Saxon 5/4 question

[sahm99]

How much of their Saxon 5/4 lesson do your kids complete independently? Which part do you do with them?

And, last but not least, how long does one lesson take them?

 

Thanks!

[Chris in VA]

Well, we are actually using Saxon 6/5 with my 4th grader, but I imagine it'd be the same way as we would have if we were using 5/4.

I give her a fact sheet (I generate them as I haven't bought them yet) which she does on her own, sometimes as a timed test, sometimes not. Occasionally she does it right then at the beginning of the lesson, but sometimes later.

Then we go over the little box stuff--you know, the mental math and the word/thinking problem. This is oral, of course (at least the mental math is).

Then I present the lesson to her, holding the book closer to me than to her, and writing a bit on the white board, so I'm actually teaching the lesson, not just reading it. If she gets it quickly, we do a few practice problems together, sometimes orally, sometimes on the wb, sometimes on scrap paper.

Finally, I assign her the problems--most of the time, all 25. I usually give her 10-15 minutes right then, or I may say to do up to Number 10 or so. The rest I have her do on her own later in the day (always before dinner). She gives me her work the next morning, and I grade it before school.

The fact sheet takes about 5 minutes (4 mins, timed--100problems). THe mental math box takes about 5 minutes, unless the story problem is extra hard. The lessons have been quick so far, but we are only on Lesson 41 and most of it is review from last year. I'd say they take about 10 mins. I don't really time her on the problem set, but I'd say it takes about 20-30 minutes.

[lauracolumbus]

I didn't know what I was doing w/ds, so I just gave him the book and had him do the problems. He was able to work through them all. Occasionally, he'd need help. Same w/the dd. If they do well on the previous day's lesson (88%), they only have to do half the problems, but all the practice ones from that day's lesson. It takes them a lot less time if I have them do it at the end of the day. For the first 2 years they did it first thing and it took ds forever. I'd say about 40 mins is a good time for them. An hour if they're doing the whole thing.

 

Laura

[Brenda in FL]

I listen to her mental math answers, grade her fact sheet, answer any questions she has with the lesson, and grade and go over any wrong answers from the mixed set.

 

DD reads the lessons and does the mixed problems. Right now she does about 1/2 of the problems that I hand select for her (no odds/evens). She maintains 80% and higher on the tests, but if she didn't, I'd make her do all the problems, but break it up over two days probably.

 

I do not teach the lesson to her.

 

It probably takes about an hour sometimes less to finish.