Saxon Math issues...any help?

[carlychan]

I know this has probably been discussed before but I wanted some ideas. My 5th grader is doing Saxon 7/6. We are around half way through. My problem is his daily work. He will miss anywhere from a few to 10 of the problem set (of 30). I grade it and have him re-do the problems with no help from me. He almost always gets them correct the 2nd time around which tells me he knows what he is doing but making silly mistakes. He does fine on the tests (every 5 lessons). He usually misses only 1 or 2 on those (out of 20). I think he is getting the concepts because he can do the problems after they are graded. However, it concerns me that he misses so many on the initial "round." Any one else have this problem? Should I slow down or just do what I have been and have him redo the problems? If he doesn't seem to get a concept we do supplement and go over it again. Any other ideas? Thanks!

[MamaT]

I also have a 5th grader in 7/6. Same scenerio around here. It really is just careless mistakes. I also have him redo all the missed problems. You would think at some point he would realize that it would save him time and trouble to be more careful the first go around. Not so.

 

I have had two sons go all the way through Saxon Calculus before graduating high school and have one son in Algebra II right now. I also have a dd in Algebra 1/2. She is just now starting to take more time with her math and do it right the first time. My sons all did the SAME thing at this age. My sons started taking more time and care when they got to Algebra - all of them. I'm hoping it's just a maturity issue.

[creekmom]

Same here- 5th grade ds in 7/6 and making too many careless mistakes! Dh and I realized he needed some "motivation" to take his time. He has always had to correct his mistakes, btw. Soooo, we decided that if he missed more than 3 on the mixed review, he lost 1/2 of video time for that day (he loves the Wii, so this was a big pain factor for him). Also, for each one he missed (after 3) he had to haul in 2 logs of firewood -so 4 missed problems would be 8 logs (from the woodpile to the house). This has been very effective!!! I think the key is finding out what the "pain factor" is for your child, and then motivating him with it to be more conscientious with his work.

[Ellie]

If you're having him do all problems (not just evens/odds), he can correct the ones he did wrong, and he's doing so well on the tests...I would probably not do anything else, except quit being frustrated, lol. It's his own time he wastes when he has to go back and fix his mistakes; you could deduct that time from computer or bedtime or something if you think that's necessary. But it doesn't sound as if he needs supplemental math work or anything.

[elfinbaby]

Same story here. Whew! I like the responses you've gotten so far. If you feel it's an issue, then do something to motivate him. If you think it'll turn around when he's older and take more time, leave it.

 

When ds was rushing through problems and making careless mistakes, I noticed that they were all about simple computation. He was being careless and assuming he was calculating everything correctly. We started drilling math facts more or doing supplemental activities that involved just basic facts. He's doing much better now and has even surprised himself how much easier math has become.

[lauracolumbus]

Same issue w/my ds. He has to fix the missed problems on his own time though and that helps a bit. Not enough though.

 

Laura

[Chris in VA]

Just wanted to add that Saxon recommends children find their own mistakes and see which kind of mistake they are--So, you mark it wrong, but he goes and sees just where the mistake is.

 

From the solutions manual:

"Review all errors with the student to determine whether the error was a computational error or a conceptual error." And, "Be sure to let the student determine the location and type of mistake. The parent-teacher whould only verify or reinforce the student's conclusion. Additon and subtraction errors, incorrectly copied problems, and careless mistakes are considered to be computational mistakes. Emphasize to the student that computational mistakes can be avoided by careful review of his or her solution before completing the assignment. Conceptual mistakes, however, are usually caused by lack of understinding of the material and should be promptly dealth with by reviewing and practicing the problematic concepts in the relevant lesson(s). "

They also recommend saving the tests to refer to.

 

I know you said they were careless mistakes, I just quoted the above to encourage you that you don't have to reteach anything, just see the practice as practice--the tests are when they are to have mastered the material. That's why we don't "grade" homework around here.

[carlychan]

I am SO relieved that this happens to other students, too! Thank you SO much for all the wonderful advice. I think I will continue with just having him redoing the missed problems. Obviously, if he starts bombing tests I will reconsider. I do not keep grades so that isn't an issue. I do end up giving him 1/2 credit for the problems redone correctly. However, since we don't keep grades I guess that doesn't really matter.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Carly