Math advice, please??? 1st grade troubles

[diaperjoys]

What would you do??

 

My oldest son did Kindergarten last year, and completed Math U See Primer by Christmas. He completed it, but had a very poor grasp of place value, and didn't do well with the inconsistent review. We continued on with BJU Math 1, and completed the first 25 lesssons or so by the end of the school year. He seemed to do well with the gradual introduction of topics, and really loved the variety and color. So far so good.

 

Then we spent the summer moving to a new house, and did no school at all. And now that we've started up again, he is having a really hard timing remembering what he learned last year. We've spent the last 2 weeks reviewing and it is still quite difficult for him. Number sequence, in particular is very difficult. He counts pretty well to 100, but if I ask him what comes after 14, or what comes before 9 he has a hard time coming up with the answer. Soooo, what to do now?

 

I could purchase another copy of the BJU workbook just to get those first 25 lessons and let him get another run at the work. Or I could purchase another math text that would bring him up to speed - but what? I had a Horizons K math laying around and we did that up to the point where they start subtraction, but the sequence and pace isn't a good fit.

 

Suggestions please? What would you do?

[...................]

I put up a number line for month or so in first grade, along with a hundred chart. Let him reference them every time it comes up, I don't think going back is what is needed, sometimes it just takes time for things to sink in.

 

Also number board games, are great for this...something that has the nu

bets printed on the board.

[Ellie]

Rod and Staff Publishers' Beginning Arithmetic. It would seem very simple to him in many ways, but it does cover those concepts comprehensively yet gently.

[hmschooling]

Do lots of Hundred Chart activities with him, use Cusienaire rods, number line activities, etc. If you want, I can email a file that has many, many ideas for teaching without textbooks in a way that provides true understanding. There's many games, activities, and it's organized with a scope&sequence of what topics need to be learned in grades PK-3. It includes hundred chart ideas and much more.

You could pick and choose what to do and use it till he's ready to move on to the next textbook, keep using it, just fill in gaps, or even supplement your text with it.

[silvermine]

Place value is really hard. I was discouraged when ds really didn't seem to get it after MUS primer, and I was worried about it. But we kept going on with MUS and eventually it just kind of clicked. I know you're not supposed to move on until mastery.... but well, I've never followed the rules. ;)

 

I figured he didn't *have* to know it while we were just learning addition facts, and when we got to doing multi-digit addition, and I showed him column addition, he started to get it.

 

But, he's a very non-sequential person. He does best sort of thrown into the middle of something, struggling all around, and eventually figuring it out, as long as it isn't too hard. That would make me *nuts* (I'm very sequential!! I read manuals front to end... um, and write them, too!) but my dh is the same way.

[caitlinsmom]

My dd has/had similar problems. I just contiued ahead and seriously one morning she woke up and it all had clicked. Now we are flying ahead with no signs of trouble. It might be that he needs a new topic to think about to push that other concept forward. It seemed to work for us. Good luck. :)

[ElizabethB]

Last summer my daughter forgot almost all the math she learned.

 

This summer we've done some RS math games to help prevent that problem.

 

We also use our Flashmaster for fact practice as needed. It's not as fun as the RS math games, but it's very efficient and it's also independent.

[thowell]

Do lots of Hundred Chart activities with him, use Cusienaire rods, number line activities, etc. If you want, I can email a file that has many, many ideas for teaching without textbooks in a way that provides true understanding. There's many games, activities, and it's organized with a scope&sequence of what topics need to be learned in grades PK-3. It includes hundred chart ideas and much more.

You could pick and choose what to do and use it till he's ready to move on to the next textbook, keep using it, just fill in gaps, or even supplement your text with it.

 

 

i would love a copy of this file with the game ideas if it is available?

[Strawberry Queen]

:iagree:

I would just keep going with some review. You don't know how many times I've had to bite my tongue or :banghead: when I've gotten comments from my older dd (after having completed Singapore 3A) "what do you mean add????":scared:

 

It's perfectly normal for them to forget everything they seemed to have learned after having known it 3 days before. You just have to patiently go over the explanation again, keep reviewing, and have a secret stash of chocolate to keep you sane.;)

 

HTH