Difference between Rod and Staff and Saxon Math?

[herbalgirl]

We're looking into changing our math curriculum to something a little more traditional. Dh just does not like the looks of Singapore math, and thinks it will cause troubles in later years with our oldest son, who thinks very similarly to dh.

 

What are the differences and/or similarities between Rod and Staff and Saxon math? Which would you say is the stronger program of the two?

 

Thanks for any advice you can give me!

[Closeacademy]

I only used Saxon K but I have used Rod & Staff 1, 2, and 4.

 

Rod and Staff

text or workbooks

lots of review

nice ideas for visuals

instructional ideas that would be easy to make into notebooking pages

 

Very strong program that covers math in detail. Can be boring and/or overkill.

 

Saxon

scripted

manipulatives

a bit scattered

 

I didn't like it because I can not stand scripted programs.

 

Hope this helps.:001_smile:

[Sara R]

My kids afterschool with Rod and Staff but use Saxon at school.

 

Both have strong review. The main difference is that Rod and Staff is a mastery program, and Saxon is a spiral. So in Rod and Staff there will be a unit where the kid studies two digit multiplication for 2 weeks. There are also review problems on other topics so they don't forget, but the "new" topic is just one thing.

 

In Saxon, they might would learn double digit multiplication one day, quarts and pints the next, how to solve x+7=16 another day, division with remainders another day, introduction to fractions the next day. For the homework they do 30 problems of different types, but don't really focus on the new concept. If they do the "lesson practice" they only practice the new concept for about 5 problems.

 

Rod and Staff only goes up to 8th grade, but many people successfully transition to another program in the middle school grades. It doesn't teach much algebra, but it teaches the basics thoroughly and transitioning to algebra works well with a strong foundation.

 

Saxon does go up to high school, but many kids don't do well with the scattered approach as they move to high school.

 

FYI, Rod and Staff's 1st and 2nd grade level is equivalent to first grade math in most other curricula. But they catch up by 4th grade. I just had my daughter do both curricula in 1st grade, even though it was a lot of busy work. I think it's important for them to learn the math facts automatically, and lots of practice gets that done.

[zantoc]

It really depends on how your kiddos learn. I tried Rod and Staff and MUS and my boys hated them and were not retaining much so we switched to Saxon and they love math and have tested very well in math. I came to the realization that different kids learn differently and once you figure out how your kiddos learn it is much easier to figure out what curriculum to use. With that said I do not use Saxon for the younger years, I think it is overkill.

Christa

[fiddledeedee]

We started out with Singapore math, since that was really popular at the time. It didn't work well for my daughter, she isn't very mathematically inclined. We switched to Rod and Staff in 2nd grade and she's finished 3 years of math since then. Like the others said, it's mastery and not spiral, but that's what my daughter needs. She does really well in math now, she needs that drill over and over, hammered in, the repetition helps her understand it.

 

I haven't used Saxon, so I have no experience with it.

 

HTH!

[AHASRADA]

I used R&S Math 7 with ds after using Singapore 1-4 and other odds and ends.

 

I have used Saxon 2, 3, and 5/4 with dd after RS for 1st.

 

As with any math program, it really depends on the child.

 

Saxon is a perfect fit for dd, who needs only a brief presentation of material to understand a concept, but constant and prolonged review to retain it. Saxon's spiral approach does this very well, by teaching a small piece of a concept, followed by a problem set that reviews a wide variety of concepts taught during the year. It does jump around from concept to concept, but this doesn't bother her. If they taught all aspects of multiplication, for example, and then moved on, she would end up forgetting what she learned in the "multiplication chapter" later on in the program.

 

Saxon's approach would have driven ds nuts, since he needs explicit, complete presentation of a concept, enough practice to drive it home, and then move on, with a bit of periodic review. R&S is excellent in this regard. There are review problems at the end of every lesson, but just enough to keep things fresh. The book is divided into chapters, covering each topic completely, but in bite-sized chunks, each lesson building on the previous one. I found their ways of explaining things easy to understand ,and have practical/useful word problems (especially if you live on a farm ;)).

 

So really, it boils down to which approach would work best for your particular dc.

 

HTH,

[Mom0012]

I used R&S Math 7 with ds after using Singapore 1-4 and other odds and ends.

 

I have used Saxon 2, 3, and 5/4 with dd after RS for 1st.

 

As with any math program, it really depends on the child.

 

Saxon is a perfect fit for dd, who needs only a brief presentation of material to understand a concept, but constant and prolonged review to retain it. Saxon's spiral approach does this very well, by teaching a small piece of a concept, followed by a problem set that reviews a wide variety of concepts taught during the year. It does jump around from concept to concept, but this doesn't bother her. If they taught all aspects of multiplication, for example, and then moved on, she would end up forgetting what she learned in the "multiplication chapter" later on in the program.

 

Saxon's approach would have driven ds nuts, since he needs explicit, complete presentation of a concept, enough practice to drive it home, and then move on, with a bit of periodic review. R&S is excellent in this regard. There are review problems at the end of every lesson, but just enough to keep things fresh. The book is divided into chapters, covering each topic completely, but in bite-sized chunks, each lesson building on the previous one. I found their ways of explaining things easy to understand ,and have practical/useful word problems (especially if you live on a farm ;)).

 

So really, it boils down to which approach would work best for your particular dc.

 

HTH,

 

I think CLE and Saxon are very similar. I have one child using CLE and the other using R&S. I think the way you explained the differences above are perfect.

 

Lisa