Maths for a boy who doesn't love worksheets

[EmmaNZ]

My ds is almost 7. This year he has done Math Mammoth 1. (I used this because he is the 4th child and it worked for everybody else - I gave it no further thought) He has not enjoyed it at all, and has really struggled at times. Now at the end of the book, I do not feel that he has grasped a good sense of place value, and he doesn't really know his number bonds very well at all.

 

I think he needs a new maths book (which is annoying because he is number 4 of 5, and I don't want to start buying new stuff now!) He is a very concrete little chap - he is fantastic at Lego, and creating things in general. When we did the math mammoth problems with cubes he definitely found it easier. So, I need maths which is more hands-on, but what would you choose?

 

From my point of view, I need something open and go. I prefer mastery math, but could probably cope with spiral if he was happier.

 

Any ideas??

Edited May 18, 2017 by EmmaNZ

[OneStepAtATime]

You might consider trying CLE. Not all kids do well with a strictly mastery based approach. It is spiral but can be made into a mastery and spiral system.

 

Give the placement test (free). The first light unit is review of previous concepts. Regular program starts with the second light unit at each level. They are cheap so you could buy just the TM and the first 2 light units and see how he likes them. It does have a really awesome math fact review system that runs alongside the main lessons. If you wanted to try that it works better if you use their addition/subtraction flash cards. Not strictly necessary but I found them to be worth the investment.

 

Hopefully others will have good options for you.

Edited May 18, 2017 by OneStepAtATime

[EKS]

If he does well with cubes, MUS comes to mind.  It combines hands on work with worksheets and definitely uses the mastery approach.

 

Another one to consider might be RightStart.  Instead of blocks, it uses an abacus, along with other manipulatives and games--and it has worksheets too.

 

Finally, Singapore is also hands on, if you follow the HIG.  And it has worksheets.

[Mr. G]

HOW did he use MM1? Were you with him the majority of the time, reading the lessons with/to him and leading the lessons?

 

I've used every chapter of MM1-7 with my kids.  A big part of what made it successful was my close interaction and engagement with them as they used the book. It is a work text, but having an adult keeping things on track and answering questions immediately and correcting mistakes real time is what made the program effective.

 

[Mr. G]

In your shoes, is it plausible to re-do the key lessons from MM1 with manipulatives at an accelerated pace over the summer. Require only 1/4 or 1/3 of the answers be recorded in writing. Sit with him and do the math with blocks/orally each time. 

 

Essentially, 1st grade math is nothing but number bonds and place value. You can find a zillion games online to print that will reinforce the concepts, but no matter which publisher you go with, those are the "main topics" of 1st grade math.

 

If it's possbile, I would just re-do MM1 with a greater emphasis on the manipulatives and more involvement from the parent.

Be sure to work on the Part-Part-Whole concept and re-do each word problem using drawings and manipulatives. Number bonds and place value.

Then move on to MM2.

 

 

 

[HomeAgain]

I would get c-rods and use gattegno math. The first books are floating around online for free so you can try it out before investing. There are videos on YouTube, too, showing how it is used in a classroom.

[EmmaNZ]

You might consider trying CLE.

  

 

I just had a look at this. I'm not in the US so I think postage costs would make this fairly expensive to try. I couldn't see a digital option, or any international distributors. I've seen quite a few people here say they like this maths though, so might dig a bit deeper.

 

If he does well with cubes, MUS comes to mind.  It combines hands on work with worksheets and definitely uses the mastery approach.

 

Another one to consider might be RightStart.  Instead of blocks, it uses an abacus, along with other manipulatives and games--and it has worksheets too.

 

Finally, Singapore is also hands on, if you follow the HIG.  And it has worksheets.

  

 

I am worried about MUS - is it too 'light'? Too different from other curricula in scope and sequence?

 

I think Right Start would probably be my top pick at the moment. But.....it is ridiculously expensive even without international shipping. If I had a guarantee that it was going to help, this would be my top choice, but so much money would be wasted if he hates it. Can't decide if it's worth the risk.

 

I don't like grade 1 of Singapore. I used it with my oldest (accelerated in math) kid, and we ditched it for a bit, then took it up again a bit later. Maybe I could teach it better now though?? I've got 8 years more experience in teaching first grade maths after all!

 

HOW did he use MM1? Were you with him the majority of the time, reading the lessons with/to him and leading the lessons?

 

I've used every chapter of MM1-7 with my kids.  A big part of what made it successful was my close interaction and engagement with them as they used the book. It is a work text, but having an adult keeping things on track and answering questions immediately and correcting mistakes real time is what made the program effective.

  

 

Yes, I have sat with him and done each and every lesson with him. I don't really want to go back and do it over again for a couple of reasons - 1. I just think he hates it now and it is torture for him and 2. My 4 year old has already started it, and is whizzing through it at breakneck speed - I wouldn't want my older guy to feel sad that he is doing the same thing as his little brother.

 

I would get c-rods and use gattegno math. The first books are floating around online for free so you can try it out before investing. There are videos on YouTube, too, showing how it is used in a classroom.

Never heard of this....off to look it up. We have c-rods already.

 

 

Thanks so much everybody. Always such good advice :)

[Syllieann]

Take a look at Shiller. I moved my dd into it after math mammoth failed for her. It is very concrete and interactive. The place value is especially strong. It starts with unit cubes, ten rods, etc, then moves to tiles (google montessori stamp game for a video of this) and then finally to paper and pencil. It goes through all operations at the concrete level before moving to abstract with any of them. I wrote a detailed response about it a couple months ago that you can probably find if you dig for my name plus Shiller. Download is available from christianbook.com and the manipulatives are easy to make or purchase locally so you wouldn't need to pay international shipping.

[EKS]

I am worried about MUS - is it too 'light'? Too different from other curricula in scope and sequence?

 

I think Right Start would probably be my top pick at the moment. But.....it is ridiculously expensive even without international shipping. If I had a guarantee that it was going to help, this would be my top choice, but so much money would be wasted if he hates it. Can't decide if it's worth the risk.

 

I don't like grade 1 of Singapore. I used it with my oldest (accelerated in math) kid, and we ditched it for a bit, then took it up again a bit later. Maybe I could teach it better now though?? I've got 8 years more experience in teaching first grade maths after all!

 

MUS is actually pretty good for elementary.  You would probably want to supplement the word problems, though.

 

I agree, RightStart is ridiculously expensive.  I used it with my son when he needed a change from Singapore 1A/B.  We did most of RightStart B and then moved smoothly into Singapore 2A.  I was very pleased with how it worked, actually, and if I had to do it again, I would do it exactly the same way.

 

I don't like the first grade Singapore much either.  We found that there was too much of a leap between the instruction and the problems.  Of course, this was back before they had the HIG for the first grade books, and I suspect that the HIG fills the holes.

[nixpix5]

MUS is alot of what you described: hands on, mastery based, open and go (Steve giving lessons on the DVD or digital pack is a bonus!) My 6 year old who really doesn't like worksheet math either and doesn't retain well that way is doing awesome with MUS. He loves it.

 

As far as light...it works something like this...alpha focuses on place value, skip counting, single digit addition and subtraction mastery etc. It does some missing number stuff (algebra) and other things as well but it's focus is on children deeply understanding and absorbing these concepts. Beta spends the year mastering multi-digit addition and subtraction, time and money mostly. Gamma takes you through all of multiplication. It may seem strange to spend all year on multiplication but it takes the child from beginning through where a 5th or 6th grader might be with multiplication. The levels work like this...delta is division I believe, same thing.

 

It isn't light, just a different way of doing it. For those that only use MUS for a year or two I don't think the benefit is as good. For those that carry it through the Greek letters I know kids come out knowing everything they should and have a stellar foundation.

 

Here is the one other drawback. You use the blocks for EVERYTHING. If your child only uses it a couple levels then some parents have reported their child didn't seem to get it without the blocks. This seems to correct itself as the child moves through the program. Again, I see MUS as a commitment.

 

With all of that said, I am a parent who is using MUS with one, RS math with another and the third is using Singapore. RS math is hands down my preference. It is open and go for me but some others have reported not feeling this way. It isn't really mastery...it is somewhat both. The child does next to know worksheets and it is VERY parent intensive. You are there the entire lesson, every lesson. It is amazing though!

[MyLife]

My first thought was Miquon. He can use Cuisenaire rods and the worksheet have very few problems per page. You have the option of using as a mastery or spiral approach.

[HomeAgain]

One word about MUS - my oldest went through the Greek letters to pre-algebra. We supplemented with Patty Paper Geometry and Hands On Equations to continue hands on work after he moved to more standard programs.

It's not light. The Greek series game my son a rock solid foundation in mathematics and he did very well in high school. He finished his senior year with AP Calculus. We don't regret MUS for him at all.

However, I would try to borrow a DVD first or order their sample. My youngest hated the early dvds and refused to use it. Once we hit Epsilon/Zeta he was more willing (the fraction tiles are fun), but we did MEP because he didn't want to learn the MUS way for basic operations.

[Um_2_4]

He sounds like my DS7 (almost exactly, legos and everything. My DS has an aversion to busy work). I used Singapore this year (level 1 standard) and he just tested at end of second grade math level. So I am a fan of Singapore needless to say.

 

But next year I will just be using the HIG, Textbook (each working along on their own small whiteboards) and the Challenging word problems. The workbook was ok, but sometimes too much busywork. For me it is open and go once I did a bit of reading about the method, a quick glance at the HIG and I am ready to go. I do let them use blocks or some other manipulative if the lesson warrants it.

 

MUS is what I use for my math-phobic DD10. It works. And she does not cry about math anymore. It is solid. I do add math puzzles to go along. She jumped a whole grade level and is doing multi-digit subtraction w/borrowing (a skill I feared she would never master) without blocks!!! Now I did not show her the dvds, I may next year at the next level. I read the teacher's guide and then teach her. I am content to use it all the way through if she wants.