acurtis75
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Posts posted by acurtis75
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Congratulations on a great year!
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We used MUS without using the manipulatives much. My dd enjoyed playing with them outside of formal lesson time and discovered a lot of math facts (like making 10's, etc) before covering them in the curriculum but she did not use them with each lesson.
We tried Singapore and it wasn't a good fit for us but MUS worked well. There is little or no reading. You watch a DVD do worksheets and move to the next chapter. The pages were very clean which worked well for my young student doing longer calculations. There are 6 worksheets per lesson. The first 3 are on the new concept for the week and the last 3 cover the new concept plus problems previously learned. They call it systematic review but the concepts are really re-taught it is just a chance to make sure your student hasn't forgotten what they already learned. We often only did 2 worksheets (1 with just new concepts and one with review) and the test before moving on to the next chapter. On some chapters dd would watch dvd and go straight to the test and "test out" of that lesson's worksheets.
MUS worked well for us as an easy straightforward system to get through elementary math quickly but without worrying about those evil "gaps" we hear about. We moved through Alpha - Pre-Algebra pretty quickly and now plan to take our time going through beast academy, AOPs pre-algebra and the Fred pre-algebra books.
The one downside to this plan was cost. The MUS books are generally used as 1 year curriculums and are priced accordingly. Going through several a year was pricey. If I was starting over I might consider using Khan academy instead because it is a lot more organized and structured than when we started.
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Congrat dmmetler! I'm sure your daughter will be excited to get the gold medal.
We did it for the first time this year after seeing dmmetler or someone else mention it last year. DD loves mythology and I figured she would see this as a fun thing to try. She didn't really do any specific study or preparation this year. She was registered as a 3rd grader but did either 1 or 2 subtests (at this point I can't remember...I know she answered 50 total questions and for sure did the Norse mythology section.)
I think dd loved the idea of other people being excited enough about mythology to want to compete on a test. She got 48 out of 50 right and a silver medal. Next year we might prepare a little more and do more subtests.
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Well....
It is ridiculously overpriced, cutesy, absurd songs and mnemonics, but my dd really enjoys playing with Visualize World Geography. I actually think the younger the better for this particular program, for those reasons...she is too young to really understand the corny groan factor:)
http://www.visualizeworldgeography.com/curriculum/single-family/
She tore through apps like Stack the States/Countries and GeoPuzzles, along with major landmarks and waterways, and that was the best thing I could find for a younger learner.
I would love to hear if anyone has anything better!
DD would probably like that but $249 is pretty ridiculous when I can buy several levels worth of math and language arts for that.
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I'm following. DD did a just for fun geobee for the first time last year and enjoyed it. So far our curriculum has been playing with iPad apps. I'm sure we could do a little better than that but so far I haven't found anything we are excited about.
ETA: Not that this is my thread but I would be especially interested in things that can be done independently.
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For what it is worth, I was in denial for quite some time...I just thought my kiddo was advantaged being an only and exposed to lots of specific materials. I used TalentIgniter on the recommendation of a friend, who happens to be a child psychologist. It depends upon the info you remember and are able to input, but for us it actually ended up being dead-on with the full psychoeducational eval we later went through.
This seems to be a pretty common response. I remember being pretty sure dd was just "bright" and fortunate to be an only with access to a rich learning environment. This board and getting past the age where kids usually level off has helped me to realize that my perception (much like Crimson Wife's) was affected by the fact that my parents, siblings and a large number of people we spend time with regularly likely have high IQ's.
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We didn't do any testing until dd hit 2nd grade. We did it then to practice before doing the talent search testing this year (3rd grade). I live in a large metropolitan area with several universities and museums that have cool programs through Duke TIP. We tested primarily to get access to those programs. In the process I did get some information from the NUMATS report that comes with the Explore results that I found somewhat useful. It isn't changing anything we are doing but is more of a confirmation we are on the right track. Not necessary but nice to have.
We chose not to do IQ testing because it isn't necessary for Duke or for Davidson Young Scholars and so far we don't have another need for it. We are working on the portfolio to go with Explore scores to submit for acceptance to DYS now that dd is in 3rd we thought it would be nice for locating some peers and resources.
This board has been our most valuable resource. Until we wanted to join Duke classes there was absolutely no need for testing. We just used this board to find resources that were stimulating, challenging and (sometimes) fun for dd to work on and moved from one book to the next.
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We've used some of the programs you asked about but not all. I know I answered another question recently about Beast Academy but can't figure out what thread it was in so this is probably a repeat answer. For context, I have a daughter who just turned 9 and we use MUS as our spine because it is straight forward and the fact that it is organized by topic made it very easy to accelerate without worrying about skipping concepts. My plan has always been to cover elementary math with MUS and then switch to AOPs. Along the way we've used Life of Fred, Singapore CWP, Beast Academy, Hands on Equations and various other things as supplements. We've completed all the elementary MUS books and have 3 or 4 lessons left in Pre-Algebra before we move on to AOPs.
Beast Academy - By the time Beast Academy was introduced we were well past 3rd grade math. I bought it anyway figuring it could be a review/supplement and that dd would like the format. She loves it and it helped (along with Fred) to make math more fun for her. I can't really comment on it as a stand alone curriculum because she already knew how to multiply, divide, etc before starting. The first 2 books had a few problems in each section that required a little extra effort on her part (the ones listed at challenge problems) but she could answer them most of the time. The 3rd book has some problems that are challenging and she requires hints. This is more about problem solving ability than arithmetic. I think the book does a good job of balancing easy problems that build confidence and thinking skills with challenging problems that require more effort and will probably help her to prepare for AOPs pre-algebra. She likes the books so much that will will probably continue with them even though we are starting the pre-algebra book. I plan to rotate between the two to give her some "easy" math days.
Hands on Equations - we used the iPad apps a year or so ago and dd liked them and enjoyed playing with it. It is a nice supplement but not a stand alone.
AOPs pre-algebra - I've read through the first few chapters and dd will start the book in the next few weeks. It is a good fit for her because she likes to work independently and will not mind that is is wordy. She has played on alcumus a few times and enjoys the explanations and the videos. We will use those as well.
I prefer the problem solving solutions in the answer book in AOPs & Beast Academy much more than Singapore CWP. Singapore just isn't the right fit for us. We do the CWP because I like to know that what we are learning translates to other programs but I just don't love the format or approach to problems all the time.
Edited to add: My dd qualifies as profoundly gifted in the language arts but not necessarily math. She is very accelerated but it is not her favorite or strongest subject. She doesn't require much drill and was bored and frustrated with math for a few years. We moved through arithmetic quickly because I knew she would enjoy problem solving more and she agreed to stop crying all the time if I stopped making her do so many worksheets :)
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We haven't used Spanish for Children but we use Latin for Children by the same publisher and have been happy with it for dd9. The programs look very similar so I would think our experience with the book would translate to the Spanish book. For Latin we did Song School Latin, Prima Latina and then LFC A. We're almost done with A and will be starting Latin For Children B in a few weeks.
Things I like about LFC A:
DD can do it independently
It is challenging but with the website and little stories on the dvd it has just enough of a fun element to appeal to dd who is young and enjoys cartoons
She likes that there are kids doing the chants on the dvd and cd
We are doing the next book online and I think she'll probably move a little quicker without having to write. There is a lot of writing for a young student. Early on we did some pages orally.
When we start Spanish formally (now we use mind snacks and duo lingo apps very informally) we will probably use the same publisher because dd enjoys the way the material is presented.
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We also added fun foreign language (Song School Latin, Song School Greek) at that age. MEP is free and would probably be my first choice in your situation but if it isn't a good fit we used Mathusee and it has worked well for us. We went at a very accelerated pace and it was the perfect spine for my dd. She also enjoyed the manipulatives when she was younger. She didn't really use them for the worksheets because it wasn't necessary to figure out the problems but she did play on her own and discover a lot of the concepts that would be taught later. We didn't do every worksheet every lesson (there are lots of threads about how we accelerated the curriculum but I'm not sure how to link) but if your dd doesn't mind review you might use more.
The only down side for MUS for us is that when you use several books a year it is rather costly. I found some books used but between our spine and supplements we've spent more on math curriculum than any other subject.
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We have always done grammar and latin. We started with FLL 1 while doing Song School Latin. We did Daily Grams while doing Prima Latina and now we are doing Latin for Children A and FLL3.
Song School Latin and Prima Latina don't cover much grammar. They are both vocabulary based (i.e. you learn a list of words for the week) and don't go beyond identifying what a noun and verb are on a very basic level. Latin for Children teaches Latin grammar and I've considered dropping English grammar for a while because it is covered well in our Latin studies. I've never actually stopped grammar but we probably would be fine if we did and then picked it up later. I am planning to start KISS grammar along with Latin for Children B in a few months when we are done with current books.
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Thank you for these suggestions as writing is their one "weakness" but we are working on it. I am not sure about MUS. I looked into a few years ago and I just didn't get it at that time. Do you know how the modeling translates at the Algebra level? Personally I have a crap ton of math stuff already so I should probably make do with what I've got. Now that they are more advanced my boys are like...manipulative-averse, or something. They get huffy if they have to model out 'baby' math.
They don't mind modeling an advanced problem, but building 3*18? Heavens no! :huh:
FWIW...we use MUS and are currently in pre-algebra. DD didn't use the manipulatives much after place value as part of her lessons. In the early days (addition, subtraction, & multiplication) she played with the blocks on her own a lot and would say "did you know 3 and 7 make 10" and things like that but she never used it as part of the formal lesson. She pulled out the blocks with a lesson maybe 1 time from division through decimals.
We are in the pre algebra book now so I'm can't answer for algebra. She used them for the first time last week on chapter 26 to model multiplying binomials. She did this mostly because it looked fun to her but we found it very helpful in understanding "why" the answers were correct. I can't speak to the other lessons because I didn't watch the dvd with her every time but at least for that lesson they were an asset.
Basically, I never made her model problems but she used them on her own or played with them occasionally. Usually watching the DVD with the explanation was enough for her to understand.
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We used iPad games like math rocket and math bingo. There were others but those are the names that I can remember
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We use BA as a supplement but it would probably work as a full curriculum. The only reason I didn't consider switching to it exclusively is because the grade levels weren't going to come out quickly enough and the topics covered in the 3A-3D books were all things we previously covered in another curriculum before BA came out.
The challenge level is appropriate for building stamina. There is a lot that seems very easy. The equivalent of doing lots of review problems in another curriculum but presented in an interesting way so it doesn't seem boring to the student. There are a handful of challenge problems in each section. Sometimes dd completes those with little effort and other times she either needs to make several attempts, use the hints provided or get help from me. There have been a few I had to work on for a bit before coming up with the answer.
DD loves the books and even though we are starting AOPs pre-algebra in a month or so after we finish MUS pre-algebra we will continue to use BA books.
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We did ITBS twice and dd scored 99% in most sections. We did the K test when she was 4 because I was a new homeschooler and was unsure if I was doing things right. It was a waste of time because she could already read. After that we didn't take another test until last May when I had her to the ITBS again for practice because I knew we would eventually want to test for Duke. She maxed out again and I saw no value in the results. After getting some feedback here we decided to do explore through NUMATS instead of taking another ITBS for higher grades. I wasn't sure going up a grade or two would tell me much and liked the idea of 1 test that went up to 8th grade level instead of trying to guess which grade to order. We did it through NUMATS because they allow 3rd graders.
The report through NUMATS was helpful in that it provided suggested course work for the next several years and a point of reference for me to understand how dd's scores compared with other children who scored the same on ITBS or another standardized testing. I assumed on the earlier ITBS that she did well because we started formal schoolwork early and was therefore ahead of her peers because of her environment. Doing well on Explore showed me it wasn't just that we are ahead in coursework but that she has some natural talent in areas that I need to challenge more.
It hasn't changed much in our schoolwork process yet but I will use it as a reference in the future. The cost was similar to doing ITBS in my area so I would make the same choice again. I knew I wasn't going to get any valuable information from the ITBS.
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For my dd the length was an issue. By the time she got to the science section at the end she was bored and started daydreaming. I think more practice tests would have helped with that. I also used ACT materials because I couldn't find anything other than the practice material on the explore website.
We take a similar approach to Quark in that we try to emphasize that tests are fun. I am always more nervous before tests and contests than she is and I try hard not to let her see that I am.
If I had it to do over again we would practice a little every day with the calculator. Because we don't use it regularly she didn't use it on the exam. She took one with her but it wasn't natural process she was used to using so she just sat it on the desk and didn't touch it.
We tested at a private school through NUMATS and the kids were divided up by age but had she been in a high school in the environment dmmetler described it would have been a distraction that took me by surprise. I plan to discuss this possibility before future tests.
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I agree with the concept of wide and deep rather than JUST fast. However, with kids who learn things so quickly I see no harm in going through the basics quickly. We use MUS as a spine and supplement a lot. Although it isn't nearly as challenging as Beast Academy or AOPs I find that the fact that it teaches multiple ways to do the same problem helps with understanding the concepts.
One thing that is good about MUS is that it is very easy to accelerate. Since you need to work schoolwork around gym time it might work well. I'm kind of short on time this morning but if you search posts with my user name and MUS in them you should find details on how we used it to accelerate. I've heard plenty of negative things about MUS but it has worked well for us.
In order to keep things interesting and to cover going wide and deep we also use LOF, Singapore CWP, puzzles & games, Beast Academy, etc. Now that we have covered the basics with mus (completing alpha through pre-algebra) we will be slowing down and working more on challenging word problems. To do this we will be using the MUS honors problems from pre-algebra, starting AOPs pre-algebra and LOF pre-alebra and working on math contest problems.
Imho this is the correct point to really start going deep and challenging dd with problem solving. We are in no hurry at this point and will probably do most if not all of the AOPs books at some point.
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The EXPLORE was what pushed me to accelerate DD into pre-algebra after she finished Singapore 5A. She skews verbal and I had overlooked her math ability as a result (bad mom!) I'm a believer in going "deep" rather than fast in math, but seeing how she did on the EXPLORE made me realize that I was underchallenging her.
I didn't realize dd needed more challenge in math as quickly as other subjects. I started accelerating because she hated math and there were tears. Lots of them...for a long time. It was the only part of schoolwork that she truly dreaded working on. After reading posts here I realized that it was probably boredom. Sure enough, we started moving faster by giving her the opportunity to "test out" of additional busy work. I still remember the first week of MUS Gamma when we did like 3 or 4 chapters a day (in less than an hour) and wondering if I had lost my mind. I remember dh asking if I was sure she was really learning and being hesitant to say yes.
After a little time and a lot more research I started to feel more comfortable and didn't worry about starting pre-algebra because we've always just done the next thing and it was next. I remember telling dd when we were first learning long division that once she mastered all the basics of elementary math we would start doing stuff that she found more interesting. I always loved math so I figured we would get to a point where she would too. Sure enough, she is really enjoying beast academy, math competitions, LOF and looking forward to AOPs. She even occasionally plays with Alcumus.
Her verbal and reading skills are part of why I'm pretty sure AOPs is going to be a great fit. She will enjoy the wordiness.
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Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I'll be searching old posts this week to get tips for the portfolio.
The explore going away was part of what pushed me over the edge in deciding to test through NUMATS this year instead of waiting for Duke next year. The Duke program is what is used locally here in Texas. Because we went with NUMATS there was only one location and it was very far from us and I think there were only 5 kids in the group dd tested with. It was a small private school and they divided the kids up by age/grade? so she didn't really have much of a chance to socialize. Not for lack of trying I'm sure.
She would qualify through 6th grade on her reading and writing scores but the composite is good enough through 5th I think. I'm sure that score would come up if we tested again because she would probably raise the science and math score a lot. I'm not sure I totally understand the way it is graded but she got a 14 in science and answered less than half of the questions (10 out of 25 I think). She was 2 points from the subtest cut off. Her math score was the lowest but she was only 1 point off. She isn't particularly fast when working on problems and didn't finish. She daydreams a lot when working on math so I think it is partially a maturity issue. I'm not sure whether she used the calculator or not. I debated whether to give her one because we never use it at home. I decided to let her take it because the other kids would have one. It would be interesting to see the actual test. If I had to guess I would bet she got all the problems she answered correct but didn't answer enough to get a high score.
Since the test is changing we might take it next year just for the experience or possibly take the ACT just to see how she does on the reading/writing. DD likes tests and kind of sees it like a game/competition so I might as well let her do it. We'll see how we feel at the end of the year.
I might even let her focus her schoolwork more on competitions next year. I forgot about the history bee this year which she would have loved to try. I'm considering letting her spend a few days a week just practicing for math, spelling, geography, NACLO and history contests. There is also a chemistry contest locally we might try.
The "when did you know you were gifted" thread has caused me to spend a lot of time the last week thinking about the direction I want for our homeschool. I've spent some time reflecting on why I was so disgruntled in school and even spent some time talking to my mom and discovered that she was in g/t and why it didn't really benefit her either. The kids I read about on here who seem to be thriving are free to spend a lot of time figuring out and pursuing their passions.
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And since I'll never mention it to anyone IRL other than dh and I'm happy and proud I had to post here. Our results were delayed by 3 weeks because the test center sent in the exams late and I've been anxiously waiting for weeks.
Dd did well...better than expected. Good enough to qualify for Davidson Young Scholars. She did this even though she only answered 10 problems on the science test (because she was "tired of reading all those charts and daydreaming and ran out of time") and didn't finish the math test. She had almost perfect scores in English & Reading. Those scores were high enough to qualify even if she was in 6th grade and she's in 3rd.
I still at times read this board and think she's not really that far ahead because I'm comparing to the other accelerated kids. I guess the doubts are slowly disappearing and being replaced with more questions about challenge level and what to do next. I know I need to focus on helping her find things she is excited and passionate about like some of the kids I read about on here.
This board is so valuable and I really appreciate being able to read posts from all of you who are further down the road than we are.
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My parents didn't tell us when we were kids because they said the number wasn't important. The only reason I knew the test happened was because of the g/t program. The requirements weren't published so I wasn't aware of a specific score needed.
I asked a few years ago when I first started learning about levels of giftedness and researching homeschool information. I was curious mostly as a reference point since we probably won't test dd. Neither of them can remember the specific score just that it was high enough to get in to the program.
I just realized while reading through the thread that it never occurred to me that it was odd my sisters didn't qualify for the g/t program. Since sibling IQ's are similar you would think they should have qualified. I'm pretty sure we have similar IQ's. I suspect there might have been 2E issues that weren't identified back then. I was competitive and raised my hand a lot and communicated well which probably lead to teacher recommendation. One sister has some learning and attention issues. My other sister was a slow moving child who came across as less intelligent. She is very smart and well above average but a teacher once told my parents that she was the slowest talking and moving child they had ever seen who wasn't challenged mentally. I suspect she spent a lot of time day-dreaming because she was bored. She was also very emotional and sensitive and didn't speak up a lot. In her mind she wasn't as smart as me but she always scored well on tests and made straight A's.
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When we were drilling facts we used iPad games....even for multi-digit multiplication and division. DD is sick and asleep right now so I'm not sure the names of all the apps but I think one was math bingo.
We are also almost finished with MUS pre-algebra. I wouldn't make a child who understands the concept do more worksheets. I would however make him correct all mistakes. There is actually a lot of learning that goes on when child has to redo problems because they made mistakes. As you move in to higher level math (AOPs especially) attempting and failing problems is a big part of the learning process. I don't think this is an expectation of perfection. I think the 85% correct before moving on is fine but being able to find mistakes is an important skill. At this point I circle problems dd needs to fix but don't point out the errors.
We watch dvd, do practice worksheet A and if she demonstrates understanding of the concept move on to the test (which allows for systematic review of previous concepts). Whether it is the worksheet or test I circle anything wrong and she does the problem again to find her mistake. Part of my motivation for doing this is to teach her that checking work is good, making mistakes is okay and sometimes we have to work a problem more than once to get the right answer. In MUS most mistakes she makes are careless errors but sometimes on the hard/challenge beast academy problems she has to come up with a new approach to get the right answer and it wasn't a calculation error. I'm sure this will happen in AOPs when we start in a few weeks. If she hadn't become comfortable with making corrections and having to work problems again I don't think she would be ready for harder math.
During long division I discovered that the more boring worksheets we did the more mistakes she made. We've since adjusted our approach and she makes fewer careless or sloppy mistakes.
This is a little off topic but I think this approach helped when she did Math Kangaroo recently because she worked all the problems and then went back and checked every answer and found a few mistakes when she was checking. She doesn't do this on her everyday math and I didn't tell her to do it. She just decided it was a good idea. This is from a kid who a year ago would have raced through to be finished 1st and told me checking wasn't necessary because she probably got them all right. She is always shocked when something is wrong. She did still try to finish first...but after she checked everything.
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Thanks for the replies. I actually forgot about this post! I went down with a nasty bout of strep right after I posted it and completely forgot about it. I will take another look at MCT and CAP.
Math curriculum for PG DS6
in Accelerated Learner Board
Posted
As if you don't have enough suggestions already...
We used mathusee for our spine because we found it easy to accelerate. My dd just turned 9 but was about 6 when we started rapidly accelerating math. She is PG in language and reading and gifted in math. It isn't necessarily her favorite subject. We used alpha - pre-algebra in MUS and are now switching to AOPs pre-algebra. MUS pages are clean, plain and uncluttered (which was good for my young student) and it is designed to be flexible so you can use 1 or 6 worksheets per lesson depending on what your student needs. DD watched the video, then sometimes we did 1 worksheet and the test, sometimes just the test before moving to the next lesson.
Like most everyone around here we supplemented with a lot of other stuff: iPad game to practice math facts, LOF, BA, lots of living math books from the library, math puzzle books, iPad apps like dragonbox and hands on equations, math competitions, etc).
The downside to this approach was cost because we went through way more than 1 book per year. I justified the cost in my mind because I pass all my curriculum on to my sister in law who has 5 kids. Now we have a baby who will probably also use it so that makes the cost a little less painful.