New to homeschooling--Math U See or Math in Focus

[Guest Hooliganmama3]

I am going to be homeschooling for the first time next year, and I am trying to make decisions on curriculum in advance....I will have 3 kids--kindergarten, 1st grade, and 3rd grade....

My biggest anxiety is finding a good math program....I think I have it narrowed down to either Math in Focus or Math U See but I am stuck at that point....any suggestions from experienced homeschoolers???

[HomeAgain]

What are your kids using now? Is it a good fit?

[Farrar]

What drew you to each of those over other programs? What kind of learners are your kids? What kind of teacher do you think you'll be?

 

How will you feel about MUS's strong single topic per year focus? What drew you to MiF over Singapore Primary Math, which, unlike MiF, has a home instruction guide?

[sweetpea3829]

Unless there are some LDs, I would not recommend MUS for your 3rd grader. MUS scope and sequence does not transition well with other programs.

 

Aside from that, I do not feel the love towards MUS in general. I am using it with my daughter, as it's slow, incremental approach is exactly what she needs due to her dyscalculia.

 

And occasionally, I'll use it with my boys to introduce a topic, or review something they might need help with. But for their main math, they use Singapore.

 

The reason I don't suggest MUS for a general math for most kids is because it only gives the bare basics. It covers everything that is NEEDED but it has little depth in its coverage. There is little exploration of math. It's very much, "Here is what you need to know". Some kids really need that.

 

In addition, there is little to no instruction in problem solving. There are word problems, but no instruction. I add Process Skills to address this.

 

MUS does have good points! The blocks are great (I use them a lot with Singapore). It is very easy to use/plan/implement. It WILL cover the required topics. And it's great for kids like my daughter that just need a basic math education. But overall? I think it underserves the average math student and it definitely underserves the gifted math student.

[HomeAgain]

I don't think it is as hard as it may seem to transition to another program from MUS.  My son used it from Gamma to Pre-algebra.  During pre-algebra we started to beef it up more with Hands On Equations & Life of Fred, and then transitioned to AoPS for Algebra.  Two years of high school math later and he's finally starting to use a calculator for his college math.

 

MUS was what he needed at the time.  The Saxon we started out with was overwhelming and killed his love of numbers.  MUS gave him ways to manipulate the numbers and find what sparked his interest again.  We never did all the pages.  We followed MUS's plan of see it, build it, write it, teach it, test it, and moved on.  Sometimes that was two days, some times it was a week, but it allowed him to move at his own pace.  MUS did not hurt him in the least, and helped him immensely in visualizing numbers.  It is very easy to add extra dimensions to the work if you find it necessary, but it is a solid K-8th program.

 

That said, it is not a program that is a good fit for my youngest. I own all the books and dvds, but he approaches math very differently.  Very logically, but very differently.  MUS would be an effort in frustration for both of us if I tried to put him through it.  It is important to match the child to the program, and not so much the parent's wants to the program.  Whatever you invest in this year, I would probably hold of on buying expensive curriculum until you get a feel for how they learn.

[Guest]

Christian Light Education Math---best ever for us. {I have tried a LOT LOT of programs}

 

But of the two you are deciding between, Math in Focus hands down.

[sbgrace]

I would select MIF if it's between those two.

The scope/sequence will better match traditional programs and the quality of problems, particularly word problems, will be much higher.

[OneStepAtATime]

Between those two options I agree that Math in Focus would be a good choice, unless you have a child that struggles in math. You can usually buy the textbooks, enrichment books and Teacher's Manual used on Amazon which will save a lot of money.

 

That being said, I also agree with up thread that Christian Light Education (CLE) is a really good program and easier to implement.

[fourisenough]

I agree with others that of the two you've mentioned, MIF would be my pick. MUS is just very underwhelming and simplistic. Great for kids who NEED that due to LDs or other challenges, but not a good fit for average or better math learners.

[Tiramisu]

I don't think it is as hard as it may seem to transition to another program from MUS.  My son used it from Gamma to Pre-algebra.  During pre-algebra we started to beef it up more with Hands On Equations & Life of Fred, and then transitioned to AoPS for Algebra.  Two years of high school math later and he's finally starting to use a calculator for his college math.

 

MUS was what he needed at the time.  The Saxon we started out with was overwhelming and killed his love of numbers.  MUS gave him ways to manipulate the numbers and find what sparked his interest again.  We never did all the pages.  We followed MUS's plan of see it, build it, write it, teach it, test it, and moved on.  Sometimes that was two days, some times it was a week, but it allowed him to move at his own pace.  MUS did not hurt him in the least, and helped him immensely in visualizing numbers.  It is very easy to add extra dimensions to the work if you find it necessary, but it is a solid K-8th program.

 

That said, it is not a program that is a good fit for my youngest. I own all the books and dvds, but he approaches math very differently.  Very logically, but very differently.  MUS would be an effort in frustration for both of us if I tried to put him through it.  It is important to match the child to the program, and not so much the parent's wants to the program.  Whatever you invest in this year, I would probably hold of on buying expensive curriculum until you get a feel for how they learn.

 

I completely agree that MUS is best for some students, specifically kids who have visual issues. For them, it's great for it's clean formatting and abundant white space. My dd's year with MUS was such a relief after the visual grief of Saxon.

 

Having also used MUS at the pre-algebra level, I would agree that this is an easy place to transition. I do not think it's as easy to transition much before that or between algebra one and two. We used pre-calc, too, and that was also not difficult to transition to.

 

My impression of the upper levels of MUS is a little more critical than it used to be. In my early days I was comparing it to my own math education, but now that I'm more familiar with what other programs offer and what they are using in ps here (MiF), I see it's weaknesses more than I used to. But still, it is perfect for some kids and will be enough.

 

I've used both CLE and Singapore PM for many years and I like them both. CLE was good is particularly good kids who needed a lot of review and a more gentle introduction to topics. Singapore PM is good for my dd who is very intuitive when it comes to math. I had thought of switching her to MiF from the US edition of PM but she's objected.

[sweetpea3829]

I just wanted to add that I have heard of a few families that have used MUS higher levels as an intro and then followed them up with something else. I think that's a great use of MUS, add it really does lay a good foundation. I just wish it offered more rigor and exploration.

 

But it has truly been a wonderful program for my dyscalculic student. It's exactly what she needs, nothing extra.

[sweetpea3829]

Doubled

Edited December 28, 2015 by Sweetpea3829

[lacell]

I have used neither but I have heard that MUS is very concrete and gives a great gentle intro to math, but that it isn't so rigorous as it goes up in levels. MIF seems to be an excellent program, but is expensive. Why no regular Singapore Primary Math? For the youngest ones,I think Right Start gives an amazing foundation. Work with c-rods is helpful too.

[lacell]

With three children though I would think very seriously about how independent the program is, especially for the 3rd grader. Teaching a very teacher intensive math to all three would be tough. CLE is quite independent for a 3rd grader, and you could supplement more conceptual math with Singapore Challenging Word Problems or FAN Singapore math workbooks (cheaper and includes more instruction). Saxon is also independent. Many love it; many hate it!

[sunshineslp]

Lacell, have you used SM? Is it very parent intensive? Coming from right start I think it'll be tons better.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lacell]

Lacell, have you used SM? Is it very parent intensive? Coming from right start I think it'll be tons better.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I am using 1A student text only. We also have CWP 1. I like it because I can just curl up on the sofa with my son and read it like a book. He thinks the cartoon characters are funny. I think it's great bonding time. I have switched to using RS in a different way. I do not like heavily scripted programs. So I read the manual and made my own notes about how to teach the gist of it. It's working really well for me that way. I think if a person uses RS as written, Singapore PM as written (whole program with TM, text, wkbk) *might* be less teacher intensive. I've heard it's easier to accelerate. I'm not having that issue with RS now that I am using it in a different way. I can accelerate it fine.

[lacell]

If we go with Singapore 2, I will purchase the TM for that level. I will probably do like I have with Right Start - read the manual through to get the gist and apply it my own way during lab time. My plan is math lab time (from RS, SM, c-rods) + CLE (not every problem). And other workbooks if my child wants more (CWP, MEP).