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Looking for math with daily lessons-help?


mom2kando
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Without all of the boring details of our past 3 years homeschooling, I am realizing that in order to save my sanity and to keep doing this homeschooling thing "I" need a math for the kids with daily lessons like Saxon or CLE.

 

Kids (5th and 3rd) are currently in Math Mammoth, they like it, I wouldn't say they are "advanced" math students but math comes easy to them both.

 

We do CC so there's Saxon

 

or CLE,

 

or something else? I'm open to suggestions. 

 

Thanks!

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If they like Math Mammoth, then my first instinct would be to tweak that to work for you.

 

My kids are currently in 1st and 3rd (working in Math Mammoth 3rd and 6th), and I simply divide MM into daily lessons.  I print out each worktext (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, etc), bind it into manageable booklets, and mark daily lessons in all of them at once.  I also integrate various fun math and logic puzzles right into the bound booklets, so each day starts with 2-3 pages of MM and ends with a Suduko, Balance Bender, Tin Man Press logic puzzle, maze, riddle puzzle to practice arithmetic, etc.  We have been doing this for 3 years, and it works very well for us.

 

Maybe if you explain what issues you are having with your current system, people could help brainstorm solutions that are less drastic than throwing out a math curriculum that is working for your kids.

 

Wendy

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hmmm, Thanks Wendyroo. I think exactly what you are describing that you do is what is making it so difficult for me (the planning). I did buy the lesson plans through homeschool planet, but I am using the "free" version which is PITB to use and sometimes doesn't like to the videos that I need. So I am ignoring them for the time being and just doing about 2 pages a day, unless they begin to run long.

 

I feel though that the kids don't take math seriously though, like it's an afterthought and not real "math" the way we are using it. I do sit with each of them and look over the assignment (pages), make sure they understand the problems and review/do a problem if they need help. I have some pressing personal and family issues currently that leave me with about 10 seconds of free time except for friday nights when I need some down time and to not be planning. Gee, I sound so whiny as I type this! :huh:

 

I guess I am just wishing I could begin the week knowing that we are going to work on lessons 4-8 and not pages (which don't always get done).

Thank you so much for your support and willingness to help brainstorm a solution. I'm going to give it another week and hope that other non-homeschooling things slow down and let us focus.

 

Edited by mom2kando
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hmmm, Thanks Wendyroo. I think exactly what you are describing that you do is what is making it so difficult for me (the planning). I did buy the lesson plans through homeschool planet, but I am using the "free" version which is PITB to use and sometimes doesn't like to the videos that I need. So I am ignoring them for the time being and just doing about 2 pages a day, unless they begin to run long.

 

I feel though that the kids don't take math seriously though, like it's an afterthought and not real "math" the way we are using it. I do sit with each of them and look over the assignment (pages), make sure they understand the problems and review/do a problem if they need help. I have some pressing personal and family issues currently that leave me with about 10 seconds of free time except for friday nights when I need some down time and to not be planning. Gee, I sound so whiny as I type this! :huh:

 

I guess I am just wishing I could begin the week knowing that we are going to work on lessons 4-8 and not pages (which don't always get done).

Thank you so much for your support and willingness to help brainstorm a solution. I'm going to give it another week and hope that other non-homeschooling things slow down and let us focus.

 

For us it would not work to use pre-made lesson plans.  That would just be adding a layer of complication to getting the math done.  We do not watch any videos or follow any of the links provided in the worktexts.

 

Once I have my kids' Math Mammoth booklets bound, I physically go through and mark daily stopping spots.  Our system is that I use a green marker to show which problems I want them to complete, and a red marker to draw a stop line at the of each day's work.  I typically have them complete about a quarter of problems that I think are going to be easy review, about half of the simple arithmetic problems practicing a new technique, and all of the word problems and puzzle corners.

 

It takes me about 2 hours every 3 or 4 months to prep math booklets for my boys.  Then each day is very open and go, with me spending only about 5 minutes with each of them going over the day's lesson.

 

Wendy

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If you really feel overwhelmed by MM then you could give the placement test for CLE and see how it goes.  CLE is fantastic when you need a do the next thing, no real planning needed at all, but of course the math program might not be a good fit for your kids.  At least with CLE you don't have to buy the whole thing.  Get the first 3 light units of whatever level they test into and see how it goes.  I do recommend getting the math reference chart whether you stick with CLE long term or not.  Super helpful.  The flash cards from CLE are awesome as well but it would be hard to know whether to invest in them if you aren't sure the program will be a good fit.  The TM makes grading really fast (way better than the answer key) and it offers helpful suggestions for the teacher and alternative tests and other supports but you can skip that expense until you are sure you are staying with it.  On a side note, the first light unit of each level is a review of previous levels so it makes for a great review of prior concepts.  If you don't feel they need the review, though, you could skip the first light unit and start with the second of the level they test into.

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We also use Math Mammoth. I have the whole year printed out, but I dont use lesson plans for math. 2 pages a day, 5 days a week will complete one grade level (maybe even early). It's open and go for us. Which is nice if we need to slow down a bit.

 

I have them do 1/3-1/2 of the problems (you could just say evens or odds so you don't have to plan it). Then if they need more practice, I'll have them do the ones we omitted the next day. But usually we just move on to the next page.

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Do you use the tests or cumulative reviews? I find those so hard to add in I wish she just added them in and not put them separately.

Uh, yes. This is where it gets slightly more complicated. ;) This is what works for me and my kids.

 

First, I print out the table of contents for my own reference. At the end of each chapter, there are two sections: Mixed Review and Review. So I'll tell my printer to print all the lesson pages and JUST the Review pages, using the table of contents to help determine page numbers to print. Then I'll print the chapter test. (I make a note of what page numbers the Mixed Review are and set it aside for later.)

 

So now I have a stack of papers that includes the lessons, Review, and test for one chapter. I do this with all the chapters.

 

And you could stop right here and be done for the year.

 

But my kids usually finish that up before the end of the school year. So, to prep for that, I make the Mixed Review packet.

 

Now I'll use those Mixed Review pages numbers I saved from before and print those. Then I will print all the Cumulative Reviews. I will put the Mixed and Cumulative Reviews in chapter order (so they'll end up alternating). Then at the end, I'll print the End of the Year test.

 

This makes a big overview of the entire year that goes back and does (what is now) the easy stuff first.

 

I hope that was helpful!

 

 

 

ETA:

I think that if I didn't make that Mixed Review packet, I'd add that chapter's Cumulative Review page AFTER the test. That way the child doesn't get confused about what material is going to be tested.

Edited by carriede
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