CalicoKat Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 6 months ago we moved dd from MUS Gamma to Saxon 5/4. DH is a former PS math teacher and he didn't feel MUS was through enough.....and now math is the least fav. subject and the most time consuming. I've half a mind to let her start Delta but I do see how the Saxon has exposed her to more than MUS (i.e, measurement, decimals, geometry...etc) But the real problem with Saxon is that when she copies the practice problems out she copies them incorrectly. Sometimes is number reversals or the incorrect math symbol. That probably accounts for half of her mistakes. MUS doesn't require them to re-write or write any math problems out at all. If I move her to MUS will she be missing out on anything huge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 The problem isn't Saxon; it's your dd. :-) I wouldn't switch because she can't copy correctly; I'd work with her on checking her work before she turns it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amie Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 :iagree:I used the old Saxon math books as a child, and careless mistakes like this were usually the reason I got problems wrong. It isn't always fun (and math was my least favorite subject for a while), but it is a very important skill to learn. Attention to detail is a must in math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretchen in NJ Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 The problem isn't Saxon; it's your dd. :-) I wouldn't switch because she can't copy correctly; I'd work with her on checking her work before she turns it in. :iagree:Plus, I would work on her checking that each problem was copied correctly before she completes it.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Just another idea--Singapore math is extremely rigorous and has workbooks up to the 6th grade level. As for MUS not being thorough enough--at the Gamma level it probably seems like it is missing quite a bit. It's just that the sequence is different. A child who has mastered the material through the end of Zeta will have had a very thorough arithmetic education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 (edited) :iagree:I used the old Saxon math books as a child, and careless mistakes like this were usually the reason I got problems wrong. It isn't always fun (and math was my least favorite subject for a while), but it is a very important skill to learn. Attention to detail is a must in math. :iagree:My middle likes to do everything fast-get it done and move on. Being a mean mama, I have him do an extra problem for every SME (simple math error) that he makes. A week or so of doing double the original number of problems assigned fixes the issue. My dc have learned (s-l-o-w-l-y) to recheck their work. I think maturity plays a part in this as well. Edited July 16, 2009 by swimmermom3 Mom was going too fast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinRTX Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 The switch to having to write the problems out is hard. I don't know how old your daughter is, but we started Math 54 at 8 and for the first half of the book I mainly wrote the problems out for her (it only takes a few minutes) and gradually let her write out more and more. Along about Math 76 I made the rule that if more than two problems were copied incorrectly, the entire lesson was redone the next day. This only happened a few times and they started paying attention while doing their math. My favorite saying..."My job is to grade your work, not to proofread it. Proofreading is your job." Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfside Academy Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 (edited) As for MUS not being thorough enough--at the Gamma level it probably seems like it is missing quite a bit. It's just that the sequence is different. A child who has mastered the material through the end of Zeta will have had a very thorough arithmetic education. :iagree: I've found that if a program is working, don't change it. No program is ever perfect; each have their strengths and weaknesses. The sequence for MUS is different than other programs but on the whole, its a very strong program. If she did well with MUS, I would consider going back and maybe just supplementing w/ something inexpensive like Singapore's Challenging Word Problems. Edited July 16, 2009 by Surfside Academy spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 6 months ago we moved dd from MUS Gamma to Saxon 5/4. DH is a former PS math teacher and he didn't feel MUS was through enough.....and now math is the least fav. subject and the most time consuming. I've half a mind to let her start Delta but I do see how the Saxon has exposed her to more than MUS (i.e, measurement, decimals, geometry...etc) But the real problem with Saxon is that when she copies the practice problems out she copies them incorrectly. Sometimes is number reversals or the incorrect math symbol. That probably accounts for half of her mistakes. MUS doesn't require them to re-write or write any math problems out at all. If I move her to MUS will she be missing out on anything huge? It looks like she needs more practive with copying and visual tracking from one place to another. I loved MUS and if it was working I would continue with it. But I would also have her do some copy work from other sources as well. Maybe put some problems on the board for her to copy and do in addition to the workbooks. She needs this skill as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarana Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 But the real problem with Saxon is that when she copies the practice problems out she copies them incorrectly. Sometimes is number reversals or the incorrect math symbol. That probably accounts for half of her mistakes. MUS doesn't require them to re-write or write any math problems out at all. If I move her to MUS will she be missing out on anything huge? My girls (7 yrs) have a problem copying word problems. Also we share 1 textbook between them. I scan the textbook page & using the OCR software, I convert the scanned JPEG file to a word document. In the word doucument I add space to workout the problem on the same sheet. I print & give them each a copy. Sometimes I copy the textbook page to a larger size paper than the textbook page & ask them to work in the blank area. This way we are able to cover more in a shorter time. I have AABBYY Fine Reader - OCR software that came with my epson scanner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I regularly reverse numbers when putting them on paper (either copying them or just writing down a phone number or address as it is spoken). I remember doing this as far back as first grade. I don't reverse numbers when I do math mentally, with a calculator, etc., and I never had similar problems with spelling -- in fact I'm a very visual learner, and I have never had issues with spelling words once I have seen them. I just think of the numbers thing as a little glitch, and had to get in the habit of double-checking things very thoroughly. I actually credit the problem with pushing me to be better at mental math, so I don't even consider it to be much of a disadvantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 She was doing great with MUS and until the switch to Saxon it was the only math program we'd used. Do you think, it is in our thoughts, that if she's going to do HS in PS that she should stick with the Saxon? Would going back to MUS put her at a disadvantage if that was a possibility? I personally love MUS. I'm using it with all my children. Sigh, just looking for a reason to go back to MUS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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