Math. I want to cry. How could this have happened? I feel so stupid. Advice please..

[smilesonly]

Briefly~~~This is one of those times when I question my ability to homeschool beyond my degree-early ed.

Ever get so caught up in your day to day crisis that huge things go unnoticed? Ever feel like you are under so much pressure to make a decision, that that decision comes back to bite you?

I am in the thick of totally messing up, having my eyes opened oh so wide, and I need DAMAGE CONTROL-yesterday.:sad::blushing::ohmy:

 

HELP!!

 

We just pulled dd out of school-her choice. She brought home her report card (all A's in all gifted classes, except electives) and announced that she was not returning to school. Skip ahead a few weeks, and we are homeschooling. Again-only this time she wants to remain hsed till college.

 

I scrambled to get together the basic state required curricula.

 

I stupidly ordered curricula according to where she had "left off" in PS, which was 7th gr, and gifted. (Was identified as highly gifted.) Her favorite subjects were math and science. (Takes after dh.;)) She was in the most advanced "pre-algebra" course the school offers-and the school is huge and known for it's gifted program. (ha, ha, HA!)

 

So, with money also as a huge factor, we did a *quick* assessment and ordered CLE Math 700-705. Dd was explaining how much she loves to do algebraic equations. Ookaay. Ordered it!

 

And I find out that she barely knows decimals and hasn't a clue about percentages. How could this be? How could she be in that high of a math class, get all A's-and not know these things?? How could I have been so stupid to not have payed closer attention to *exactly* what she was learning-or-not learning? Haven't mentioned that dh is very unhappy about this, as he is extremely overworked right now, and trusted me to get this right.

 

Then there is dd. Feeling pretty stupid right now-something that really doesn't sit well with my little miss type A. Her ego is bruised, and she feels embarrassed. She takes her work seriously, is very independent, and very self directed. Dh thinks she quickly figured out the "system", used her supreme memory to spit out what she needed to know for a test. (Should mention that she only brought homework home a few days.) She has always tended to rush through things-takes her work seriously-but still rushes.

 

What do I do now?? I just took a magnifying glass to the scope and sequence of CLE math, and see that she probably fits back in level 500! I am so upset and afraid of how she will react when I tell her that. Her best hsed gf is doing Jacobs Geometry-and though I have told her not to compare herself with her friend-she does. Friend has does Veritas Press since 2nd grade.

 

I never should have handed dd over to the schools, and now that I have her back, I don't want to lose her. She lets pride rule her too much (me, too?) and I *know* she received lots of kudos in PS for her popularity and academic reputation.

 

Rambling and crying. Not a neat and tidy writer. Advice-but please keep it gentle....

 

TIA

 

smiles-not feeling so smiley atm.

[Osmosis Mom]

Ah, don't worry about it. Order the level you think she needs and let her zoom through it. Order levels 5 and 6 so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It'll probably not take her very long to go through those as she is more mature and motivated to boot.

 

Take it easy. At least she is home now and the party can begin...

[jewel7123]

Sorry I don't have any advice for you, but just wanted to say I hope things get better! :grouphug: There are a lot of great ladies on this board and hopefully they will have some answers for you. Can you sell the Math curriculum you bought either here on the for sale board or on Homeschool Classifieds and then quickly purchase the right level for your daughter? Is Math the only subject that doesn't work......all the other curriculum you purchased a right fit?

[WeeBeaks]

Is she missing the information from percentages and decimals upwards in that program or just that specific topic, i.e. does she just have a gap? A gap you can fill up and return to where you were rather than completely backtracking. If you do need 500 level though, just go with it, go at her pace and lay the foundation solidly, being glad the whole time you figured it out before she hit college coming out of PS. ;)

[Leanna Tomlinson]

I have known A LOT of kids (both hs and ps) to forget some of the basics after spending a year or two in algebra or geometry. Your dd is bright and will probably pick up decimals/per cents/ fractions or anything else very quickly. Just get some supplemental workbooks at a school supply store and work on those things for a few weeks. What's important is that she has the logic skills to understand higher concepts. These basics will come back easily to her.

 

FWIW- my ds scored low on some of these concepts when he was in Algebra II! All it took was a few refresher lessons and he remembered the basics. Now I spend a couple of weeks doing a refresher on basics before standardized testing.

 

Your dd will probably be fine and up to speed in a couple of months.

 

HTH,

Leanna

[angelmorris]

I had the exact same problem with my DS when I pulled him out. I got the Life of Fred books and let him zoom through them at his pace. They are inexpensive and quick to go through and he really enjoyed them. After going through those I feel he will be competent enough to move to his grade level.

[MIch elle]

Do you understand CLE math 7? Can you continue with CLE math 7 and teach her what she doesn't know as it comes up in CLE? It will take you longer to finish CLE math 7 this way, but CLE math is advanced.

 

I know money is an issue for you but Teaching Textbooks math 7 might work for her if you can't continue with CLE. TT7 would be on her grade level (make her happy) and teach her what she needs.

[kiana]

It's really common for students to forget what they're not using on a regular basis. If she *has* learned this stuff, and merely forgotten it, you might have better luck picking up some practice workbooks, either from the Key to series (so that you can target exactly what she's forgotten) or simply some summer review workbooks from someplace like Barnes and Noble. Picking up an ungraded resource would probably help a lot with her ego -- in other words, it may be a lot less humiliating to see 'decimals' on the workbook than '5th grade math', even if they cover the same topics.

[MIch elle]

I have known A LOT of kids (both hs and ps) to forget some of the basics after spending a year or two in algebra or geometry.

 

Your dd will probably be fine and up to speed in a couple of months.

 

HTH,

Leanna

 

:iagree:

[christine in al]

Have you looked at Key to series. specialized, and independent, and pretty durn cheap.

 

And don't take any flack from your husband, he should be supporting not blaming. He's stressed at work? well, ....so are you.

 

Oh and sometimes smart kids can get thier self image wrapped up in what they know. So, if they don't know something it gets all confusing about their value and self worth.

failure is improtant ( but not fun) and steering them toward bein a hard worker rather than super smart is sometimes helpful. Just learing this with mine.

ds was pretty angry that he had to start Key to Fractions at the beginning, he said he knew the stuff, " Well, you shouldn't have missed 4 things on the diagnostic. " ds" Those were careless mistakes". Me:" Well, be more careful, Page 1, begin"

 

~good luck.

~christine

[Laboroflove]

Look at Chalkdust prealgebra. It covers fractions and decimals again, then does pre-algebraic work. There's a thread on this forum that gives ISBN numbers for equivalent curriculum that costs less. You could also just go back a step with the curriculum you've bought. There's no need to feel stupid - it's not an uncommon situation. I just discovered my honors student in 9th grade had no clue about prepositions.

[Mom0012]

With the way you have described your daughter, I suspect that she will probably be able to zip through multiple CLE lessons a day and catch up in no time. I wouldn't get too worried yet. Or, if it is just a few areas like fractions and decimals, you could easily go through the Key To books someone else mentioned.

 

Lisa

Edited February 20, 2010 by LisaTheresa

[Katiebug_1976]

:grouphug::grouphug: First of all, I want to sympathize with you because I have a daughter that is the same way. She cannot handle "being behind" even if she isn't. She is also a self learner/motivator and does not deal well with anything less than perfection (which is impossible to atain)!

 

Here is my little bit of advice. Don't stress about it (she's going to do enough or it for the both of you). You will need to be the one to try to convince her that this is not the end of the world. Do you think that after she gets over the initial shock that she could work at a quick pace through the things that she does know, and slow down a bit when you get to something that she needs more work on? Then she could see herself "catching up" to where she thought she was. It is up to you to decide what works for her. This is just a thought from another mom that has dealt w/ a similar issue. I hope that you find encouragement and a plan that will work for you & her.

[usetoschool]

Have you looked at Key to series. specialized, and independent, and pretty durn cheap...Oh and sometimes smart kids can get thier self image wrapped up in what they know. So, if they don't know something it gets all confusing about their value and self worth.

 

I was going to suggest Key To also. They don't have grade levels so she will have no idea. Just tell her you are going to review some things before you move on and make sure she has a thorough grounding. None of the things you mentioned are hard to learn so no big deal.

 

And, regarding the second part of the quote - I read something interesting (I think Dr. Willingham maybe but don't recall) about praising kids for their hard work and effort and never ever for how smart they are. Hard work and diligence is something they have complete control over - the other stuff not so much.

 

Honestly, instead of a crisis I would say good for you for pulling her out and addressing this. Imagine if she had kept going in public school :001_huh:.

[gingersmom]

My daughter was completely the opposite.

 

In 6th grade we had a math tutor. At the end of 7th grade she was still doing horribly in math.

 

I ordered Saxon math 7/6 figuring we needed to redo everything from 6th and 7th grade. After 3-4 months of homeschooling (and decompressing) she flew through it making 100% on every test.

 

She is now flying through Saxon 8/7 and will begin Algebra this spring.

 

Give her time to decompress. I have a feeling she will be ready for the math you purchased sooner than later.

[PollyOR]

See? You are not alone. Most students do forget this stuff. That is why we review.

 

Another vote for the Key to Fractions, Decimals, Percents, etc. series. Cheap and effective. We also use their online service, Key to Tracker, which provides more practice. It's only $5.95/year and covers fractions, decimals, percents, and algebra.

[Jenny Piaaree]

Another option you might consider is Math Mammoth. It is highly praised on this board and very inexpensive. The blue series covers subjects topic by topic - perfect if you only need to fill in a few gaps. If you have more than a few to fill in, you could use the light blue series which follows a grade level sequence of topics. You can move through it quickly if you need to.

 

Best wishes for you!

 

Jennifer

[Vida Winter]

I had the same experience when we took our 8th grader out of PS. All A's, etc... same story. Do a placement test for CLE and put her where she tests into. She can work quickly. Tell her that she is not alone, this is the experience of many other excellent students as well. It is much more due to the school than your daughter. Learning is learning, no matter what grade level it is labeled. It is not a good idea to cut corners with math.

 

:grouphug:

[smilesonly]

Ah, don't worry about it. Order the level you think she needs and let her zoom through it. Order levels 5 and 6 so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It'll probably not take her very long to go through those as she is more mature and motivated to boot.

 

Take it easy. At least she is home now and the party can begin...

 

Thanks. I will admit I am a huge worry wort, and a huge self-blamer. Yes, the party is in full force! I love her to death and want to make sure I do things right-in every area.

 

Sorry I don't have any advice for you, but just wanted to say I hope things get better! :grouphug: There are a lot of great ladies on this board and hopefully they will have some answers for you. Can you sell the Math curriculum you bought either here on the for sale board or on Homeschool Classifieds and then quickly purchase the right level for your daughter? Is Math the only subject that doesn't work......all the other curriculum you purchased a right fit?

 

Yes, the other curricula is spot on. Thank God!

 

Is she missing the information from percentages and decimals upwards in that program or just that specific topic, i.e. does she just have a gap? A gap you can fill up and return to where you were rather than completely backtracking. If you do need 500 level though, just go with it, go at her pace and lay the foundation solidly, being glad the whole time you figured it out before she hit college coming out of PS. ;)

 

With my limited math knowledge, it really does seem to just be the areas of decimals, percentages, and a small bit of geometry.

 

I have known A LOT of kids (both hs and ps) to forget some of the basics after spending a year or two in algebra or geometry. Your dd is bright and will probably pick up decimals/per cents/ fractions or anything else very quickly. Just get some supplemental workbooks at a school supply store and work on those things for a few weeks. What's important is that she has the logic skills to understand higher concepts. These basics will come back easily to her.

 

FWIW- my ds scored low on some of these concepts when he was in Algebra II! All it took was a few refresher lessons and he remembered the basics. Now I spend a couple of weeks doing a refresher on basics before standardized testing.

 

Your dd will probably be fine and up to speed in a couple of months.

 

HTH,

Leanna

 

Thanks. She is quick to learn, so I do think I can get her back up to speed. It makes me so angry the way her math curriculum is-introduces a concept, practice it for a week, learn a new concept, practice, move on-and every n ow and then there will be review of the older concepts. However, there doesn't seem to be much of a building on each concept. That is my impression. I forget the name of the curriculum-Houghton-Mifflin or Harcourt?

 

I had the exact same problem with my DS when I pulled him out. I got the Life of Fred books and let him zoom through them at his pace. They are inexpensive and quick to go through and he really enjoyed them. After going through those I feel he will be competent enough to move to his grade level.

 

Hmm. Interesting you should mention Life of Fred, as someone just mentioned this to me as a solution-described it as having a narrow focus, cheap, and funny.

 

Are you using them to fill gaps or as his main math curriculum?

 

Do you understand CLE math 7? Can you continue with CLE math 7 and teach her what she doesn't know as it comes up in CLE? It will take you longer to finish CLE math 7 this way, but CLE math is advanced.

 

I know money is an issue for you but Teaching Textbooks math 7 might work for her if you can't continue with CLE. TT7 would be on her grade level (make her happy) and teach her what she needs.

 

No, no, no! I am horrible at math! And-especially decimals and percents. Of course! You are right, CLE 7 *is* advanced. What is strange, is that CLE doesn't become Algebra until level 900.

 

TT is just way out of our budget right now. My nephews use it, and dd has seen it, but it is just too pricey atm.

 

It's really common for students to forget what they're not using on a regular basis. If she *has* learned this stuff, and merely forgotten it, you might have better luck picking up some practice workbooks, either from the Key to series (so that you can target exactly what she's forgotten) or simply some summer review workbooks from someplace like Barnes and Noble. Picking up an ungraded resource would probably help a lot with her ego -- in other words, it may be a lot less humiliating to see 'decimals' on the workbook than '5th grade math', even if they cover the same topics.

 

I just looked the Key To series up-yes, something like that may help her confidence. Thanks.

 

Have you looked at Key to series. specialized, and independent, and pretty durn cheap.

 

And don't take any flack from your husband, he should be supporting not blaming. He's stressed at work? well, ....so are you.

 

Oh and sometimes smart kids can get thier self image wrapped up in what they know. So, if they don't know something it gets all confusing about their value and self worth.

failure is improtant ( but not fun) and steering them toward bein a hard worker rather than super smart is sometimes helpful. Just learing this with mine.

ds was pretty angry that he had to start Key to Fractions at the beginning, he said he knew the stuff, " Well, you shouldn't have missed 4 things on the diagnostic. " ds" Those were careless mistakes". Me:" Well, be more careful, Page 1, begin"

 

~good luck.

~christine

 

Me? Take flack from my dh? Never. No, seriously, he means well-but he is the brainy,mathy, science-minded parent and has had doubts of me hsing at this level. He doesn't mean to be disrespectful, just knows I am horrible in these areas.

 

You are right about smarter than average dc-or TAG-which is our ds. I have battled this issue for sometime with both dc, actually. I do *not* want our dc's self-views to be based on *anything* performance. All ds heard last summer was that he will be the next Tiger Woods. HA! Don't think we'll be hearing those comments this summer! Anyway, he started out school feeling like he was ALL THAT after a great baseball and golfing summer-then had to settle down to the reality that he learns differently. I think I need to incorporate a new motto for our hs-"Embrace mistakes and failures!"

 

Thanks.

 

 

I'm calming down-thanks so much.

[LizzyBee]

And I find out that she barely knows decimals and hasn't a clue about percentages. How could this be? How could she be in that high of a math class, get all A's-and not know these things?? How could I have been so stupid to not have payed closer attention to *exactly* what she was learning-or-not learning? Haven't mentioned that dh is very unhappy about this, as he is extremely overworked right now, and trusted me to get this right.

 

 

A friend of mine has a son who is highly gifted and doing pre-algebra in 6th grade. So....every day, when my friend gets home from work, she gets on the internet so she can learn her son's math lesson for that day. Then they do his homework together. She gets the prestige of bragging about how advanced her son is, but yet she and her dh have to do all his homework and projects with him. This is common with ps, so please don't beat yourself up about it. Order the 500 and 600 CLE books, and she'll probably whip through them very quickly. Keep the 700 books and they'll be available when she's ready for them.

 

There is a lot of trial and error involved in homeschooling. If your dh expects you to get your curriculum right the first time every time, well, that's just not a reasonable expectation. I buy a lot of curriculum used so that if it doesn't work out, I don't feel so bad about the money I've spent.

[TracyR]

I agree. I noticed when my oldest started Pre Algebra last year she began to forget how to do some basic math skills. If she's done them before I would get some workbooks to go over concepts. The Key To Series are pretty inexpensive to get to go over decimals and percentages. Or you can sit and show her how again to refresh her memory. This is one of my favorite websites for free math worksheets http://www.math-drills.com/decimal.shtml

 

Also did you have her take the diagnostic tests first? Going by the scope and sequence isn't very helpful when beginning with CLE. Some families do it and very few hit the mark when they get the curriculum. The diagnostic test will accurately place them in the level. Also remember that CLE's curriculum grade levels are only for brick and mortar schools. Like one of the CLE reps on the yahoo group said , those numbers do not pertain to homeschooler and are meant for those in brick and mortar schools. Think of them as levels and not grade levels. So if she needs to go back to the 500 level then so be it. Then quickly work through it. I'm sure she can do that if she does well with her school work.

If its just a few gaps here and there you can easily work on them together and then open up the Light Unit when you feel she is good and ready to tackle it.

 

If you haven't had her take the diagnostic test here is the link, print it out and see how she does.

500-800 level test

http://www.clp.org/documents/3144/original/Math_Diagnostic_Tests_500-800.pdf

100-400 level test

http://www.clp.org/documents/2696/original/Math_Diagnostic_Tests_100-400.pdf

[homeschoolally]

My son placed well below where we'd had him in another curriculum when we switched to CLE. I was shocked at first, as he was working well above grade level in Saxon and handling the concepts fine--just having executive problems with writing so much.

 

I'm so glad we've switched to CLE. We chose to start him where he placed, even though there is quite a bit of review for him. They seem to introduce geometry concepts much earlier than other curriculums so for that alone, it has been worth the $ and time.

 

Right now we're trying to fast-track through a few levels to get caught back up. He does 3 lessons a day in level 600, but I go through and cross out quite a bit of the review. Each lesson has quite a few time consuming arithmetic problems, so by taking those out we shave off quite a bit of time off each lesson. It has taken 6 weeks to get through half of level 600, and we take Fridays off.

 

The first Light Unit was review of the previous year, so that would be a good way to quickly cover anything you may have missed in level 500.

 

I hope this helps give you an idea of how much time it would take you to move through the Light Units. I've just told my son that CLE is a few grade levels ahead and he's been OK with it so far--plus it says 600 on the books, not grade 6. From our experience, CLE is ahead of some other curriculums, so don't beat yourself up!! I always thought Saxon was the 'gold standard' and after getting halfway through Alg 1/2 he only placed in CLE 600. :001_smile:

[mcconnellboys]

"And I find out that she barely knows decimals and hasn't a clue about percentages. How could this be? How could she be in that high of a math class, get all A's-and not know these things?? How could I have been so stupid to not have payed closer attention to *exactly* what she was learning-or-not learning? Haven't mentioned that dh is very unhappy about this, as he is extremely overworked right now, and trusted me to get this right."

 

So you either buy the books in the series Key to Decimals and Key to Percentages, and give her extra drill work in those areas to help strengthen her, or you pull worksheets from online sources for these areas, or look for math books at your local library that will help you find extra drill work.

 

My son is doing algebra with a tutor this year who used to teach gifted middle school math. She said it is a very common problem that many of the kids don't have enough experience with decimals and percentages.

 

You explain to your daughter that the schools really don't do a good job in a lot of areas because they have so much to do with so many different children that they just can't cover everything.

 

"Then there is dd. Feeling pretty stupid right now-something that really doesn't sit well with my little miss type A. Her ego is bruised, and she feels embarrassed. She takes her work seriously, is very independent, and very self directed. Dh thinks she quickly figured out the "system", used her supreme memory to spit out what she needed to know for a test. (Should mention that she only brought homework home a few days.) She has always tended to rush through things-takes her work seriously-but still rushes."

 

As I said, you simply explain to her that schools do not always cover every topic and that you've found that she is lacking in the knowledge of some basics she needs to really get into the algebra work she loves. That's not her fault; she just needs to pick up those topics skipped and since she's so smart, she will undoubtedly do this quickly and be able to move on.

 

"What do I do now?? I just took a magnifying glass to the scope and sequence of CLE math, and see that she probably fits back in level 500! I am so upset and afraid of how she will react when I tell her that. Her best hsed gf is doing Jacobs Geometry-and though I have told her not to compare herself with her friend-she does. Friend has does Veritas Press since 2nd grade."

 

I don't use CLE math, but are you sure that you have to give it up entirely? Why can't you just pause, remediate, and then begin to move forward with it while still doing a page or two of drill on percentages and decimals daily, too?

[ElizabethB]

There are some free resources out there that are good, here are a few quick ones, I'm sure people here can point to more and some good threads about them:

 

Kahn Academy

 

MEP Math

:grouphug:

 

You're not alone, and reading is a problem as well as math, it sneaks up on people because the problems don't show up until later grades in spelling and multi-syllable words and challenging single syllable words.

Edited February 21, 2010 by ElizabethB

[Ginevra]

I got the Life of Fred books and let him zoom through them at his pace. They are inexpensive and quick to go through and he really enjoyed them. After going through those I feel he will be competent enough to move to his grade level.

__________________

 

This is exactly what I would recommend. That a take a huge, gigantic chill pill. :D Really, this is not a tragedy, although I'm sure it's upsetting for everyone. Thank God you found this out now!

 

Life of Fred is the ideal solution to this problem, IMO. The books are fun, funny and a bright student can zip through them BUT STILL LEARN what they are missing. Check it out at Polka Dot Publishing. Very good!

[deeinfl]

Okay, take a deep breath, it's going to be okay. I brought my daughter home for her 6th grade year, she was also an honor roll student.

 

It only took me a few days to realize she couldn't tell time on a clock. What? How did I never notice this? How did the school not notice this. Among other things, she also didn't know her time tables.

 

It only took a few weeks to really teach these and move on from skill to skill. Your daughter is obviously intelligent and it's not her fault that the system is just that, a system designated to teach children to pass tests and appear more intelligent than their counterparts in other countries.

 

I like the suggestions offered, but you can get some basic math book like, Basic College Math. Sometimes they have it on Amazon for a few bucks and if you only have your daughter do the odds, you will already have an answer key in the back of the book for that. I own this book, it is awesome and I love the way it is so direct in teaching.

 

When you enroll in college and fail the basic math test, you get a basic math course like this one to quickly pull you up the ladder of basics and get into algebra courses.

 

I promise you it will only take her a few months to catch up, so to speak. I hesitate putting her in CLE as much as I love the program because of her background in coming from the public school, something like this can be detrimental to her. With something non-graded like Life of Fred, or Basic College Math, she will feel good that it is intended for her age or higher.

 

You did the best you could. We all put our trust in the system until we realize it's flawed. Thankfully you pulled her out early enough to catch these little things before she even starts highschool.

 

You will be fine!

 

Good Luck and Congratulations on pulling her out and homeschooling her!!!

 

Many Blessings!!!

 

Dee in Sunny FL!

 

ps sorry if this is a repeat, I have not read all of the posts, only two or three.

[angelmorris]

ATM we're only using LOF and he's just zipping through all the books ( Fractions, Decimals and PreAlgebra) Then next year we're starting Algebra. I think we'll use a more meaty curriculum for Algebra and do LOF Algebra on Fridays for a comical break because he loves them.

[Annabel Lee]

It's really common for students to forget what they're not using on a regular basis. If she *has* learned this stuff, and merely forgotten it, you might have better luck picking up some practice workbooks, either from the Key to series (so that you can target exactly what she's forgotten) or simply some summer review workbooks from someplace like Barnes and Noble. Picking up an ungraded resource would probably help a lot with her ego -- in other words, it may be a lot less humiliating to see 'decimals' on the workbook than '5th grade math', even if they cover the same topics.

 

:iagree:The Key to series is what came to my mind 1st as well. This would be if there are just gaps that need to be filled. If you think she really needs to go back and do the whole CLE 500, well then, what's going to happen if you rush past, gloss over, skip ahead... You'll end up right back at square 1. Why bother building if you don't have a solid foundation? Strengthen & solidify first - to whatever extent needed, then move on.

 

:grouphug: It is so frustrating to realize something like this. BTDT.

[nmoira]

Life of Fred is the ideal solution to this problem, IMO. The books are fun, funny and a bright student can zip through them BUT STILL LEARN what they are missing. Check it out at Polka Dot Publishing. Very good!

Yes, yes, and yes. :D

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I can see how this would hurt. You didn't leave school thinking that it was failing her and now you find that at least some of her success was rather hollow.

 

So I think that you will both have some feelings of uncertainty, betrayal, and loss of confidence. But at some pont you will have to put that aside and move forward. It doesn't do any good to keep going forward without learning what you need to learn. So find where she is and move from there. (Maybe you'll be able to put what you bought onto the shelf for a few months and come back and use it after remediating.)

 

Comparing with other people is a bit like comparing shoe size. It might make for interesting conversation, but it probably isn't very fruitful.

 

:grouphug:

[EKS]

A highly gifted child who doesn't have a learning disability will be able to understand decimals and percents within a couple of weeks. Less if she was pretty good with them in the past.

 

Seriously--decimals are really easy if you understand the concept of fractions and have whole number operations down. Percents are trivial once decimals are understood.

[Joy at Home]

Oh, don't feel bad. Math is something that can be caught up in relatively short time.

 

I can really relate. My dd did TT7 last year and is in TT Pre-alg this year. I've decided to change to CLE and she tested at CLE 500!! Granted, some mistakes on the diagnostic test were stupid mathematical mistakes, but some things she never learned and others she was not strong on at all! I was bummed, but we bought CLE 5 and 6 and are going to fill in gaps and work through them. Math is too important to worry about grade levels, I want very strong building blocks before she hits Algebra. CLE looks great and I wish I had used it from the beginning.

 

Good luck!

Lisa

[MerryAtHope]

Aww, don't feel badly. Just figure out where she should be (use placement tests if they are available) and move on. I bet your dd catches up quickly. Also, the scope & sequence of math programs varies widely--I'm often surprised at just how differently they can introduce topics, the different order etc...

 

I'd make this not a big deal for her or for you. It is what it is, you can move on from this, it's a learning experience. You're not stupid & your dd isn't stupid--so don't tell yourself you are & don't let your dd tell herself she is. We all have things to learn in life, it's ok, really!

 

Merry :-)

[AmyTompkins]

How about the "Keys to.." series? They have them for decimals, fractions, etc... and the workbooks are inexpensive and written in a fun way. Find them @ CBD.

[Tutu]

First of all, do try not to worry! I'm sure everything will be fine!

 

Here's what I'd do...I'd locate a cheap, used copy of Lial's Basic College Math, and go through it concept by concept with her. IOW, just thumb through the book, stopping whenever you feel something stands out as a topic for which she needs a refresher. This is how I use our copy of this book, and it's been a great experience. Our copy cost about $20 used, and I've found that it hits upon everything needed to have a firm foundation for algebra. You can refer to it as often as you need to, for a quick explanation of concepts and plenty of practice problems. I can't recommend it highly enough!

 

HTH!

 

Patty

[jananc]

:iagree: I was just about to write a recommendation of Basic College Mathematics when I saw Patti's post. This is what we're using for prealgebra. I think I paid $6 for it! You can find lots of copies used at sites like half.com. Look for 7th or 8th editions, and don't pay over $20 for it. This text will be a great tool for you to shore up on missed or forgotten concepts, and you can use it for reference later.

 

It is actally a community college text, used for remedial math. So it explains every topic from the. very. beginning. ie, "this is a whole number. this is how to add whole numbers." But it's written for college students, so it doesn't talk down to the student. It covers the basics (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), plus fractions, decimals, ratios, percents, negative numbers, measurements, geometry, pre algrebra, and statistics. My bright but math-phobic dd is thriving on it this year.

[woolybear]

First of all....:grouphug:...don't be so hard on yourself! It's okay, really. I would tell your daughter (and you) that not all curriculums match up their years to grade levels. Level 500 does not necessarily mean grade 5. And switching from school to homeschool takes time to adjust and figure things out.

 

Hang on to the level you have. Order the level you think she needs and tell her she'll get to the other level soon enough. It's also good to keep in mind that perhaps her school didn't give her all she needed and now she has the opportunity to really grow and learn all that she needs. She will be better at math because of this. Yay!

 

Good luck.

Woolybear

[StartingOver]

If she is only missing specific things, then I would get the Key to Series for those and brush up. It is cheap, and focused.

[skaterbabs]

CLE math runs a year ahead of public school. Explain to her that the levels don't correspond (she's bright enough to grasp that!) and have her take the placement test so you can determine which level she truly needs. My guess would be that as a 7th grader she would need the 500 or 600 level, not the 700 level, but the test would be your guide on that one.

 

IMO, her trouble is probably more to do with holes left from her time in public school than any inherent problems she may have. Yacko came home from public after 5th grade and literally could not subtract and borrow. I had to completely reteach him place value, and he'd done fairly well academically. He still struggles with fractions (oh, boy! does he struggle with fractions!!), so he's moving through the 600 level very slowly.

 

CLE introduces concepts in an unusual order, often bringing in fairly advanced things "early" compared to other programs. For example, Dot is almost finished the 100 level. She learned about congruent shapes at the beginning of the school year, and learned the actual term "congruent." Yacko & Wacko were not familiar with the term and sat through those lessons with her.

Edited February 21, 2010 by skaterbabs

[mcconnellboys]

I agree! I always forget about all the new Life of Fred books that are out now. They would be fun AND get the job done! (More fun than Key to.... books, by all means.)

[smilesonly]

Thank you ALL for offering a "btdt", advice, insight, support, and encouragement. :grouphug:

 

I am sick with a head cold I woke up with this AM, so while I would love and prefer to respond to each of your responses, I cannot. I can only say thank you to each of you.

 

Dh,dd and I sat down for a long talk about our situation. There were tears shed, but overall I honestly think dd is angry about how the PS curriculum let her down, and she is understandably frustrated. We kept explaining to her to not look at this as a negative(thanks to all of you!!), but to keep the end sight in mind-which is college prep. She gets it. I really have to say, that she is one hard working girl! Strong-willed can be so good when channeled usefully! ;)

 

And dh? Let's just say that I believe I have gained some respect from him in regards to my insights about how watered down, spoon-fed and rushed the PS system is! I think he really gets what I have been saying for years.

 

Dd spent hours doing placement tests for both Saxon and CLE-she was so determined to nail it, that we finally had to say enough! She placed in Saxon 8/7 and CLE's lower 600.

 

Then the decision making began! Dh and dd both fell in love with the descriptions of Life of Fred. Dh and I are both in total agreement with Dr. Stan's philosophy. I ordered her the Decimals and Percentages. I am VERY interested to se how this LoF will turn out!:D Dd is the one in the family who will sit down and read the entire cell phone instruction manual before she uses it(or any instructions!), so I have a feeling that this style of learning will suit her. (If it doesn't, the resale value is awesome!) Because dd expressed a desire to do workbooky math also, when our next paycheck comes in we will be ordering her the CLE 600 LightUnits,too.

 

Thanks for helping this momma and her family!!

 

Big :001_smile:

[Mom0012]

Because dd expressed a desire to do workbooky math also, when our next paycheck comes in we will be ordering her the CLE 600 LightUnits,too.

 

 

Big :001_smile:

 

So glad you are getting it worked out. I think it is good that you are also planning to order CLE because I don't think the LOF Decimals is considered a complete program. I am using LOF Fractions with my son, and while fun, there is no way it could be anything but a supplement to his regular math program. Of course, if your daughter already knows this stuff and just needs a quick refresher, it could be enough.

 

I think the upper levels of LOF are supposed to be stand-alone programs though. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

 

Lisa

[WishboneDawn]

I'd second the Life of Fred and/or Key to books. They're cheap, fun and thorough.

 

Honestly, ALL kids have gaps. Instead of beating yourself up about this which is absolutely useless, feel good that you noticed the problem and are addressing to promptly. Most kids with similar problems go right through the system and end up as adults who can't handle percentages and fractions.

[Pippen]

It's really common for students to forget what they're not using on a regular basis. .

 

:iagree: One of my three kids is far more apt to draw a blank on math if the topic hasn't been used regularly. When I started homeschooling and made the discovery I initially panicked and my student was really upset, but I looked back at the previous year's workbook and indeed the material had been covered. I just did a few weeks of review and then picked back up where the curriculum left off.

 

Kids are just wired up differently--I have one that retains the math skills well but didn't retain commonly used words in Spanish class.

[mystika1]

 

Comparing with other people is a bit like comparing shoe size. It might make for interesting conversation, but it probably isn't very fruitful.

 

:grouphug:

 

 

:hurray:well said. Yes, the problem needs to be addressed but it is not something that can't be fixed. That is the beauty of homeschooling.:001_smile: You are doubting yourself when it is the schools fault. You are already doing a better job than the school by caring enough to work on the issue!

 

CLE will take a return on your unused workbooks. You could easily sell the material on the boards. Everyone has already given curriculum suggestions to help so I would just concentrate on making your daughter feel good again. NEITHER OF YOU ARE FAILURES! THE SCHOOL IS THE REAL CAUSE OF THIS. Take it in stride and move along.

 

HTH,

 

Penny