CLE Math woes...keep plugging away or switch?

[Ewe Mama]

I am appalled by how far behind we have gotten in math with the boys. They are Just starting book 406. We have been doing math all along, it's just that we took a month long foray into the Key to decimals book to grasp certain concepts better, and before that they were all constantly sick. Now they are all fighting me tooth and nail when it is time to do it. It's not that they are incapable of doing the work; they usually do well once they buckle down and get to it, averaging 85-95% on tests and quizzes.

 

The 4-5 page lessons plus speed drills cause them to grumble before they even pick up their pencils. None of them enjoy math at all anymore. I don't shorten lessons or skip problems, because they need the built in review. I'm just wondering if there is a more efficient spiral program available with a similar scope and sequence? CLE was a fabulous fit for my eldest, but it is just too much for the boys. One (whom I consider to be the most intuitive at math) will do it as fast as he can and doesn't care if he solves them correctly or not, even though he knows I make him redo every incorrect problem. One plods along at a slow and steady pace, often taking 1.5 hours to complete his assignment. He usually scores quite well. The other one avoids it by daydreaming, dilly dallying, taking long trips to the bathroom, etc. and then inches his way through the lesson. He also scores well once he actually completes the work.

 

They did well when I had them doing only 2-3 Key to pages per day.

 

I own all of MM, which they hate, so that's not an option. Computer based programs will not work, either.

 

I would like them to find some measure of enjoyment in math again.

 

Please help!

[maize]

What about replacing some of the drill and review with Prodigy game assignments? My kids beg to play, it takes the pain out of math practice. You will still need to use a program for teaching, but can use it as just a guideline for creating review assignments in Prodigy.

[AggieMama]

Could you split the assignment into two parts of the day? Maybe have the boys do half of their assignment in the morning and the other half in the afternoon.

[RootAnn]

Could you split the assignment into two parts of the day? Maybe have the boys do half of their assignment in the morning and the otheyr half in the afternoon.

This would be my first recommendation. Horizons and Abeka have similar formats, but they don't always work for people who do well in CLE.

 

Math takes about the same amount if time whether you do 4-5 pages of problems or 2. That's what I found. My eldest used CLE 400 level and yearned for the "shorter" lessons back in Abeka. Except they ended up taking the same amount of time because of less white space.

 

I'd start out with a timer for the morning math session (45 min?). I'd mark the stuff they got wrong for the afternoon session and make sure that they were free after all their math was done in the afternoon. So, if they got most of it done and correct in the morning, they would have more free time in the afternoon. Make sense?

[Ewe Mama]

I will give the half in the morning and half in the afternoon with the timer a try this week. Thanks for that idea, ladies!

Edited June 25, 2016 by Ewe Mama

[Ewe Mama]

This would be my first recommendation. Horizons and Abeka have similar formats, but they don't always work for people who do well in CLE.

RootAnn, what difficulties do you think occur if a person switches from CLE to Horizons? I figured if we did make a switch, Horizons would probably be on the short list of possibilities. My only experience with it was the K level which I did not like.

[BrittanyM]

My daughter is only in 205 but I use a timer as well. I give her 40 minutes and if she does her best I don't make her finish the lesson (usually she's just about finished it). I use Xtramath instead of the speed drills as it's much more "fun" for her.

 

 

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[MyLittleBears]

I usually do skip the written drills. We do oral drills for two multiplication tables per day before the lesson using the reference table. It takes less than five minutes. I then cross off most of the repetitive addition/sub problems in the "we remember" section leaving maybe two( one addition one subtraction) and never skipping the word problems. Since they will do it again tomorrow they are not likely to forget and able to focus more intently on doing them correctly.

[mommymonster]

We use CLE and love it. If your kids get a concept, have them do one or two review problems, and then cross out the rest. This motivates my slow worker because he knows if he shows me he has a concept down, he only has to do one or two problems, not the whole line of them. 

[RootAnn]

RootAnn, what difficulties do you think occur if a person switches from CLE to Horizons? I figured if we did make a switch, Horizons would probably be on the short list of possibilities. My only experience with it was the K level which I did not like.

 

My experience with Horizons is only using it as a supplement (at the 3rd grade level), so I can only guess based on reading past threads.

You'd definitely want to do some placement tests. You might end up finding out your kids place higher (or lower) than where you are with CLE because of scope/sequence differences.

Most lessons are still 2 1/2 - 3 pages per lesson (and there is less white space). Some kids get overwhelmed by the number of problems on each page. The number of pages per lesson might be 2 - 2 1/2 in the second book of Level 5. (Each level & workbook is different!)

There aren't any speed drills for Horizons, so you might have to add additional fact practice if your kids need that.

You may end up with the same issues w/Horizons that you have with CLE even after the switch.

 

Good luck with the timer this week. I hope it helps at least in the short term.

[boscopup]

In the 4th grade book (and really the 3rd grade also), I skipped the drills, as my child had his math facts memorized by that point. Are they still memorizing facts? Or do they already have them down pat? You could do quick oral drill instead of written drill.

 

I never did the quizzes. They are exactly the same as the daily work which has a gazillion review problems. We did the tests at the end of the light unit before moving on.

 

There were times when I did skip problems and times when I didn't. I played it by ear and looked at what each child needed at that moment. If the work was clearly something they knew backward and forward, I'd let them skip it. It is a LOT of review, and while my kids need review, they didn't need quite that much. So I circled which problems they needed to do, and I made sure they got a good variety and plenty of review without being overkill.

 

We did ultimately switch away this year because my kids don't need as much spiral review as they used to. Now they're using Singapore. My 4th grader complains when we get to the practice sections, but he otherwise likes it ok. He doesn't like to work in general. If it takes effort, he will cry and whine. So any school is met with resistance with him, except read alouds. He loves those because he doesn't have to do any work! ;)

 

Horizons sounds like it might be a good one for you to try if you're wanting to stick with a spiral program. I looked at it a few times, including for my current 4th grader. I ended up not going with it because the pages had such small writing space at the 4th grade and up level, and this child (who works a grade level ahead in math) can't write that small yet. CLE and Singapore both have plenty of space for larger numbers.

[OneStepAtATime]

There is a LOT of review in CLE, way more than most students actually need.  You will probably get a lot more enthusiasm and focus by cutting out some of the review and drill.  If they still are trying to get solid on math facts, keep in mind that math facts are reviewed all the way through the 500s.  I agree with Maize,  why not have them do Prodigy math for math fact practice, just to try it out?

 

Do this, just for 406 and see how it goes:

1.  Cross out quite a bit of the review for each lesson using a pencil.  Tell them if they get the rest of the problems correct they won't have to do the others.

2.  Have them do the written drill one day and the flash cards another day, alternating, but at a different time of day (maybe as a morning warm up).  Don't require them to finish all the written drills, just whatever gets done by the time they finish 406.

3.  Twice a week (to start with) let them get on Prodigy math to do math fact review and if they do well let them substitute Prodigy for the CLE drills a couple of times a week.

4.  Skip the first quiz.

5.  If they pass the second quiz with an A, let them do two lessons of new material and only one lesson of review (but cross out some review each day) to finish off 406 (so they would complete Lessons 11/12 in one day, Lessons 13/14 in one day and then just do new material and limited review from Lesson 15 for the next day).  Let them take the test.  If they pass with an A they don't have to do the review material they skipped.

 

Since the kids had been sick and had done a different program for a while and you are now into summer, right? it seems what they are lacking is motivation.  They seem bored.   Get back that motivation and they may really do well with the material.  I know a lot of kids that get motivated when they see that they don't have to all problems on a page.  I know you feel that they need the constant review but they may actually retain the material better if they have more motivation.  Just try some form of the above suggestions for the one light unit and see if it helps.  If not, you haven't lost much time and you can then look further into hopping curriculum.