Guest Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I started using Math U See last year with all three of my dc. My ds(8) is currently doing MUS Beta and it is a great fit for him! My two dd's are using MUS Alpha. My question is, how rigid are you in expecting them to memorize ALL their math facts before moving on? I am assuming that I should make them memorize them all or they will have troubles later on. I am concerned that camping out in one spot and working only on math facts is going to kill my dd(6)'s love of math. So far she has up to her +2's memorized...but I forsee problems in the future. Also, what do you do if they forget facts they had previously memorized. My ds has forgot some of his math facts from Alpha, but he is very good with mental math and can figure out the answers in his head. My dd(6) has no mental math skills. I am seriously considering switching her to RightStart or something else just so we can keep her love of math alive. I love MUS for my ds...but I am just not sure it is going to work for my dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I would keep working on math facts using the MUS drill pages, but move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen+4dc Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I would keep moving on, slowly so she doesn't get lost, but she doesn't get too frustrated either. Have you tried flashmaster or mus's online drill? Try taking some time off from worksheets and just play games. We use dice and play bingo (I made up bingo cards with the answers to all the math facts my dc were supposed to know). Each kid takes a turn rolling two dice (I bought 12 sided dice for my olders and regular for ds7) you have to add (or multiply or subtract depending on which kids rolled and what level they are at) then whoever has that answer on the board gets to cover it with a dry bean. They'll all play this game over and over better than doing worksheets over and over. With the variation in operations and in dice size it has worked well to combine them, too. HTH:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam L in Mid Tenn Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 I kept moving along and continued to drill the facts every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 We play a drill game with a bouncy ball. My oldest is still working on nailing down her times table through 12s. One of us starts with "2 x 1 is 2!" and bounces the ball toward the other person. "2 x 2 is 4!" with another bounce pass. You get the idea. She's a kinesthetic learner, so this is helping her. You can do the same game with addition, subtraction, or division. We move on when dd gets most of the answers right. I don't want her getting bored with doing x 7s forever. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted December 31, 2009 Share Posted December 31, 2009 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mindygz Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 To cement my daughter's math facts, we did flash cards and I would have her do as many as she could answer in a minute and then reward her with that many Skittles. I think it is okay to move forward through the addition, as she will likely cement the "easier" ones as she gets more practice, but DON'T move on to subtraction until the addition ones come easily. Find addition games to practice. There is a good game you can make up called "The Ladder Game" or something like that, and you write the different numbers on a (drawn on paper) ladder and then roll a die and add that number all the way up the ladder. If she gets to the top of the ladder with no mistakes, she wins! If not, she falls down the ladder and has to roll the dice again. I'd look for other games for extra practice, too. Good luck! We are nearly done with Alpha here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 I would keep working on math facts using the MUS drill pages, but move on. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SewLittleTime Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 We stop for a little while, work really hard on them, and then move on. My ds really had a hard time with the +8 and +9 facts. For some reason, they just really took longer to memorize. I take one day a week usually just to do online drill on facts, flashmaster, flashcards, or play quizmo with him. It helps keep his facts up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle l Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Have you tried the triangle flash cards? I think those are better for teaching fact families. I prefer them for both addition/subtraction and mult/div. Timed "tests" can help set facts in the mind. If you google minute math or something like that you should be able to find printable sheets. The idea is to do a one minute test over a group of facts each day. Just one min. (actually, we have 5 min. tests) There shouldn't be any pressure on the child. :) Doing this can help with recall and helps cement the facts. You can also take some beans, cotton balls, any kind of manipulative, choose a number, and have the child write all the possible ways to get that number. Say you're working on 7, they'd arrange the beans in a group of 1 and a group of 6, and write 1+6=7. Then they'd move one over and write 2+5+7, and so on. I LOVE the way MUS helps the child understand what is happening and how math works! But yes, it's also important for the child to inernalize the basic facts and to recall them quickly and easily so that as they do not become more frustrated later. I'd say you could continue moving ahead as long as they are not frustrated, but also continue with a variety of activities to help fix those facts in their minds. Oh, ther also games all over the internet. My ds8 is in Gamma, and loves practicing his mult facts with different online games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsiew Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 We do a combo of timed tests (made by the online worksheet generator on MUS site) and online drill. We still move on, but I noticed once I had them start online drill for 10 min. per day the math facts really came. I love the online drill because it's just like flashcards except they can do it independently! The facts will come! And remember, not everyone is going to be super fast at recalling facts. My ds is fairly fast, but my dd is slower. She gets them correct though and does just as well as her brother in math, but just isn't quite as fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Thank you all for your ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle l Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Guess I didn't really answer your question though. :blush: I would feel free to move on, even if they do not have facts completely memorized, as long as they understand the concept and are not struggling in that area. They will continue to get lots of addition practice, and Beta, though it's subtraction, will support the facts they've learned so far. Again, the triangle cards are great because we see the entire fact family together, not just isolated as addition or subraction. But yes, I'd feel free to keep moving, knowing they will still get lots of practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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