the material.  If he works through the summer he should be able to complete both 3rd grade and 4th grade as long as he doesn't run into any major snags.  Any areas he has already mastered just cross out some of the review problems.  You can double up lessons that way and do two a day without overwhelming him. There are technically 17 lessons per light unit.  If you cut out the quizzes and tests and the fun lessons they have after each you could already shorten a 3 and a half week unit into 3 weeks or less.  Doubling up some lessons you could easily shorten it to 2 weeks.  Just don't rush through areas he needs more practice, obviously.  

 

As to how long the lessons take, that really depends on the child, honestly.  And how many review problems you cut out from each lesson, if any.  With the 3rd grade material DD has sometimes whipped through in 30 minutes or less.  At other times it is a 2 hour slog.  Just depends on the lesson and how tired she is.  

 

We aren't to 4th grade material yet but I do have it in front of me.  If you have questions I would be happy to answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...