Please explain Miquon, I need some hand holding, please...

[Irishmommy]

I got my set and I love the looks of it, but I need more encouragement. How exactly do I set up the lessons? What do I do with the first grade diary stuff? Do I do that first, before starting the workbooks? Do I do it with the workbook lessons? Then, once I start the workbooks, do I let the child do the workbook by himself? Do I walk him through the workbook pages? How many pages do I have him/her do a day? It is set up to do 1-2 pages per day? Sorry for the twenty question, but I'm just trying to understand all of this. I have looked at the Notes to Teachers, but I haven't read it closely. Maybe all of my questions are answered there, not sure. TIA!

[justasque]

I got my set and I love the looks of it, but I need more encouragement. How exactly do I set up the lessons? What do I do with the first grade diary stuff? Do I do that first, before starting the workbooks? Do I do it with the workbook lessons? Then, once I start the workbooks, do I let the child do the workbook by himself? Do I walk him through the workbook pages? How many pages do I have him/her do a day? It is set up to do 1-2 pages per day? Sorry for the twenty question, but I'm just trying to understand all of this. I have looked at the Notes to Teachers, but I haven't read it closely. Maybe all of my questions are answered there, not sure. TIA!

 

I would start by getting out the first workbook and the Cuisinaire rods, and, along with your child, taking a look. Treat each page like a puzzle. What do they want you to do? What are they trying to show you? Let your child have a bit of time to figure it out. Talk about what your child discovers. Play. When you're done with the first page, see how you feel. Do you want to do another one? If so, go ahead. If not, put it aside and do it again tomorrow. You might speed through pages at first, then slow down as you get to material your child doesn't already know. (But it's worth doing the beginning stuff, even if it's easy, to get the hang of Miquon.) Meanwhile, when you have a spare minute, begin reading the support materials. It will help you get ideas for how to talk with your child as you go, and additional things to think about or things to do with the rods. Miquon is powerful stuff, but the pauses to think and ponder are just as important as putting pencil to paper. If you find yourself butting in too much, take up a knitting project or chop up some vegetables while your child works. (Yes, I am very serious about this part.) This is not stuff to hurry through.

[Irishmommy]

Since dd will just be starting K, I plan on just going very slowly to build up her skills. I may just let dd and ds play for a while before even starting the lessons. Thanks for the advice! Any other thoughts?:001_smile:

[Amber in AUS]

I agree with Pauline about not butting in too much. The kids need to figure it out for themselves that is all part of it. If they genuinely don't understand what to do on the page then encourage and provide some instructions but don't do it for them and let them find their own way after you help with the first, yes, even if you can see they have it wrong, they may realise their error when it doesn't 'fit' properly.

 

I let my kids pick whichever page they like to work on but both have preferred to work sequentially.

[MAMommy]

Ditto to Pauline & Amber. I may have to explain something very simply to DD & when it clicks she will sit down & do 4-5 pages on her own. She is pretty much doing this all on her own.

[Cindyz]

I agree with Pauline about not butting in too much.

 

Maybe I'm a little confused then too. When reading the First Grade Diary where it explains the author's instructions and actions, there seems to be quite a bit of instructor interactions.

 

I've been following along with the activities in the First Grade Diary and I then give him some direction and let him go, but I don't just open the workbook and leave him to himself.

 

We JUST started with the workbook as I let him have a couple weeks of just free playing with the rods while I took time to read over the materials. This photo was from the first few lab pages. We played number bingo and then he corresponded the sets with the correct rod and then he created number bonds for each rod on one of the pages. He enjoyed discovering the number bonds all on his own and was very proud of himself. We then took the same pages and took turns making number sentences from the sets.

 

[bigdogs29906]

I had my son spend some time just "playing" with the rods. Have you seen the alphabet cuisenaire book? Or other similar books? It can be a gentle introduction to working with the rods.

In the case of my son, by just playing with the blocks ( I did gently introduce the number that they stood for) he was able to grasp so much. And to boot, he grasped it quicker than I did!

 

For our family, Miquon was a way for my kids to "see" how the numbers worked together...so,

I say, give your kids the some time to see if they can make sense of it. You might be surprised.

[Irishmommy]

So, am I supposed to "do" something with the first grade diary? Or, am I supposed to just read it to get a feel for the program?

[Irishmommy]

:confused:

[Rivka]

Read it to get a feel for the program. You may also want to use some of their ideas for games and activities.

 

A few things to keep in mind about Miquon:

 

- You're not supposed to work through all the workbooks in a linear fashion, completing every page. In the original Miquon classrooms, they had lab sheets available on a variety of topics and the kids had free choice of what to work on. They had to bind them into workbooks to publish them, but you can - and should - definitely give your child the opportunity of moving around in the books. For example, we're working simultaneously in Orange and Red and moving back and forth between various topics in both books.

 

- With Miquon there is more emphasis on being able to compute math facts than on memorizing math facts. The First Grade Diary makes it clear that kids are supposed to have the opportunity to use rods or other manipulatives to figure out problems until the kids themselves decide to let the rods go. A lot of the lab sheets are aimed at helping kids figure out patterns of how numbers relate to each other.

 

I make sure to model many different ways of figuring out math facts my daughter doesn't yet have memorized. Sometimes we'll use rods, sometimes I'll draw a number line for her, sometimes we'll use our fingers, and sometimes I'll help her discover patterns: "Let's see, you know four plus FOUR, so four plus FIVE must be..." She's definitely memorizing facts through repeated exposure to these strategies, but she's also gaining a deeper understanding of how numbers fit together and how to tackle a problem.

[Spock]

When my older two used Miquon together (at the time they were my only children, and only 15mo apart) we did this:

 

 

1. Play a game from the First Grade Dairy--any topic or game that looked fun to me. I usually picked which ones at the beginning of each week. Sometimes this was "rod free play", a big favorite that actually turned out to teach a lot.
   
2. Do a lesson style game from Lab Sheet Annotations (one of the games or activities that are suggested at the beginning of each topic to teach those concepts
   
3. Work on any lab sheets of their choice (sometimes I asked them to do a certain number of pages, and other times I asked them to work for a certain amount of time). Usually I let them choose any sheet from the book they were working on. If they were on a topic they loved, I would let them work a book ahead. I did make them finish all of the pages in a book before working regularly in the next book, though.
   

When I used Miquon with the younger ones I had two middle school/high school boys to work with, so this was condensed to one or two games per week along with the lab sheets. I believe this is the reason the younger two only liked Miquon and didn't love it the way the older two did. (Though once the older two were in the Blue/Green/Yellow/Purple books we also cut down on the games, first to one a day, then slowly to once or twice a week)

[Irishmommy]

So, if I wanted to add my older in the Miquon (because he'll be in Saxon 5/4 next year), how would you suggest doing that? Should I have him play the games with sister? I have always hesitated using ANY manipulative with him because he will go crazy with the imaginative play and never get any mathy thinking done (all the rods become armies of creatures). But, I want him to have the benefit of the Miquon way of thinking about math that everyone talks about. Help me plan my math lessons please!;)

[Irishmommy]

Purty please!

[Spock]

So, if I wanted to add my older in the Miquon (because he'll be in Saxon 5/4 next year), how would you suggest doing that? Should I have him play the games with sister? I have always hesitated using ANY manipulative with him because he will go crazy with the imaginative play and never get any mathy thinking done (all the rods become armies of creatures). But, I want him to have the benefit of the Miquon way of thinking about math that everyone talks about. Help me plan my math lessons please!;)

 

I would probably include him in the math games. The games are more fun with two kids and mom than with one kid and mom, anyway. If you plan 15-20 minutes of rod free play as one of the activities (or allow rod free play after school), he will probably co-operate better in playing the math games as intended. I have always had the rods available for free play after school. They are a favorite toy, as well as an all-purpose math teaching tool.

 

If you see a worksheet that applies to something he is learning or having trouble with, you might have him do that lab sheet, too. (He will probably want to do the "H" pages--the ones where you "draw a hat on 1/8 of the snowmen. Draw a sad face on 1/4 of the snowmen. Draw hair on 1/2 of the children. etc." I always had to make extra pages like this for my children, because all 4 of them loved these pages.)

 

Since he already has a math program (and is already past most of the Miquon lessons, but not all) you probably wouldn't want him to do all of the pages.

[Spock]

accidentally double posted

Edited June 16, 2010 by Spock

[Spy Car]

This photo was from the first few lab pages. We played number bingo and then he corresponded the sets with the correct rod and then he created number bonds for each rod on one of the pages. He enjoyed discovering the number bonds all on his own and was very proud of himself. We then took the same pages and took turns making number sentences from the sets.

 

 

What a beautiful boy!

 

It looks to me that you all have a clear grasp on Miquon.

 

Bill

[FO4UR]

A thought: let a child use the rods for imaginative play. This HELPS not HINDERS! Observe his play! You need to learn how he learns (and what he knows) as much as he needs to learn math.

 

 

If you use the search function for Miquon, you will find lots of info here!

 

Here is one of my replies on another thread:

 

It helps to have an element of putting together a puzzle, cracking a code, solving a mystery....kwim.

 

I *try* to severely limit the amount of math that I actually *explain.* The explaining gives away the answer...it's like cheating on a crossword puzzle...it's just not as much FUN in the process. (not that we have singing and dancing around me when I pull out math in this house:lol:)

 

There aren't any B pages in the Orange book....I'll guess you meant Red book??? One activity I've done with evens/odds is laying out even rods on one side and odd rods on the other, telling ds7 that each rod belongs to its specific pile for a certain reason...he has to figure out that reason. (He loves feeling like he can outsmart me...I use that to my advantage while I can.LOL) He noted that he could line the piles up smallest to tallest and each pile could "stair-step" by 2's.....one pile could be divided in half equally, one could not...BINGO! The rods that can be divided equally into halves are even, the ones that can't are odd.

 

AFTER a discovery, hands-on experience, THEN do the corrresponding lab sheets. Otherwise, it's just like any other math curric with C rods for damage control.

 

Regrouping...(after being solid with smaller number bonds)...I ask HIM how he can add a 6 and an 8 quickly. Gee, if we line it up next to a ten rod...I can see that if I take 2 from the 6 to make a 10 out of the 8 I have a 4 and a 10 which is easy - it's 14. I could have told him that, but it is more meaningful for HIM to build it, see it, touch it, own it with the rods. The greatest benefit is that he's learning a process of figuring things out mathematically...I talked even less covering multi-digit addition.

 

Multiplication...I gave him 2+2+2+2+2= for a problem and offered an easier way to write it down (he worked the problem first;)). 2 added 5 times, is 2 x 5. Then, I asked him, "do you think it works with all numbers?" The NEXT day he saw a lab sheet where he matched up + problems to equal x problems. I didn't throw the new concept plus labsheets at him in the same day.

 

Discovery...show what it looks like in mathematical notation...let it all marinate in the brain...practice and USE the new info.

 

Read and re-read the First Grade Diary. Get into the mode of observing THIS child...what does he know?...and how can I use that to teach him the next thing? Study the Lab Sheet Annotations, esp the pages at the beginning of each section. Your goal is to impart THAT INFO, and NOT for your dc to perform perfectly on the lab sheets. Why not end the math lesson when you notice the lab sheet is not going as planned...move on to another subject...later reflect back on what piece of info is MISSING that caused the wrong answers or blank stare....teach for that tomorrow. If dc seems to "get it" give him back the lab sheet to fix/finish. If not, move to a different math topic for a time.

[Irishmommy]

I think it is time I just dove into the teacher materials. Is there any order to which one I should read first, second, third?

[Spy Car]

I think it is time I just dove into the teacher materials. Is there any order to which one I should read first, second, third?

 

I would suggest reading Notes to Teachers first. It is short, and has a number of good ideas for getting a child going while you read....

 

The First Grade Diary. I would suggest that on your first pass you just sort of drink in the method. See how Lore Rasmussen teachers and remediated problems students are having. But don't try to memorize the thing. You can return later for specifics, but just get a sense of how she does it, and then think how you might do it.

 

The Lab Annotations will be highly useful to (continually review) as you get into the Lab Sheets. And just when you think you "get" Miquon, and don't need the Lab Annotations anymore, the book changes a little and adds more layers of depth. So don't stop. these works are a treasure trove!

 

Bill

[Satori]

Gah, you guys... And a few days ago I was excited about MEP. Now I'm excited about Cuisenaire rods and Miquon. And we're already doing a math program we love.

 

I was just about to purchase Miquon, when I discovered I already bought Orange a year ago with all the components (Diary, Lab Annotations, etc...). I printed it all out today. Had to replace the black ink toner. Thanks for all the info here, at least now I'll know what to start reading.

[Spy Car]

Gah, you guys... And a few days ago I was excited about MEP. Now I'm excited about Cuisenaire rods and Miquon. And we're already doing a math program we love.

 

I was just about to purchase Miquon, when I discovered I already bought Orange a year ago with all the components (Diary, Lab Annotations, etc...). I printed it all out today. Had to replace the black ink toner. Thanks for all the info here, at least now I'll know what to start reading.

 

How do you think some of us end up using more than a few math programs Angela? :D

 

Bill ( who thinks we need a new thread about how many math programs we own that we don't even know we own :tongue_smilie:)

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

I've been seeing this thread but only just tracked it down to read it because my Miquon books (just the teacher stuff for now) arrived in the mail today. :D Very helpful info on what to do with them!