MUS users, a question...

[mindygz]

I'm trying to figure out a reasonable time/workload for my 2nd grade dd. I don't know if it is best to assign X minutes per day (30?) or X pages per day (1 or 2). Also, I'm having a hard time knowing how many of the practice and review pages to do. If she doesn't miss any on the first two practice pages, shall we skip the third and just do one review page? I like the focus on mastery, but thus far she seems to be getting these beginning concepts without too much difficulty. (We are at about lesson 9, I think, in Alpha.) I'm sure it will get more challenging for her, but for right now I'd like to not be too bogged down in the practice if she doesn't need it.

 

So does the above mentioned plan sound reasonable? (Do two practice pages and 1 review.) And what about time/day vs pages? What do you do?

 

Thank you!

[Sasharowan]

I assign X number pages per day. If they can do A without mistakes and minimal help, then they do D. If they do the same on D, then they can test on that chapter. My ds13 in Zeta and dd9 in Delta often can do a chapter with just A, D, and then test. Ds8 usually ends up doing all 6 pages and then some printouts, but he also has med issues that interfere with learning. The meds end in 3 weeks, that will be interesting. Also, if MUS has an online drill for remembering the facts that my kids like to do (at least they prefer it to written drills :).)

[johnandtinagilbert]

30 min does it for us. They do A-C and if they are 85% or higher on each, I let them test.

[lauracolumbus]

We use MUS as a supplement to Saxon and do w/the pp does, except my kids just do D. If I think they need more work I give it to them--esp. the tests.

 

HTH,

Laura

[razorbackmama]

I assign 2 pages a day.

[Calm37]

I am starting my 6th year of MUS (Zeta). We have settled into a routine of

 

Monday - Video, use blocks and do Page A together on the white board

Tuesday - Pages B & D (this day and the rest are independent)

Wednesday - Pages C & E

Thursday - off (dh's day off)

Friday - Test

 

We rarely do the F page unless we need a few extra problems of a certain type. Some of the later F pages get used as review once a week during the summer.

 

I did not use this routine for Alpha & Beta and noticed that my children fussed much more later in each course when the lessons were more challenging and the pages took more time. So we started each level thinking math was a breeze and ended thinking math was hard! My girls liked to fly through the early lessons and got CRANKY when the later ones didn't go so quickly.

 

I have found the last 3 years that the routine has eliminated that. They know what is expected and Monday is always pretty quick since we are working together. They rarely get more than one problem wrong per page and it is usually just a dumb mistake that they can quickly correct. I do have one child who likes to discuss the word problems. I think she is more auditory and needs to say them out loud.

 

Because each book has only 30 lessons, we also take a week off of math from time to time when it is convenient. There really is no reason to hurry through any level. One per year will put your child in Algebra for grade 8. Very few children can handle algebra before that age anyway. My 13yo daughter did Alpha in second grade and will start Algebra in grade 9.

 

So, anyway, when you feel your child is where you want her to be as far as grade level, I would try to get MUS into more of a routine that works well for your family.

Edited August 16, 2009 by cam1706

[mindygz]

I am starting my 6th year of MUS (Zeta). We have settled into a routine of

 

Monday - Video, use blocks and do Page A together on the white board

Tuesday - Pages B & D (this day and the rest are independent)

Wednesday - Pages C & E

Thursday - off (dh's day off)

Friday - Test

 

Cathy, I really like this schedule, thanks for sharing. And thank you for the insight about not needing to rush with MUS the way they have it set up. That is really good to know. I'm not really in a hurry,but it is easy for me to feel like I *should* move faster if we can. Now I can :chillpill: about it, at least with math. ;)

[mindygz]

And Welcome! I see you are a new poster! :001_smile:

[sgilli3]

My elder 2 are both using Zeta at the moment .

 

Our current schedule for MUS is

Sun: (1st day of working week here)- Watch DVD, discussion, and pages a & b

Mon: c & d

Tues: e & f

Wed: test

Thurs: math game ( Monopoly, etc)

 

There are times when this schedule doesn't work for us, as I find that the middle of the books are harder, and concepts take longer to learn.

[eternalknot]

We do pages per day. We've never used a test. We cover two lessons per week, each over two days (ours is a four-day school week). Day 1 would be all three pages of new material (A, B & C). Day 2 would be the review pages (D, E & F). Twice a concept needed more attention so we cancelled the second lesson of the week and spent the entire four days on one lesson (with supplemented worksheets and RightStart games).

 

On my days, I expected my son to complete all of page D. If he got 100% he didn't have to complete pages E & F (though sometimes I gave him to 2-4 problems on pages E and F if there was a concept I wanted to reiterate. If he got less than 100% on D, he completed all of page E. 100% on page E meant just a few problems on page F; less than 100% on page E meant he completed all of page F. And so on ...

 

But when his dad taught, he expected all three pages of systematic review to be completed on day two. So in the interest of consistency and gratitude that his dad is even homeschooling on the days he has the kids, I recently adopted his scheduling. It's not been a popular move LOL but it was a good faith move.