3Rivers Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I'm asking this because I am *not* a "math person", so it could just be my problem. However, I'm finally admitting that I have an issue with trying to teach place value in the Primer, Alpha, or maybe even Beta levels. This seems like an abstract concept to me, even with the whole Decimal Street as a visual aid. I was thinking of using Primer this year for my K'er, but I would have to skip that part and just go to addition I guess, or else find another program because I'm tired of being frustrated with teaching (feebly trying to teach, is more like it) that concept. Am I missing something here? That just seems like a hard concept for a young child to get, or else I just have a hard time explaining it over again when they don't get it from the video. KWIM? So, along those lines....what's a good math program for K that will allow the student to eventually transition to Teaching Textbooks, which is my ultimate goal so I don't have to hardly teach math at all! LOL:lol: (My apologies to those of you without math phobia.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I'm sorry this is so tough for you. We actually really like the MUS presentation for place value and really appreciate the emphasis in the program. It is very important to understand place value from the beginning. I do think it's right to put this concept right at the beginning--it helps so much later on down the road when trying to understand borrowing (or regrouping), etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I'm asking this because I am *not* a "math person", so it could just be my problem. However, I'm finally admitting that I have an issue with trying to teach place value in the Primer, Alpha, or maybe even Beta levels. This seems like an abstract concept to me, even with the whole Decimal Street as a visual aid. I had a similar problem with MUS. My children did great with the levels that were basic repeating and practicing previously learned material. But they both hit a wall when they were in levels that moved too quickly. For each, they started a level off great and then the material progressed too quickly. I felt like I was taking the chapter material out of a series of grade level textbooks and trying to present it all in one year. It was like they were expected to understand concepts that were way above their grade level. It frustrated us immensely, unfortunately. We loved the program's presentation before we hit that wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.W Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Not sure if this would help, but I bookmarked this mom's Decimal Street lapbook: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/barrynmissy1972/630530/ I know it was a little hard for me to explain place value at first because I didn't have a good background in it myself, and my oldest who didn't start with MUS still has trouble with it. But my younger two who both started with MUS have no trouble with place value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Rivers Posted July 9, 2009 Author Share Posted July 9, 2009 I appreciate everyone's perspective on the matter. I LOVE the lapbook idea! I think my little guy would love that. I'm thinking that it could be that by starting out with decimal street, I would have a very different experience with this child rather than having to go back and basically re-learn this, which is what I had to do with my other two. Hmmm something to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 I have to second making a Decimal Street lapbook! We just made ours last week: http://satorismiles.com/2009/07/03/math-u-see-ideas/ Also played Dino Tracks Place Value game: http://satorismiles.com/2009/06/29/dino-math-tracks-place-value-game/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 I am thinking maybe you are being too picky? In my experience, they aren't going to get full understanding until they use it, in multi digit addition. MUS is supposed to be a mastery program, but IMO learning place value without using it is incremental learning, not mastery. So if they can copy what the video does with writing, building and saying the number, then you are good to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Rivers Posted July 9, 2009 Author Share Posted July 9, 2009 Picky? Maybe. I think more of the problem has been, however, that with one of my children I had to go back and re-explain almost every lesson AFTER Mr. Steve's video and for some reason I just couldn't find the right words to help her get Decimal Street and the houses and all. She eventually understood place value another way but that just didn't click for her. She continued to struggle with MUS and I continued to struggle with having to re-teach everything until finally this year I'm choosing another math curriculum for her. MUS has been fine for my middle child. No complaints there. So...I guess the conclusion to this is that MUS is still an excellent curriculum, but that not every curriculum is going to be excellent for every child, which leaves me still in a quandary as to what to buy for my kindergartener this year. I just may take a gamble on MUS primer for him. If nothing else, he would love that lapbook. ;) Thanks again for your input. I apologize for my negativity toward MUS. I'm glad to be able to narrow it down to an issue of method/particular child rather than the entire curriculum as a whole. As I said, since I was never strong in math, I was having a hard time discerning the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Picky? Maybe. I think more of the problem has been, however, that with one of my children I had to go back and re-explain almost every lesson AFTER Mr. Steve's video and for some reason I just couldn't find the right words to help her get Decimal Street and the houses and all. She eventually understood place value another way but that just didn't click for her. She continued to struggle with MUS and I continued to struggle with having to re-teach everything until finally this year I'm choosing another math curriculum for her. MUS has been fine for my middle child. No complaints there. So...I guess the conclusion to this is that MUS is still an excellent curriculum, but that not every curriculum is going to be excellent for every child, which leaves me still in a quandary as to what to buy for my kindergartener this year. I just may take a gamble on MUS primer for him. If nothing else, he would love that lapbook. ;) Thanks again for your input. I apologize for my negativity toward MUS. I'm glad to be able to narrow it down to an issue of method/particular child rather than the entire curriculum as a whole. As I said, since I was never strong in math, I was having a hard time discerning the problem. I meant picky about "mastery". MUS didn't work for DD. The combination of hands on and colorful workbooks (and spiral approach) of Abeka is working beautifully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renaissance Mom Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 ... are the key to the whole place value thing in our house. When using the blocks, even my 4-yr-old "gets" place value. The only issue we have is when we are just looking at a number on a piece of paper. If there's a question, we just go back to the blocks. I also continue to ask, "Whose house is this?" when I point to the ones place and then again to the tens place, etc. They totally get Decimal Street but connecting that to an actual numeral written down takes repetition and blocks ... or is it blocks and repetition? Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.