2 Rightstart questions (levels B and C)

[Snowfall]

Do you do the Cotter Tens Fractal in B, if you have only one student? If not, what do you do about that lesson? I can't see us doing that whole, enormous thing. That's huge! It would be fun, but that's a lot to do and I have on idea where we'd put it. I don't want to skip the whole lesson, though.

 

My second question is about subtraction in C. I don't have C and I've never seen it, but I've heard so many people say they drop RS halfway through level C. I've heard some say they do the first half to get through the RS way of subtracting with borrowing, then they drop it, but then I've heard others say they dropped it when they got to subtraction, because they didn't understand the RS way. Next year I'm going to be moving up to C or ditching RS, but I have no idea what it is with the RS way of subtraction that's so confusing for some people. I'm not a math genius, although I'm proficient enough. I don't want to spend the money on the next level, only to find out that I can't even understand it and therefore can't teach it. What is so novel and/or confusing about RS multidigit subtraction? Would it violate some copyright law for anyone to explain it to me - at least just enough for me to know if it would be something I could teach? :bigear:

 

It's really difficult to know whether or not to move up or switch when people have such differing opinions about this one issue. Thank you all!

[truebluexf]

Totally skipped that Tens Fractal. Waaaay too much work LOL!!!

 

I didn't like subtraction in C either. We kinda got through it, but DS nor I understood it. I like how they teach everything else, but we are switching to Math Mammoth for him this year. We did not finish C, only got to about 100. I was going to carry on, but just decided MM would be easier for us this year so I could teach B to DD1. Plus, I am using it now to reteach subtraction to DS in a way that makes more sense. I totally disliked the mental subtraction bc there was no real explanation, and really hated the way they did multi-digit on paper. That said, many many people love it so you really never know!

[Snowfall]

Thank you. I'm glad skipping that fractal wasn't a big deal for you, because I just don't see how we could do the whole thing.

 

Would you use the first part of C again, or ditch RS after B? I don't mind paying for RS if I can use at least half of it and that half is really, really good (like better than most other things), but I don't want to pay all that money if it doesn't fit both of those criteria.

[BearLair]

We have two children that have made it through level C so far, with one of them I skipped most of the fractal lesson......with the other we went all the way - he dug it so I felt like I should go along with it.

 

I am not a math wiz and had never been introduced to the RS method of subtraction before doing the program, but for whatever reason I understood it easily. One of my children understood it very quickly and the other took maybe an extra day or two to get it. I have explained 'the other way' to both children because if they see/hear anyone else doing subtraction it will most likely be done using the 'normal' method. I only explained the 'normal' method after they had the RS method down solid.

 

One of my children prefers the RS method for subtraction, the other switches between the two methods and I use the RS method. So, I guess it really is just a personal preference? How that information is supposed to help you I don't know! For myself I feel like I can see the subtraction while it's happening with the RS method, I can not visualize that as well with the 'normal' method.

 

So, after trying to explain how wonderful I think the RS program is I will tell you that we supplement with MM too. We use MM for extra practice on topics as needed or for a different way of explaining the same topic after going over the RS material.:001_huh:

[linders]

we did a mini-version of the fractals, just to get a sense of what it could be.

 

Regarding subtraction, the RS way is different. It forces you to look at the whole subtraction problem first, to decide what trading will be necessary, before you start subtracting. Because you do this ahead of time, you can then do the actual subtraction starting at the left instead of the right. Both DS got it easily, and now chide me because when I check their work I start at the right. It isn't any harder, just different from the way we learned, and I suppose helps with the looking at the big picture first.

[Crimson Wife]

I used RS through the end of C with my oldest. I skipped the fractal lesson and I also skipped the whole left-to-right method of subtraction. Didn't seem to hurt my DD any.

 

With my younger kids, I'm planning to finish B and then re-evaluate whether to continue on with C or switch to Singapore. If RS seems to be working well, I would have no hesitation going through E.

 

The main reason I switched my oldest to Singapore is that I thought she would benefit from something easier to accelerate and up the challenge level. When I previewed, RS D & E, I thought they had too much review and not enough new material for her. I felt like there was a single year's worth of material stretched out over 2 years.

[Aurelia]

We did the fractal, but stretched it out over the course of a week because it was a lot of cutting and gluing. I bought RS C at the same time I ordered B and at the moment I plan to use it all the way through the end of C at least. I'm up in the air about levels D and E. If we don't do them, I will probably use MEP or Singapore.

[Kuovonne]

Do you do the Cotter Tens Fractal in B, if you have only one student? If not, what do you do about that lesson?

 

If you are a member of the RightStart yahoo group, you can download a file that has "cheater" pieces so that you do only one triangle at each scale, which is doable with one child.

[Haiku]

We skipped the fractal.

 

When I first encountered the subtraction in C (I think it was lesson 86), I freaked out and was ready to drop RS. After discussing that lesson here, I skipped it and moved on. My dd (8) completely gets the RS way of subtracting, and so do I after spending an evening working through about 10 lessons. It really is brilliant, so I wouldn't ditch RS before it.

 

Tara

[Snowfall]

Thanks so much for chiming in, everyone. And thanks for the link to the yahoo group and the fractal cheat sheet. :)

 

I'm glad for the description of the subtraction, because it sounds like the way I do it in my head anyway, so I think I ought to be able to teach it. Of course, the directions ought to be clear on what I need to say, because no one ever taught me that.