Jump to content

Menu
Giving You and Your Child a Road Map to the Best Possible Education
The Well-Trained Mind Community

MunRoLy

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    249

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by MunRoLy

    Do you regularly use a whiteboard?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I remember hearing a while ago, I think on the IEW DVD, that you are really making a big mistake if you don't use a whiteboard to teach.

     

    Has using a whiteboard made a big impact on your homeschool? Is there something else I'm not thinking of that would have the same benefits?

     

    We homeschool in the dining room and there are no blank walls.... Only windows and built- ins so no place to hang one, but lately I've been thinking how helpful it would be to have one and wondering if I should get an easle.

     

    I'd love to hear how a whiteboard has helped you, or not.

    Math: Spiral vs. Mastery

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    It looks like this thread took a turn and I didn't read it closely enough to follow it. Anyway, here is my experience.

     

    I have a student who gets math concepts quickly, needs minimal practice for mastery and he died a little inside the year we used a spiral curriculum (Horizons to be specific). All the blasted repetition before he could move on was too much. I was reducing each assignment so much and skipping so many lessons to avoid student-burnout that we were using less than 10% of the workbooks. We've moved to a more personalized blend of spiral and mastery (Math on the Level). Practice is available on any concepts necessary, but we move on to the next concept as soon as mastery is proven. Math is cumulative, so I don't worry about not using those mastered skills. You need single addition to do multi-digit addition, which you use in multiplication and so on.

     

    Meanwhile, I have a student who needs inordinate amounts of practice on addition and multiplication facts, but progresses through concepts and procedures just as quickly as the other one. Jumping around too much can be a problem, but we'd never get past memorizing the multiplication table if we waited for mastery.

     

    Overall, we felt like the spiral curricula spent too long on each concept, well beyond what we needed for mastery, with the exception of memorizing multiplication facts. You may feel like a mastery curriculum doesn't provide enough practice, that mastery isn't achieved in the allotted lessons. It's probably best to be willing to adapt one of the two styles to fit each of your students or choose something completely customizable.

     

    Thanks for your response! That's helpful.

    Remedial math?

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    we're using Mastering Essential Math Skills Book One (no grades - I copy the pages, so they don't really notice that it says for grades 4&5 on the cover) and its been such a fantastic move for us - I'm remediating a 8th grader and a 5th grader (both at the same level of math) and this is working SO well. Book two, for middle grades uses the exact same format, the problems are just a bit more challenging and detailed (I have both books - I thought I'd use book two after book one, but really they are essentially the same, and to build confidence and keep them on board, I went with book one - I may pull out pages from book two for review when we're done here and moved into prealgebra) The lessons are super quick - some warm up problems (usually four) which are a review of previous material, a quick speed drill for both addition and multiplication, two sample problems that we work through together, and then ten problems, plus one word problem that they do - I never thought something so quick would be so effective, but it truly is! I stay with them the entire time they are working so if they have questions or get frustrated, I'm there (they both deal with frustration in very different, but nonproductive ways) and if I see them struggling as I watch them over their shoulder, I stop them right there and help them out - then we check the work all together, and if they miss any, we go over it all together - figure even if one girl got it right, it won't hurt them to see us work through it together - but honestly, they rarely miss any, which blows me away, based on our previous attempts at math programs. I fully expect them to be ready for prealgebra by next year - that will put my 5th (6th next year) grader on target for where I'd like for her to be for her grade, and put my 8th (9th next year) just a year behind, and considering our goals for highschool math, I think she'll be fine (she's NOT mathy - I just want her ready for college algebra before she graduates highschool - I will consider that a success) - When I bought this, I fully intended on using it with something else - Aleks, Khan, or Math Mammoth, but I've been so delighted at their progress, and their lack of complaining, etc., that I'm fine with just this for now! My 5th grader is doing Life of Fred in addition to this, but she's doing that through a co-op, and its just once a week. When we're done, I think the girls will be ready for a (perhaps light) pre-algebra course - I'm thinking they'll be fine moving into Teaching Textbooks, but since they've done so well with this format of instruction, we'll consider our options. The same author has books on individual topics, like Fractions, geometry, etc. as well, but I haven't looked at those.

    I'm so glad I came across this thread....this book will be perfect for dd10 this summer.

    Math: Spiral vs. Mastery

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Well, you've chosen two pretty eclectic choices there. Everyday Math is one of those curricula that huge, huge numbers of kids have problems with. Entire movements have been formed by people who suffered with Everyday Math. Teachers often seem to like it, but many kids and many parents just hate it with the passion of a thousand suns.

     

    LOF is rarely considered a standalone curriculum.

     

    A mastery curriculum can and should include regular review. I think that the main concepts in arithmetic actually have spiral built in. Right now my dd is starting long division in SM 3A. She's doing, say, 83 divided by two. Doing the problem requires multiplication, division, subtraction, and base ten concepts.

    I wish I would have know this when I started... A new question, if I begin using Math Mammoth would I need to supplement with regular review or is it built in?

    Math: Spiral vs. Mastery

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Also keep in mind that some define the terms differently.

    Mastery is sometimes knocked for not reviewing and spiral for moving too fast.

     

    I see them differently. I see the main difference as how they use their review. Mastery based approach uses review after a concept is learned and practiced till mastered. Spiral and incremental approaches use review to master a new concept.

     

    I consider a mastery approach to teach a concept, then practice that concept. Then intention of this practice is to understand the concept and be fully able to utilize it. So if it is learning the 4 times table, you practice the concept of groups of 4, do all the facts and their reverse both horizontally and vertically, and you work on word problems. Then you practice it some more by mixing it up with review. Again you do facts and word problems but here you include the new and the review... so as to make sure you know when to use the new concepts. The point of reviewing is to keep your skills fresh and to sharpen your new skills by mixing them up.

     

    The spiral and incremental approaches also teach and then practice. However the amount of practice is smaller. They also move on to review quicker. It is in the reviews that mastery is approached. Here you would learn a new concept almost every day and spend some time practicing it but more time reviewing older concepts so as to build mastery of them. Thus if you don't really get a new concept it is considered okay because you should be able to 'get it' when it is reviewed over and over.

     

    hth

    Thank you. That does help. I don't think spiral works for my kids. I think they need more time to master a subject. Unfortunately all I've ever used is spiral so their math knowledge has suffered. I'm excited to make a change!

    Math: Spiral vs. Mastery

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    After reading tons of math threads today, I think I figured out why math has been so hard for dd10. We have only ever used a spiral curriculum (Everyday Math and LOF elementary) and she is having so much trouble! I don't know if LOF is spiral, but the elementary series does seem to jump around to much for her.

     

    So I would love it if the popular homeschooling math curriculums could be divided into spiral and mastery. I'm specifically wondering about Math Mammoth and MEP. I was looking into Horizons for her, but now that I see it's spiral I'm sure it wouldn't be a good fit.

     

    Also, how can I find out if spiral or mastery is best for my ds7? He picks up math concepts very easily, but I'd love to know now while he's young instead of when he's heading into 6th grade like dd10.

     

    Thanks!

     

    Thanks!

    Need math help for dd15

    in High School and Self-Education Board

    Posted

    I’m posting for help with math for all my kids…  Here’s #3:

     

    Dd15 used Everyday Math for most of elementary and did very well with it.  Math comes more easily to her than to my other kids, although she does not like it.  I made some bad decisions during elementary and we took a bunch of time off of math and it’s been a struggle for her ever since.

     

    She did algebra with College Preparatory Mathematics in 8th grade and this year did the first half of Geometry with the same program, but I did not like the program and neither did she.  It was very difficult and taught in a way I have never seen before.  I think a more traditional program would be better.

     

    We stopped this geometry halfway through this year and switched to Life of Fred.  I had her start back with Algebra to get used to the way math is taught.  She’s done okay, but I think we just need a math program that is straightforward, easy to use and does not take too much teaching time (College Prep took about an hour with me sitting there).

     

    She is ready for a geometry program and I would like to choose a program that would take her through the rest of high school.

     

    Thanks for any suggestions!

    Need Math help for non-mathy ds13

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    I have 4 kiddos I’m asking for math advice for…  Here’s kiddo #2

     

    Ds13 did Everyday Math through  5th grade, although he was not in the 5th grade book.  He was probably in the 4th.  Math does not come easily to him.  It was always a struggle.  We left Everyday Math forever and this year he was working through Life of Fred “Fractions and Decimals†and “Percentsâ€.

     

    It’s been a nice change, but since math does not come easily to him it’s been frustrating.  I really enjoy LOF, but I think it works better for kids who grasp math concepts easily.  If you read my post on dd10…they are very similar.  He is incredibly creative and loves to write stories, novels, plays…  Math, not so much.

     

    Over the summer I’m going to have him go through “Key to Percents†and as he starts his 8th grade year I think he should start pre-algebra… He would not be ready for algebra.

     

    I really don’t know what curriculum to use for him!  Dh and I are math majors and math comes easily for us.  Not so easily for ds13! 

     

    Please offer any suggestions!

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Need help with math for non-mathy dd10

    in K-8 Curriculum Board

    Posted

    Here’s the story in a nutshell:

     

    We used Everyday math through 4th grade.  Math does not come easily for her and every day began with tears over this curriculum, especially in 4th grade.  This year (her 5th grade year) we left Everyday math forever and have been going through Life of Fred.  She’s just about to finish up Jellybeans.  This year the tears stopped!  She learned long division and memorized her multiplication facts.  She is behind, but at least not crying.

     

    So next year I don’t know what to use.  Math concepts do not come easily to her.  Dh and I are both math majors and math did come easily for us.  She just doesn’t get concepts like prime numbers or place value easily.   And if she gets them one day, they’ll be gone the next.

     

    She’s very creative and loves to write stories, which is why I thought she’d like LOF.  No LDs, she just more of a word girl than a numbers girl.

     

    What curriculum would you suggest for this type of child?  I don’t want to continue with LOF because it seems more geared to a mathy child who grasps things more quickly.

     

    Thanks!

     

     

     

     

    Need help finding family movies

    in The Chat Board

    Posted

    We love watching movies together as a family, but I think we need something new! I have 2 girls (15 and 10) and 2 boys (13 and 7). We love all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Lord of the Rings, Avengers, and just recently watched all 4 Mission Impossibles. We also watch Disney and Pixar. A few weeks ago we watched Emma (Gwyneth Paltrow) for my birthday, but the kids were pretty bored... especially the boys. We need some more exciting (mostly clean) movies to watch as a family. Recommendations? Thanks!

×
×
  • Create New...