Does RightStart A-E really teach all the math needed for Algebra?

[Corraleno]

He'll also need to learn fractions, which I think we can learn from MM...hoping they cover it well. I honestly haven't done a lot of MM research on their efficacy from parents using it.

Fractions/decimals/percents are one of MM's greatest strengths, IMO. Those topics are taught very conceptually, and there is emphasis on the relationships between them (e.g. a fraction is really a division problem, a decimal is a fraction with a denominator of 10/100/1000/whatever, etc). It makes "translating" from one form to another very fluid & easy. She always explains the mathematical reasoning behind why a shortcut or "trick" works (e.g. moving the decimal when dividing by a decimal) rather than just saying "move the decimal" or "invert & multiply" or "two negatives make a positive" or whatever. I think the coverage of geometry (including area, perimeter, volume) and integers in MM5 are also extremely good, and are better than what I've seen in most pre-algebra programs.

 

Jackie

[siloam]

I'm doing it again, too with my 6 yr old. I learned my lesson the first time around....we're skipping A. I regret slogging through that only to find the review in B. It put us behind in the whole sequence. I was planning to be a bit behind because we don't push early academics, but not that much.

 

And I will do it again in a couple yrs w/my now-4 yr old. :)

 

My questions are: After RS E, does one switch to MM 5th complete curriculum, MM 6th complete curriculum, or just fill in the gaps with the worktexts? If it's the latter, which gaps would those be?

 

My oldest is in 5th grade, but is still in D...about half-way through. He "gets" most of the concepts, and I'm thinking about skipping ahead to E and filling in the blanks with some MM. (This is the topic of another thread I need to start :tongue_smilie:). It's just taking us TOOOOO long to get through. He's got issues with focusing on his work, so the already long lessons drag on for hours, which is detrimental to our entire day (not to mention no fun for him). He still hasn't gotten to division...as a 5th grader! I'm sure he could figure it out fairly quickly as he picks up the concepts easily, but just can't focus on worksheets.

It feels like a big deal now, but really it isn't. I would just keep plugging away.

 

Keep in mind that after you finish E that most people do a pre-algebra program then jump into Algebra. My oldest who is finishing up E as a 6th grader, will do Pre-Algebra next year for 7th with one day of RS Geometry, then finish Pre-Algebra with probably 2 days of RS Geometry for 8th and be right on track for doing Algebra in 9th. No she won't be advanced, but she is not a math person, so just owning the concepts to date is a great benefit.

 

If you finish earlier what will you do? Do you really need to skip ahead, and what if you accidentally skip essential material? I just don't see where skipping ahead is worth the risk, IMO.

 

Heather

[MamaNurse]

Fractions/decimals/percents are one of MM's greatest strengths, IMO. Those topics are taught very conceptually, and there is emphasis on the relationships between them (e.g. a fraction is really a division problem, a decimal is a fraction with a denominator of 10/100/1000/whatever, etc). It makes "translating" from one form to another very fluid & easy. She always explains the mathematical reasoning behind why a shortcut or "trick" works (e.g. moving the decimal when dividing by a decimal) rather than just saying "move the decimal" or "invert & multiply" or "two negatives make a positive" or whatever. I think the coverage of geometry (including area, perimeter, volume) and integers in MM5 are also extremely good, and are better than what I've seen in most pre-algebra programs.

 

Jackie

 

Excellent feedback, Jackie. Many thanks to you for your words.

 

Amy

[MamaNurse]

It feels like a big deal now, but really it isn't. I would just keep plugging away.

 

Keep in mind that after you finish E that most people do a pre-algebra program then jump into Algebra. My oldest who is finishing up E as a 6th grader, will do Pre-Algebra next year for 7th with one day of RS Geometry, then finish Pre-Algebra with probably 2 days of RS Geometry for 8th and be right on track for doing Algebra in 9th. No she won't be advanced, but she is not a math person, so just owning the concepts to date is a great benefit.

 

If you finish earlier what will you do? Do you really need to skip ahead, and what if you accidentally skip essential material? I just don't see where skipping ahead is worth the risk, IMO.

 

Heather

 

Heather...Thanks for pointing out that he won't be that behind. I needed to see that spelled out. When I search old posts here, I see over and over about kids who are finishing E at super early ages and I don't know how to apply those situations to us since we're older. I'm glad to know that you are in a similar place. As I mentioned before, I specifically waited until about 1st or 2nd grade to start (just personal preferences re: early academics, even though ds could have done the work) and then quickly fell behind as ds's ADD struggles emerged. Luckily, he's always been strong at math...just slow. He hasn't met a concept that has confused him, but maybe that's just b/c Dr Cotter explains things so well...or maybe it's b/c he's geared toward math...or maybe both. He's a Visual-Spatial learner.

 

Your last paragraph of questions is important and exactly what I have asked myself time and time again for the past 2 yrs. I haven't got any good answers. ;)

 

What would I do if I skipped ahead? I would move to MM for specific topics and then LoF. After that, I guess I need to think about pre-alg and algebra and finding a program that suits my V-S learner. Sigh....I'm overwhelmed. MUS, VT, TT, Chalk-Dust.....??

 

Thank you all for your feedback. It's really helping!

 

Amy

[emmsmama]

Even though I was a bit flustered at the end of RS E, wondering where to go, I still will use it with ds. He's in RS B right now and I plan on going up to RS E with him too as long as it continues to work well for him. I like the way things are laid out in a way that they "click" for my kids easily (most of the time). I like that it has a strong emphasis on understanding. I like that at the end of E all I feel I need to go a bit more in depth with is fractions, but since dd is done E and I'm not in a hurry to get into Pre-Algebra or Algebra with her, I'm doing MUS Epsilon and Zeta with her to solidify fractions and decimals for her.

 

LoF next year is to give her a bit of "fun" math to be silly with while still learning and to also put a different spin on things and maybe teach her a few concepts she might have missed along the way. I've read through the LoF books from cover to cover and worked some of the problems and although I think there are some great concepts and ways of teaching in it, I wouldn't personally recommend it as a sole text for a kid who doesn't "get" things easily. There were some things I read in LoF Fractions or LoF D&P that had me scratching my head and I had to re-read them multiple times to understand them.