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Myrtle

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Posts posted by Myrtle

  1. 6 months ago we moved from the city out into the county. We were all pumped up by many about the school's here. I was extremely happy with the elementary school in town but planned to pull them out once they reached middle school (whole other story). So they started school here at the beginning of the school year and it didn't take long to realize that something had to be done and we pulled them out of school a month ago.

     

    Ok for the problem at hand. My 1st grader hates to read. I know some of it is he wasn't taught phonics properly. I bought 100 easy lesson and opgtr but I hate to start him from the beginning. What should I do? Everything else has been going smoothly, this is the only thing that has me doubting myself at this point. :confused:

     

    I did Explode the Code with my kid who hated to read. Requiring him to read outside of school work was more headache than it was worth. I exposed him to quality literature by listening to unabridged books on CD during breakfast and in the sixth grade he discovered fantasy literature written for juveniles.

     

    It took him a couple of months to read the first novel, a couple of weeks to read the next, and about one week for the last. Having run out of literature for juveniles he picked up a copy of Ringworld, adult science fiction, and isn't having any problems with it in the seventh grade.

     

    Once they find something they really like, and there is no competing twaddle entertainment such as video games and tv, they will make astounding progress.

     

    The other problem I see with reading in the first grade is that their choices are limited to relatively bland readers. This improves in the second and third grade when their knowledge of phonics is enough for them to read bits and pieces of other things.

  2. Myrtle,

    What levels of Singapore Science have you used? And are you recommending the MPH or the Interactive Science from Singapore?

    Thanks

     

     

    MPH 5 & 6 with my oldest. He's currently in 7th grade Interactive Science.

    My younger two are currently in MPH 3rd grade.

     

    I chose MPH over Interactive Science because of the supplements that came with that program. I recall ordering interactive science at the sixth grade level just to see what it was like and I couldn't tell a difference between quality or content, just that MPH seemed to have more questions for kids to answer. I also ordered the entire MPH science curriculum from 3-6th before it went out of print so I haven't examined the most recent edition.

     

    The disadvantage of the 7th grade science program is that there is no test bank and that answers to reviews are not available. I remedied the lack of tests by ordering "Excel in Science" a book of test papers for 7th grade science directly from Singapore at http://www.sgbox.com (very good service, I chose a cheap and long shipping option but it got here within two weeks rather than the 6 weeks that they estimated)

     

    Because of the quality of the science book I would not hesitate to order more science workbooks from them. I can't say the same for the English though. However, because Singapore uses a national curriculum you can use mix and match between the different science curricula without coming across too many we-were-never-taught-that kinds of questions. I guess what I'm saying is that if interactive science doesn't offer enough practice, you could always order workbooks or tests from a different curriculum.

  3. Thanks, Melissa. This is what I wanted to know. I'll definitely need a bridge between Singapore 6b and Dolciani, if this is what I end up using in the end.

     

    Jane in NC, I don't know if I'm part of the club just yet, although I would like to be. Of course, every Mom wants to use the very best there is, I just need to make sure I can teach the very best! :)

     

     

    Singapore 6 didn't result in as much facility in fractions, decimals, and factoring as I wanted, but the first few chapters of NEM emphasizes this.

     

    On the other hand, Our 60s algebra book teaches radicals and negatives from scratch. It also teaches the logic, set theory, and terms from scratch which are needed to understand the explanations, theorems, and proofs.

  4. Spent the day in Galveston yesterday.

     

    They finally moved the shrimp boat out of the Elissa museum parking lot and recreational boats were also finally off the sides of the I-45. Youth crew training has started up again although there are no businesses open on the Strand yet.

     

    The Bolivar ferry started back up in the last few days. We took it across and walked up and down a beach covered in the planks of houses mixed with children's toys. The only thing that indicates that houses might have been there are some cockeyed electricity poles with electrical boxes on them.

  5. It looks like dd is going to finish Jacobs' Geometry pretty early this year. I suppose we'll then go on and start Algebra II, right? It doesn't make sense to have her go months without a math, does it? (Of course not!)

     

    So on her transcript, I should just put Alg II for the next year (when it will be completed)?

     

    I had no idea she'd love this book so much. I was very worried it wouldn't fit her (the whole left/right brain thing). I hope I can find something for Algebra II that she is as enthusiastic about. She likes math, in general, but she's really enjoying geometry. Maybe I should just let her do more geometry! :tongue_smilie: Someone advise me, please.

     

    Come move next to me.

     

    What does she like about it? The proofs or the subject matter?

  6. Real Education by Charles Murray

     

    Has anyone read this? My library just received a copy. I picked it up today. I'm about 1/2 way through it and will probably finish it before I nod off tonight.

     

    If you happen to see it at your library, I would love to chat about his propositions as put forward in the text:

     

    1. Ability varies

    2. Half of the children are below average

    3. Too many people are going to college

    4. America's future depends on how we educate the academically gifted.

     

    Peace,

    Janice

     

    Enjoy your little people

    Enjoy your journey

     

    Is this the same Charles Murray that cowrote Bell Curve?

  7. Hi all,

     

    I'm looking for a science curriculum that is as pick up and go as possible. I don't have access to a library and need something that comes with everything needed. My son is 7 and loves science. We tried R.E.A.L. science and it seems like it would be great, but it isn't getting done. I can't get the books needed and I feel like I'm constantly needing to run and get something to do an experiment. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I've glanced at Noeo, any thoughts on that?

     

    Thanks

     

    We use Singapore Science, comes with test bank, workbook, activity book. Most activities can be done with items around the house, but you if you skip a demonstration it's not a big deal. The best part of this program are the very indepth questions that lead to more conversation and more books from the library, if you want. If you don't want, you just go to the next section.

  8. Whaleship Essex was awesome.:iagree:

     

    There is a juvenile version in print though.

     

    I was interested in Moby Dick after reading Essex but couldn't even stay awake through the movie. Very sad, shame on me.

     

    Other recommendations if you liked Essex are

     

    Pirate Of Exquiste Mind (I don't know why I put reading this one off for so long, it was good once I got started and it fleshed out the historical context of Magellan for me. Lots of adventure and action.

     

    Batavia's Graveyard: The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny

     

     

    The Scents of Eden: A History of the Spice Trade. Definitely not the dry and boring history book I thought it would be, debauchery, treachery, etc of European traders in the Phillipines, Indonesia. (The Essex crew deliberately wanted to avoid going in this direction and you can find out the true nature of those rumors by reading Scents of Eden.

     

    To complete that historical period (maritime history of Pacific) I still need want to read

     

    Bounty: The True Story. It seems to be highly rated in Amazon.

     

    http://www.amazon.com/Bounty-True-Story-Mutiny/dp/067003133X

  9. Anyone delay formal math instruction until 8-10 years old?

     

    I have been reading about the history of math instruction and how easily math concepts are grasped if instruction is delayed.

     

    Anyone ever done this and if so were you successful. Tell me about your experience.

     

    I'm too afraid to try this concept, but I am very interested in the results.:tongue_smilie:

     

    Well, if it doesn't work out, the kid will be in remedial math in community college with half the other college students out there. That's the most likely worst case scenario I can imagine.

  10. I voted "other" because I don't see a need for any formal logic study at that age. If anything, I would teach the child to play chess.

     

    This raises the question: Which of the above programs actually formally teach logic rather than simply have the student use logic to solve problems?

     

    For those programs which formally teach logic, has anyone ever written up a scope and sequence in which they are compared?

  11. I have a 1st grade ds. We are using Rightstart B with him, and so far he really gets it! :D So I was thinking of adding in Singapore's CWP to challenge him a little....but I would really like some other opinions. Is CWP a good supplement in first grade? Or should I wait because Rightstart might get really challenging later on?? Thanks!!:001_smile:

     

    I didn't find Challenging Word Problems for the first grade worth doing because the student isn't required to make any decisions. The problems are grouped according to operation so that all of the problems in a topic are all addition or all subtraction. All three of my children would mindlessly write out a subtraction sentence without really paying attention to what the word problem said.

     

    In the second grade things change. In the second grade Singapore students learn how to add and subtract with regrouping and the 2,3,4,5 multiplication and division facts. The first set of problems in a topic require one step to solve and since they are the relatively easy ones I take this opportunity to teach how to model the problem using bar models.

     

    The second set of problems in a topic are "challenging" and require two steps...in later grades the ordinary problems require two steps and the challenging problems will require three steps to solve. You'll also be grateful you took the opportunity to teach bar modeling in the second grade back when it was easy to figure these things out.

     

    I will be starting my second grader (main math is already Singapore) on Challenging Word Problems just as soon as she learns to subtract with regrouping. (We got a very late start with school this year for sundry reasons.) A second grade word problem involving addition and subtraction looks like this: Jerry has 45 marbles. John has 19 more marbles than Jerry but 18 fewer than Mike. How many marbles does Mike have?

  12. I didn't use a program specifically labeled "Logic" at that age.

     

    I found that the challenging word problems in Singapore gave us more than enough practice with chains of "if-then"

     

    Son is in the seventh grade now doing Patrick Suppes First Course in Mathematical Logic (formal logic rather than material logic) and is breezing through it.

     

    Now I know that you were looking for recommendations and opinions for the third grade, but I wanted to bring up that after having watched my son work through the first portion of Suppes logic with almost no help from me--unheard of for this kid---that it would probably not only work with for a kid in the sixth grade (son's logic in sixth grade was part of his math curriculum) but it might even work for a bright fifth grader.

     

    My current third grader isn't doing any book on logic right now but rather simply learning how to follow directions. :D

  13. Myrtle!!!

     

    :grouphug:

     

    Hijack:

     

    I am back from the dead.

     

    But I'm going to be busy again: better meds, got a bird dog, got a shotgun, went trap shooting, sail training starts up again this weekend, discovered Cicero, and Howard Eves."

     

    "Foundations and Fundamental Concepts" is not a traditional history of mathematics, but an investigation of the philosophical context in which new developments emerged."

  14. I nominate the following as the definition of "pre-algebra" to urbandictionary.com

     

    Pre-algebra: Learning algebra before you learn algebra.

     

    Algebra is distinguished from grade school arithmetic based on the fact that letters are used instead of numbers. In other words, the properties of the real numbers are applied to letters. After the student gains facility with dealing with an unknown he will learn to apply to substitute a single letter with an expression. For example: instead of dividing something by x he divides something by x + 3.

     

    Ideally, the student would be able to state the properties of the real numbers, formal definition of division, subtraction, inequality, etc and state how they are used in solving equalities and inequalities.

     

     

     

    See also: pre-algebra, algebra 1, algebra 2, algebra 1/2, algebra 2 3/4, modern algebra, post modern algebra, abstract algebra.

  15. Hi,

    My fifth-grade son is on track to finish the Key to Algebra series by the end of the year. I have been grading his daily assignments and his tests.

     

    What do I need to do to ensure a smooth re-entry into the school system if ever we decide to do that? For that matter, do I need to think about getting official HS credit for this? How would I go about doing that?

     

    Thanks,

    KarenDV

     

     

    Ask the district in which you wish to enroll your daughter what their limit on credit transfers from junior high are. A school district near me recently required a homeschooler to retake several math classes that she had already completed prior to high school due to this beaureucratic restriction. She was three years ahead of her peers before high school and only a year ahead after she enrolled.

     

    Most public school districts are not set up to appropriately address the educational needs of advanced students. No elementary school I know of offers algebra to begin with, for example, so it's not surprising that the high schools can't handle a student who began high school math while in the fifth or sixth grade.

  16. Math- Singapore

    Science - Singapore

    Latin - Minimus

    Grammar - Easy Grammar & Daily Grams

    History - Story of the World

    Phonics - Explode the Code

    Spelling - Sequential Spelling

     

    There's a big fat Latin book that you can dowload, for a fee, online and it looked really good. I can't remember the name of it.

  17. I got it too and ended up not using it.

     

    I thought it was super cute, but the kids got frustrated with the very long passages. While they could decode the words it just took way to long to get through a story, they'd lose interest before the end.

  18. I doubt that we are. I probably should have written that I am interested in where Fuzzy 90's math came from. Actually, I am interested in the history of math instruction-period. If you have links and articles, I'd love to see them. I need a primer in math terminology. I have been reading Ma's math book and can't keep up with all the subtrahends and minuends.:D

     

    I've been reading Kreeft's Socratic logic. One of the first steps in a good logical conversation is to define terms. (There's classical music and there's music of the classical period :D.)

     

    Can you help?

    Holly

     

    I was skipping through a book to the middle and reading about "Theory of Definition" when I came across this sentence and thought of you, "..the definition accomplishes this by relating the expression it defines (the definiendum) to the other experssions (the definiens) already available..."

     

    Egads! Just when you think you can tell your subtrahend for your minuend the they throw in a definien

  19. I doubt that we are. I probably should have written that I am interested in where Fuzzy 90's math came from. Actually, I am interested in the history of math instruction-period. If you have links and articles, I'd love to see them. I need a primer in math terminology. I have been reading Ma's math book and can't keep up with all the subtrahends and minuends.:D

     

    I've been reading Kreeft's Socratic logic. One of the first steps in a good logical conversation is to define terms. (There's classical music and there's music of the classical period :D.)

     

    Can you help?

    Holly

     

    Ralph Raimi is as old as Methusulah and was alive during the 40s and 50s. He's a mathematician at Rochester, perhaps now retired, but keeps an extensive website archiving his articles on the history of math.

     

    I think over the past years I have read all of his articles several times over, but one you might be particularly interested in is Ignorance and Innocence in the Teaching of Mathematics.

     

    The two categories on math education are New Math Essays and Drafts and Notes on Science or Math Education Those kept me busy for a long time, and in fact, it was by reading through these articles that I first heard about Frank Allen's Algebra being "too rigorous" and decided I'd have to see for myself.

     

    Ralph Raimi does a good job getting you through the 20th century.

    The most thorough history of math education that I know of prior to the 20th century is Florian Cajori's History Of Math.

    I read all of that book online and I'm glad I did, it disabused me of my ideas of a "golden age" of math education in the United States, explains how the US has always emphasized math for its utilitarian value for engineering and consumer uses rather than as its role in the liberal arts as a discipline of its own.

     

    I have not found a French history of math book in translation but I suspect that both the French and Germans emphasized pure math in the universities (unlike the US that didn't even offer degrees in math until about 1900) and had specialized schools which emphasized it as well. My knowledge about math ed in Russia is a bit better than nothing. The mathematicians bypassed the K12 system and went directly to the gifted and talented kids with the pure math. The books that they used were considered supplements and some of them are translated to English and in print (Gelfand, Kiselev, Fomin)

     

    The only time in the history of the US in which pure math (theory of math) had any role in the curriculum at all was during the 1960s. There were a lot of social reasons, but not mathematical ones, why that failed. Morris Kline crushed pure math in a widely read book called "Why Johnny Can't Add' which you can also find online. There is a spectacular soap opera of events around that monograph with prominent mathematicians of the day involved and I don't have time to go into that now. After that everything was adrift. Mathematicians had gotten their hand smacked and no longer were going to meddle in K12 anymore.

     

    Following the lead of Morris Kline, an applied mathematician, the prevailing attitude toward pure math is that it is "mindless formalism" (I use that as a tag for blog entries)and it amounts to child abuse, sans hyperbole it's developmentally inappropriate" you have to show your DL to prove that you are over the age of 21 for that kind of an education:

     

    See this applied mathematician Doran Zeilberger in his short rant,

    Teaching Proofs to High-School Kids and Non-Math-Majors is Child-Abuse

     

    The invective towards pure math is palpable and curious--one that I can't explain.

     

    Bear with me and I'll tie this in to fuzzy math...

     

    In general there is cultural war going on in math at even the university level where applied math and mathematical physics is elevated at the expense of the theory behind it. (See H Wu on the education of mathematics majors)

     

    So we are getting a lot of people who don't know the theory making decisions about curriculum at the elementary school level. The choices they make reflect this. It's very difficult to talk to these people and have rational conversations. Even when they concede that they aren't teaching the real concepts behind the math they defend it with hyperbole such as, "Not everyone is going to be a mathematician." [snark] Not in America anyway, no doubt, we are successful at making sure that horrible outcome doesn't happen with at least half of our mathematicians and graduate students being imported from other nations. [/snark]

     

    The fuzziness is some attempt to teach the elusive and ill defined "mathematical thinking" without doing all the hard work it takes to get there. I don't think people appreciate why the mindless formalism really is important, why it really means something, and why doing it any other way (heuristically) doesn't count, because math itself is seldom discussed philosophically, but rather it's discussed in terms of its utility in science, engineering, and business.

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