Hey Math-heads, Let's Talk CSMP!!!

[Halcyon]

So, who's used it? What do you think? What other curriculums do you use? How do you feel it differs from MEP and Singapore? I think it was Bill (Spycar) who pointed it out initially.

 

Talk :)

 

ETA: here's the link: http://ceure.buffalostate.edu/~csmp/

Edited March 15, 2010 by Halcyon

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

Do you mean this site?

 

http://www.heymath.com/main/terms.jsp

 

I am saving up the money to try the site;) It does look great. They have a free trial that I have not tried yet;) I think it is used as a supplement in Singapore.

[Crimson Wife]

:bigear:

Weird timing that I saw this thread just as I was printing out the multiplication problems from CSMP.

[Halcyon]

Nope, I mean this one! Editing my OP for clarity!

[Halcyon]

:bigear:

Weird timing that I saw this thread just as I was printing out the multiplication problems from CSMP.

 

 

Swoon. Those look fun :) We're considering adding in the third grade Festival of Problems and some minicomputer work for variety.

 

Cuz we don't do enough math here. :tongue_smilie:

[Spy Car]

Cuz we don't do enough math here. :tongue_smilie:

 

:D:D:D

 

It's not like anything else, that's for sure.

 

Me and the little-man do like having our "secret-code" way of making numbers (mini-computer).

 

And he's gotten VERY GOOD at Venn Diagrams.

 

CSMP remains a "diversion" for us, but it's fun. And definitely different.

 

Bill (who still hasn't read the 700+ page CSMP teachers book for the First Grade)

[Halcyon]

:D:D:D

 

It's not like anything else, that's for sure.

 

Me and the little-man do like having our "secret-code" way of making numbers (mini-computer).

 

And he's gotten VERY GOOD at Venn Diagrams.

 

CSMP remains a "diversion" for us, but it's fun. And definitely different.

 

Bill (who still hasn't read the 700+ page CSMP teachers book for the First Grade)

 

 

Ya, I am slowly making my way through the TG, but I don't want to print it out...I wonder how much it would cost to get it printed at Staples. Probably too much....

[Tracy]

Ya, I am slowly making my way through the TG, but I don't want to print it out...I wonder how much it would cost to get it printed at Staples. Probably too much....

 

I inquired at FedEx, and they quoted me $300 for the entire 1st grade curriculum, most of which is the 700-page teacher's manual. The cost is that there are so many pages with color. Even if there is one dot of color, they charge you for a color copy. (And there are many pages with just one or two dots of color.)

 

I don't see how I can do the curriculum without printing the teacher's manual, though. I just can't get through it online. We are actually considering buying a new laser printer since this is not the only online curriculum that we are going to use.

 

BTW, you might want to check out this blog post for a review of CSMP: http://puzzler.multiply.com/journal/item/12/Show_and_Tell_3_CSMP.

 

Hey, does anyone know if there is a yahoo group or other forum for CSMP?

 

Tracy

[Poke Salad Annie]

I printed the lessons for the 3rd grade entry supplement, and we've been working through the lessons as they are given in the schedule. As I've posted before, I made four or five mini-computers with some scrapbook paper to match the C-rods. I cut the paper into 3" X 3" squares, then glued all four of these squares onto a 6" x 6" piece of poster board. Since I had all of the supplies on hand, they were virtually free, except for my time and effort. It was well worth the time spent making them, as they are durable and will last through many lessons. For the *checkers* I use a package of those little glass stones from Dollar Tree. I've got to see if I can spray-paint some black, as we need this for the lesson on Eli's Magic Peanuts.

 

I plan on using this all the way through, and will burn it onto a CD, just in case it ever disappears from public use.

 

About the 700 page teacher's guide....I think it might be meant as an introduction to all of the Primary level materials, meaning that some of those pages are probably part of the teacher's guide to second and third grade as well. Also, we have found that many of the exercises in the workbook from second grade are fun to work as warm-ups. If you worked through some of the introductory lessons, it should be easy to use only the workbook for that level, if that is all you are interested in using. Me---I want to print them all! This stuff is :thumbup1:.

[Tracy]

About the 700 page teacher's guide....I think it might be meant as an introduction to all of the Primary level materials, meaning that some of those pages are probably part of the teacher's guide to second and third grade as well.

 

:iagree: I looked at the teacher's manuals for the 2nd and 3rd grade years, and they are much shorter than the 1st grade manual. But this gives me all the more reason to print it out. It is a one-time expense, and it seems a necessary introduction to the entire elementary math curriculum.

 

Tracy

[Poke Salad Annie]

I print all of my own with my lowly ink-jet printer. I have posted about how I manage my printing costs on a thread about MEP. I just tried to post a link, but it didn't work, sorry.

One thing you could do to print cheaper is to print it all in B/W, then go back over and use colored pencil where it is needed. Time consuming, but it could save a lot of money vs. color printing.

Edited March 15, 2010 by Poke Salad Annie

[Poke Salad Annie]

:iagree: I looked at the teacher's manuals for the 2nd and 3rd grade years, and they are much shorter than the 1st grade manual. But this gives me all the more reason to print it out. It is a one-time expense, and it seems a necessary introduction to the entire elementary math curriculum.

 

Tracy

 

Tracy, $300 is too, too much for one teacher's guide to be printed!! Save yourself some money and try this first---

 

I'm not sure the whole teacher's manual is necessary. I would first:

 

*Look at the schedule for the year you are teaching

*Find in the manual where that lesson is first introduced

*Save those page #'s for printing

*Teach yourself how the strings, arrows and mini-computer work. Read about Eli's peanuts. I can't imagine that you need much more instruction than that. Just print off the lessons you feel are necessary, or that you need help with. Could you print only the workbook, then access the stories and teacher's guide online? That's how I use MEP.

[Spy Car]

One thing you could do to print cheaper is to print it all in B/W, then go back over and use colored pencil where it is needed. Time consuming, but it could save a lot of money vs. color printing.

 

I've had to do this as we have a b/w laser printer. What I've used are blue and pink "highlighters". A "pain"? Kinda :D

 

Fortunately, *most* of the material we've encountered thus far is black and white friendly, but there are some items that do not make sense without color or adding color cues by hand.

 

I know you've mentioned it it other threads, but watching the CSMP "films" on the website is a good way to get a feeling for how the program is taught.

 

Bill

[Tracy]

Tracy, $300 is too, too much for one teacher's guide to be printed!! Save yourself some money and try this first---

 

I'm not sure the whole teacher's manual is necessary. I would first:

 

*Look at the schedule for the year you are teaching

*Find in the manual where that lesson is first introduced

*Save those page #'s for printing

*Teach yourself how the strings, arrows and mini-computer work. Read about Eli's peanuts. I can't imagine that you need much more instruction than that. Just print off the lessons you feel are necessary, or that you need help with. Could you print only the workbook, then access the stories and teacher's guide online? That's how I use MEP.

 

:iagree:Totally! Didn't even consider calling FedEx back. We have a couple of other options. DH can print it out on our own paper at work for the cost of ink. We just have to figure out how much that will be. We have also considered buying an efficient color laser printer. You can get them for $300. If our current printer weren't already older than my oldest child, I wouldn't consider it. But taking into account that I also just purchased TOG DE, there is plenty we would use a new laser printer for.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I will take a look at these and see if perhaps we can get by that way.

 

Tracy

[Poke Salad Annie]

I've had to do this as we have a b/w laser printer. What I've used are blue and pink "highlighters". A "pain"? Kinda :D

 

Fortunately, *most* of the material we've encountered thus far is black and white friendly, but there are some items that do not make sense without color or adding color cues by hand.

 

I know you've mentioned it it other threads, but watching the CSMP "films" on the website is a good way to get a feeling for how the program is taught.

 

Bill

 

Yep, I agree with all of this. I totally missed on using highlighters for that job, though. (Thanks for the info!)

Edited March 17, 2010 by Poke Salad Annie

[Halcyon]

Bumping to find out if anyone has been using this consistently since I first posted this thread. Also, now that I have an ipad, I won't need to print out anything--we can just use notability!

[Tracy]

We are just finishing up our grade 2, our second year with CSMP. I love it! And so far, I do not feel that anything is missing. I do take the opportunity to put a greater emphasis on traditional algorithms, though. But it is easy to do that since I am doing all the teaching.

[Halcyon]

We are just finishing up our grade 2, our second year with CSMP. I love it! And so far, I do not feel that anything is missing. I do take the opportunity to put a greater emphasis on traditional algorithms, though. But it is easy to do that since I am doing all the teaching.

 

Thanks Tracy, was hoping you'd pipe in. I think I am going to use this with my younger, particulalry the mini computers.

[poetic license]

I've been dying to use bits of CSMP but I have a case of so much math, so little time! Between MEP, Miquon, and bits of SM, I don't know how I can fit it in...but you all are tempting me! :tongue_smilie:

[Tracy]

I've been dying to use bits of CSMP but I have a case of so much math, so little time! Between MEP, Miquon, and bits of SM, I don't know how I can fit it in...but you all are tempting me! :tongue_smilie:

 

If you join the CSMP Yahoo Group, there is a document in the files section listing lessons that you can do with no previous CSMP experience.

[cmarango]

We are using CSMP intermingled with Rightstart (our spine), Singapore, Miquon, LOF, and MM (only when on vacation).

 

I started by going through the K lessons and picking and choosing what looked interesting, but the lessons for first, of which we are about one-third of the way through, build much more on one another. Now we just turn to CSMP when my dd needs a bit of time to digest her RS lessons. In general, we tend to do 2 CSMP lessons at a time.

[Miss Tick]

I remember learning CSMP in 4th grade. The rest of that year was a sad waste of time, but I went to a different class for that and remember that we had little magnetic minicomputers and magnetic dots. I've looked at the site, and like one of the PP would like to add some of that into what we do, but too much math, too little time!

 

Surely I could squeeze in some of the worksheets as a variation on math-fact practice though.... (off to see if I can find the sheets I printed a while back) :D

[kathkath]

Camp was recommended by the shelaigh gifted speaker from rfp in Cincinnati.

[Erin I]

Has anyone started with 1st grade or do you need to start with K and work forward? We're almost finished with RightStart B and getting into Singapore math, would like to use this program as well. Thanks for any advice!

[nansk]

We did many of the lessons from CSMP first grade. We didn't do CSMP K at all.

[Erin I]

Thanks!

[happycc]

yet another math curriculum that looks great!!!!

 

 

Ok I have upper aged kids 10yrs and do I start them in 4th or 5th grade or do I start at K level?

[Kathleen in LV]

:iagree: w/ happycc

 

 

I was content with my decision to pass on Singapore (other than maybe some of the supplemental stuff) & stick w/ MEP along with miscellaneous living books, puzzles, games, etc., and now this thread gets revived!

 

Now I have something else interesting to investigate. And only 700 pages of teacher's guide to browse? What is summer for, right?

 

Thanks!

[Tracy]

yet another math curriculum that looks great!!!!

 

 

Ok I have upper aged kids 10yrs and do I start them in 4th or 5th grade or do I start at K level?

 

 

I have only used grades 1 and 2. If you ask on the Yahoo Group, you may get additional answers.

 

My understanding is that you need to start with the Intermediate Entry Supplement. It will introduce both teacher and student to the unique aspects of CSMP, including mini-computers (another way to represent numbers and functions), strings (sets) and magic peanuts (negative numbers). Then you can start with Intermediate Grades Part I material (fourth grade, 1st semester).