When using a supplemental curriculum...

[fhjmom]

...how do you coorridinate the supplement with your main curriculum? I am specifically asking as I am probably going to use Singapore supplemented wth MEP, but I think the question applies to any combination. I would love to hear how you schedule when using two different curriculums for the same subject.

 

Also, how much importance do you place on getting through either or both curricula?

Edited August 4, 2010 by fhjmom

[Beth in SW WA]

I'm not clever enough to match anything topic by topic, skill by skill. We use random math materials as well as random grammar materials. They just tend to overlap.

 

Most likely, Singapore will be your spine and you'll add MEP along the way.

 

I'm casual, though. Others here have beautiful schedules aligning their different materials according to topic & skill set.

[patchfire]

I've used math curricula in parallel, not worrying about how the topics matched. Since each was intended as the sole instructional source, I figured that they would eventually reinforce each other. ;)

 

We're using multiple curricula/sources for science this year, and in this particular case, it's pretty easy to match up the topics of the "main" one with readings from the second, so I'm approaching it like that, more or less.

 

So, I think my approach, in general, would differ based on skill subject vs. content subject. Clear as mud? :)

[JudoMom]

Saxon is our main curriculum.

 

I've used Math Mammoth and a bit of the Keys to...series to supplement/shore up skills at times. I just pick and choose.

 

Last year my boys did Life of Fred Fractions 1 day a week. It wasn't working for us that well, and I decided Fred was best digested in a chunk of time. So ds11 did the PreAlgebra/Biology book over the summer, and ds9 did Decimals and Percents. I'm pleased with how this went, so when they finish their Saxon books in May, I'll have them both do the next Fred book.

[twoxcell]

We are using Singapore as our main math along with MEP. The singapore goes along with our main curriculum Beyond Little Hearts For His Glory. Beyond has 34 weeks scheduled, and since we already started school and like to go until mid May or so my plan is to do 4 weeks of Beyond with Singapore, and then 1 week of basics with MEP. We will also use MEP during our summer break.

[Chocolate Lover]

We are doing Singapore Primary Math as the main program, and Life of Fred Fractions, and plan to do Decimals and Percents as a reward once a week. DS has problems "finishing" the assignment on the day scheduled, so he gets to do LoF when the Singapore is finished for the week.

[BatmansWife]

I chose "other".

 

We are using McRuffy but use a little of Alphabet Island and Moving with Math. I love them all so I couldn't just pick one. :lol:

 

What I've been doing is doing the main curriculum M-Th and our supplement on Fri. Seems to be working fine.

[Closeacademy]

I've tried matching up topics and then doing a unit in one then a unit in the other. Or working through both curriculums at the same time on the same topic.

 

But I've found what works best is to:

 

work in curriclum A front to back--1 lesson per day

work in curriculum B front to back--whatever we need from the lesson that reinforces skills

 

So I use A to teach and B to review.:001_smile:

[AngieW in Texas]

My middle dd wasn't sure about either of the algebra programs I had for her. She wanted to use both of them. She did one chapter from Kinetic Books, then one chapter from Jacobs. She switched back and forth at the end of each chapter. She kept that up for an entire year and then decided that she'd rather just use Kinetic Books.

 

My youngest was using SIngapore and Key to. I had her work through SIngapore for 20 minutes each day and work through either Fractions or Decimals (alternating days) for 5 minutes. That worked until she hit a brick wall in Singapore and we dropped it.

[NancyNellen]

We use a Singapore/Miquon combo in the elementary years and just consider them 2 separate subjects. We do lessons out of each and we do not match up topics.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Another option is to use the supplement during traditional vacation times or during summer. I've found this to be an excellent system for keeping the memory going or providing additional reinforcement. I do try to keep the supplements fun or shorter than a normal lesson.

[Sahamamama]

We are using this as our core and this as our supplement for Kindergarten/1st grade math. It seems to be working well, but it's only K, so who can tell?

 

For our core component, I wanted something that would be easy enough for me to teach from consistently. For myself I wanted a traditional approach (e.g., no "number bonds" or other strange concepts :001_huh:). For my daughter I wanted clean, colorful pages with plenty of repetition (e.g., a spiral, rather than mastery, approach). Horizons fits all of this.

 

For our more hands-on math, I wanted guidance (hand-holding) in using manipulatives. Hands-On Standards is full of "mathese," but it has taught me how to incorporate the manipulatives into our daily lessons, by focusing us on using them in separate lessons. IOW, the Hands-On Standards lessons introduce the use of manipulatives to learn a concept, and then we get comfortable with that usage and bring it into other lessons, even with Horizons.

 

We do five Horizons lessons per week and one Hands-On Standards lesson per week. I don't make any attempt to coordinate the topics, but I did go through the Hands-On Standards manual's TOC and list the first lessons in each sub-topic (e.g., Numbers and Operations; Geometry; Measurement; Algebra; Statistics and Probability). We are working on the initial lessons for each sub-set of topics. Next year we will review all these lessons in the first quarter, then work on new lessons. Maybe we'll finish Hands-On next year, but there's no rush to get "through" it.

 

I think the Horizons is the slow-and-steady tortoise, and the Hands-On is there for those "aha" moments, for teaching me how to teach abstract math concepts, and for making math more fun with the manipulatives.

 

We also use lots of Kumon and some stuff from School Zone. We simply work through it, no attempt to coordinate AT ALL! :lol: I think the variety is good for her, she seems to enjoy it and has a solid grasp on her math at her level. HTH.

 

So, our weekly math routine is:

Mon-------- No Seat Work

Tues-------- 2 Horizons + Kumon + School Zone + Math Games + Math Fact Drill

Wed-------- 2 Horizons + Kumon + School Zone + Math Games + Math Fact Songs

Thurs------- 1 Horizons + Kumon + School Zone + Math Picture Book + Math Fact Computer Games

Fri---------- 1 Hands-On + Kumon + School Zone + Math Picture Book + Math Fact Flash Cards

Edited August 4, 2010 by Sahamamama
Forgot to give our weekly routine. Duh.

[KrissiK]

Well, since this is my first shot at hybridizing, I'm doing about a month of Singapore and then another month of A Beka. And then back again. I have no idea how that's going to work out.:confused:

[Cindyg]

I've used math curricula in parallel, not worrying about how the topics matched. Since each was intended as the sole instructional source, I figured that they would eventually reinforce each other. ;)

 

Same here. Both every day. I stick to the schedule in the spine. I do a little bit every day in the supplement. If we get overwhelmed or if it doesn't work, we drop, pause, slow down, or tweak the supplement. I keep to the daily schedule in the spine.

[Sunshine State Sue]

I think I've tried the majority of your options. We used MUS and supplemented with Singapore's CWP for 3 years. First year, we completed MUS then did CWP. Second year, we completed a chunk of MUS, then a chunk of CWP. Third year, we we did an equal amount (relatively) each day. The last year we used MUS, we also used LoF. We did an equal amount of both 3x a week. It seemed to work best for us.

 

Also, how much importance do you place on getting through either or both curricula?

I tend to be Type A drill sergeant. It was important to me to finish both. That worked fine when the supplement (CWP) was really a supplement. I have some regrets about doing 2 complete (MUS+LoF Algebra) programs in a year. With 20/20 hindsight, I would have done it differently (MUS Algebra with Patty Paper Geometry).

 

Good luck!

Edited August 5, 2010 by Sue in St Pete

[melmichigan]

I've used math curricula in parallel, not worrying about how the topics matched. Since each was intended as the sole instructional source, I figured that they would eventually reinforce each other.

 

This is our approach as well with SM and CLE.