Math Ideas for 7th VSL

[1shortmomto4]

I'm trying to figure out what path to take for my 7th grader - visual spatial/right brained.  Math on a screen is not his learning style.  He learns best in "units."  I've used MUS but he gets bored - which is type of a VSL learner.  We worked through much of the RS Fractions and he did well and made connections.  We've only lightly touched decimals/percents and truly only lightly.  He did HOE and flew through that and is ready for more advanced math concepts but the little minor foundations are missing (like decimals/percents, negative numbers, square roots).  I had thought about using BJU Fundamentals and skipping through chapters as needed but wondered if there was a better way to accomplish getting him ready for Algebra, which I'm pretty sure he could handle in 8th and would prefer.  Last night I looked at RS E but can't tell if that would be an option.  He needs some color, fun activity (we played the card games for fractions which made the concepts stick) but no drill.  VSL/RB need mastery and then to move along to the next topic. Any suggestions???  I don't have a problem teaching the concepts and actually enjoy math but trying to keep him interested and motivated is the biggest challenge.  He's definitely gifted but pullilng it out of him is the challenge.

[wapiti]

My two cents:  IMO big picture before the details is a crucial aspect for a VSL.  The most visual-spatial program I can think of is AoPS, and by that I mean it's as big-picture as it gets with as little tedium as is necessary (often, if a problem is getting ridiculously tedious, it's a sign that you're doing it wrong LOL; one needs to use an understanding of the concepts to find the "easy" or "smart" way, as the author would say).  Each lesson starts with problems, the solving of which teaches the lesson, bit by bit.  Those problems are followed by full solutions in the text, in the event the student doesn't get the problem or needs a little more handholding.  After the lesson problem solutions are the exercises.  There is really no drill.  The Prealgebra text opened up a whole new world of math for me (and I was good at math back in the day).  There are a lot of threads discussing this text that you may want to read.

 

You'd want fractions, decimals and an intro to percents, as well as operations with negative numbers, before starting that text.  Negative numbers don't have to take long.  You could pull a section from almost any book or check out the inexpensive MM topic books.

 

I've been through that text three times so far, but when my kids were on the young side, and that background is relevant to some of my comments in older threads (we did a lot of work together) as well as the comments of a number of other posters working with somewhat younger students.  AoPS isn't for everyone, of course, but IMO the Prealgebra text should work quite well for a bright 7th grader in need of a spark for math.

 

Note that there are also free videos for the lessons in the text though it's not necessary at all to use them.  (I could never get my kids to watch other than just for fun; I think they're awesome.)

[almondbutterandjelly]

I used some of the Key to ... booklets for my vsl.  I did go in and color everything with colored pencils before handing the book to her.  Voila, color!  Then I just taught it like the book, a little bit at a time.  Sounds like Key to Decimals and Key to Percents would work for your student.

 

Once we got the core concepts down, we did the first Key to Algebra book (yes, I colored it all over again), read the first couple of chapters of Zaccarro's Real World Algebra, and started (successfully) Horizons PreAlgebra.

 

I never bought it, but this book always looked interesting to me:  Principles from Patterns Algebra

http://www.christianbook.com/principles-from-patterns-algebra-student-book/david-quine/pd/228001?event=ESRCG

 

Best of luck!  Math is sure a journey with a vsl, but I have found that once we hit PreAlgebra, everything really clicked.  

 

[1shortmomto4]

I just might have to break down and buy those books. Maybe some day I'll put together something that works for VSLs that teach in units.  :closedeyes:   Once we did Hands on Equations it gave him the math freedom to take on the world - maybe I should have waited.  ha ha!