Supplementing CLE w/MM

[~*~Michelle~*~]

Would this be too much or would they compliment each other? Dd is almost done (2 more chapters) of Horizons math and I'm looking for something else and really like CLE but want to supplement it with something else. Thoughts?

[Corraleno]

I haven't used CLE, but it seems like several people here use it with MM. I think CLE is spiral, isn't it? MM is mastery, so I think they'd complement each other well.

 

Jackie

[mom31257]

Would this be too much or would they compliment each other? Dd is almost done (2 more chapters) of Horizons math and I'm looking for something else and really like CLE but want to supplement it with something else. Thoughts?

 

Can I ask why you want to supplement? What do you feel CLE is lacking? I do not know what grades you are looking at. My ds is in 2nd grade CLE Math. I feel it is very thorough and not finding any need for supplementation at this point.

[Corraleno]

Can I ask why you want to supplement? What do you feel CLE is lacking? I do not know what grades you are looking at. My ds is in 2nd grade CLE Math. I feel it is very thorough and not finding any need for supplementation at this point.

 

I think some people feel that CLE does not teach math as "conceptually" as programs like Singapore and Math Mammoth, and they want their students to be exposed to that approach as well as just learning the algorithms.

 

Bill (Spy Car) summed it up in this thread:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162134&page=2

 

Jackie

[TracyP]

I think some people feel that CLE does not teach math as "conceptually" as programs like Singapore and Math Mammoth, and they want their students to be exposed to that approach as well as just learning the algorithms.

 

Bill (Spy Car) summed it up in this thread:

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162134&page=2

 

Jackie

 

Yep, we are going to supplement CLE with MM for this reason. I think they complement each other nicely.

[diaperjoys]

We're planning CLE (grade 2) as our core next year, with MM as a supplement. My son has used MM since Christmas this year, and it has really, really improved his understanding of concepts. It simply must remain in our curricula. However, the daily review of concepts in CLE is also essential for our son, and MM doesn't do that. Together, I think the two programs will give our son what he needs in math.

[abrightmom]

We're planning CLE (grade 2) as our core next year, with MM as a supplement. My son has used MM since Christmas this year, and it has really, really improved his understanding of concepts. It simply must remain in our curricula. However, the daily review of concepts in CLE is also essential for our son, and MM doesn't do that. Together, I think the two programs will give our son what he needs in math.

 

How do you combine them? Do you have ideas or tricks or suggestions here? I imagine BJU/CLE (your main program) is done daily. How often/when do you use MM? We LOVE MM and I am planning to dump RS in favor of that full time as soon as I can get my downloads to print. UGH. CLE looks awesome too and I've considered doing this exact scenario (CLE has that amazing drill work built in).

 

Any tips are GREATLY appreciated for this very non-mathy Mama.

[diaperjoys]

How do you combine them? Do you have ideas or tricks or suggestions here? I imagine BJU/CLE (your main program) is done daily. How often/when do you use MM? We LOVE MM and I am planning to dump RS in favor of that full time as soon as I can get my downloads to print. UGH. CLE looks awesome too and I've considered doing this exact scenario (CLE has that amazing drill work built in).

 

Any tips are GREATLY appreciated for this very non-mathy Mama.

 

I'm thinking CLE is our spine - do a lesson a day like a normal school year, plan to finish every lesson over the course of the year. MM is a supplement, so most days I have him do a page or two, and likely keep it going low key over breaks, summer, etc. But no sweat if MM isn't completely finished in a school year. For example, if he's telling time well via CLE, we won't do that; likewise with measuring, etc.

[HappyGrace]

 

I use both with older dd10 and it is going great so far (been just over a month.) We LOVE CLE but I wanted more "mental math" but not enough to overkill us (like adding Singapore would do) so we added in MM. I do feel CLE is complete, but I saw dd's thinking becoming very formulaic and she wasn't paying much attention to the conceptual anymore. I also do both because she also needs the spiral of CLE (MM is mastery.) The MM has caused so many lightbulb moments for dd-she is getting much more confident with understanding the "why" behind the math.

 

We do a lesson in CLE per day and add in a couple pages per day of MM. I don't try to correlate topics or anything like that-just do the next lesson in each. It looks like for the lower levels of MM, at least, that you could easily finish in a school year doing about 2 pages per day. If it looks like one or both is longer that day, I cross out some problems or do some orally. Generally this hasn't happened that much-it is such a good fit with both programs!!!

 

I did three levels of RS (A-C) and have done Singapore EB (with two dc), and Singapore 1a and b (with HIGs) and have Singapore 2a/2b and HIGs here. I also have done some of MEP 1 and 2. I think MM combines several of the best conceptual ideological elements from these programs into one pick-it-up-and-go curriculum! I'm so happy to have found it!

[curlygirlzx2]

I'm glad to see the CLE/MM combo is working out for so many people. I plan on doing this combo for next year.

[i.love.lucy]

HappyGrace,

 

My dd is 9.5 in 4th currently and finishing CLE 3 pretty soon. My hope is to move her into 4 for the rest of spring/summer so we can start 5 when she starts 5th this fall. I think I'm seeing some of the things you mentioned about your dd. I'm wondering if you are using the Blue series topically or the grade level Light Blue? Did you match that with the CLE level? IOW, how'd you know where to start with MM?

 

I use both with older dd10 and it is going great so far (been just over a month.) We LOVE CLE but I wanted more "mental math" but not enough to overkill us (like adding Singapore would do) so we added in MM. I do feel CLE is complete, but I saw dd's thinking becoming very formulaic and she wasn't paying much attention to the conceptual anymore. I also do both because she also needs the spiral of CLE (MM is mastery.) The MM has caused so many lightbulb moments for dd-she is getting much more confident with understanding the "why" behind the math.

 

We do a lesson in CLE per day and add in a couple pages per day of MM. I don't try to correlate topics or anything like that-just do the next lesson in each. It looks like for the lower levels of MM, at least, that you could easily finish in a school year doing about 2 pages per day. If it looks like one or both is longer that day, I cross out some problems or do some orally. Generally this hasn't happened that much-it is such a good fit with both programs!!!

 

I did three levels of RS (A-C) and have done Singapore EB (with two dc), and Singapore 1a and b (with HIGs) and have Singapore 2a/2b and HIGs here. I also have done some of MEP 1 and 2. I think MM combines several of the best conceptual ideological elements from these programs into one pick-it-up-and-go curriculum! I'm so happy to have found it!

[mom31257]

We're planning CLE (grade 2) as our core next year, with MM as a supplement. My son has used MM since Christmas this year, and it has really, really improved his understanding of concepts. It simply must remain in our curricula. However, the daily review of concepts in CLE is also essential for our son, and MM doesn't do that. Together, I think the two programs will give our son what he needs in math.

 

I am curious about MM. Looking over their samples, I don't see what is so significant about the way it teaches concepts. For example, I see pictures of manipulatives used in more problems, but CLE does use them with some, but not every problem. Do you use the curriculum or the supplemental materials? Maybe there is more in the teacher's manual than what I'm seeing.

[Corraleno]

I am curious about MM. Looking over their samples, I don't see what is so significant about the way it teaches concepts. For example, I see pictures of manipulatives used in more problems, but CLE does use them with some, but not every problem. Do you use the curriculum or the supplemental materials? Maybe there is more in the teacher's manual than what I'm seeing.

 

There isn't a separate TM for Math Mammoth ~ all the "teaching" is on the work pages, written directly to the student. FWIW, I don't think the samples on the website are very representative of MM. Also, I think if people are only looking at the samples for the early grades, they may look deceptively simple. Have you looked at the samples for 5B?

 

There are also specific techniques that MM teaches, like using bar diagrams to solve word problems or "completing tens" when you add, that may not be well represented in the samples. It's hard to get a sense of any curriculum just by looking at a few random pages, but I think for some programs (MM and MCT being two that immediately spring to mind) it's even harder to "get" how they work without actually using them.

 

With both MM and MCT, the striking thing is how many people who have started using them end up posting that their kids are having so many "aha!" moments, and are "getting" things they never really understood before.

 

Jackie

[HappyGrace]

HappyGrace,

 

My dd is 9.5 in 4th currently and finishing CLE 3 pretty soon. My hope is to move her into 4 for the rest of spring/summer so we can start 5 when she starts 5th this fall. I think I'm seeing some of the things you mentioned about your dd. I'm wondering if you are using the Blue series topically or the grade level Light Blue? Did you match that with the CLE level? IOW, how'd you know where to start with MM?

 

How funny! This is EXACTLY where my dd is, but she is 10 (late Dec birthday, plus she has been extremely ill with Lyme disease since Oct, so we have fallen behind). I figured if we do the last book of CLE 3 and then do 4 five days a wk from now through summer, we can start 5 on time for 5th grade! I actually started way back in 2 in MM and read ahead all through 2 and pulled out the things that she needed to firm up on conceptually (she could do it all in a formulaic way, but I picked out the things that showed her how to solve it conceptually), and will do the same with 3. (I only printed the pages we needed.) Then we'll start 4 and just work through the whole thing, a couple pages per day. She'll end up being "behind" in MM-not starting grade 5 in Sept-but that's ok-we can make that up over the next summer (I plan to do math through the summers from now on to keep her moving forward.) MM has been very easy to add in to CLE, and has been a miracle for us-to see dd regain confidence in math is amazing. It is helping her in CLE because now she understands what she's doing better and can use "strategies" rather than "formulas." And the best thing for me-it is carrying over into "real life"-she is happily figuring things out in the store, or figuring out money for planning her garden budget, etc. Previously, she would not even attempt the math in those types of things.

 

The Light Blue is what I use, and I'm really happy with it. It's a no-brainer; just do the next thing. For me, it would be too much to match up topics, so I don't even try. If you plan to continue supplementing with MM, I would probably do Lt. Blue. I'm not sure where to tell you to start. Probably in your shoes, if I planned to continue with MM along with CLE, what I would do is buy the Light Blue package on the Homeschool Buyer's group buy for an amazing price (30% off right now; could get up to 40% off-only need 11 more people and there is 13 more days!-make that 10 more people because I didn't buy mine yet-it is very worth it; has grades 1-6 !!! plus all the great links to math games that she puts in, and the customizable Softpak software for worksheets, etc.) That is what I'm doing. Then you could look back through grade 3 and pull things from there that you want to cover to fill any conceptual gaps, and when you're done with that, move on to MM 4.

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/math-mammoth/

 

I hope that helps somewhat! Go ahead and ask if you have other questions.

 

 

I am curious about MM. Looking over their samples, I don't see what is so significant about the way it teaches concepts. For example, I see pictures of manipulatives used in more problems, but CLE does use them with some, but not every problem. Do you use the curriculum or the supplemental materials? Maybe there is more in the teacher's manual than what I'm seeing.

 

I felt the same way when I was looking it over-I thought, "That's it?" If you look back on old MM threads, you'll even see me asking the same question you are asking! But I continued to research and ask questions, and finally bought it. Now that we're using it, I just can't say enough good things about it, and I agree with Jackie that you have to try it with your dc to really understand. It is so easy to use and the way she explains it on the page just clicks.

 

And I agree that it was the same for us with MCT! :lol: I never thought it looked like much-even looked through a friend's whole program of it for an entire afternoon! It wasn't til I started using it that I really "got" it and dd is thriving with it!

 

Search back on some of the old threads about MM-from maybe a month and a half ago-I was asking a lot of questions and got some great answers from people (thank you!) that are using it.

Edited March 17, 2010 by HappyGrace

[i.love.lucy]

Thanks so much HappyGrace!!!! This is extremely helpful! Maybe our girls are a lot alike! I've been really thinking about MM for my son as well, so this purchase might be just the thing we need! Off to check it out some more!:auto: