Rightstart Math B

[AmyinMD]

I've been using Rightstart B for about 3 weeks. I like a lot about the program but there are some things I'm not liking so much. I bought it because it looks like it will lay a great math foundation for my kids. I used MUS with my older kids when they were younger and it was okay but I was really attracted to RS because of the games.

 

I think part of my frustration is that I'm trying to use this with my twins that just turned 6 and they have different math abilities. My son seems somewhat advanced for math. He can add a lot in his head and just seems to get math. But he uses a lot of counting to get his answers which Rightstart doesn't want the kids doing. My dd is a little behind in math and she is having a hard time grasping addition although she does fine with RS part-whole circles but she must build each and everyone which I think is fine right now. My ds is bored though. We are only on Lesson 10 and it does look like it picks up around Lesson 15. I've been making him do all the lessons though because I want him to get used to Rightstarts way of doing things. I'm a little worried it's going to go too fast for dd though once we get more into it so I may have to separate them.

 

Here's what we don't like.

1. Very few worksheets- ds loves worksheets and it seems a little light on reinforcing math facts to me. Has anyone supplemented in this area?

 

2. The songs- dd hates these and covers her ear when we do them. Ds is okay with Yellow is the Sun but doesn't like the others. Is it going to be a big deal so skip some of the songs?

 

I actually contacted RS 2 weeks ago because I realized the kids each needed some of their own supplies. After my e-mail one of the reps called me and was very helpful. I wound up ordering an additonal abacus, clock, and place value cards. I told her I wish they would offer additional student packs because I had no idea which items they could share when ordering and she said they would consider it.

[sbgrace]

I'm using RightStart with six year old twins with very differing abilities. One is very mathy and the other actually likely has some learning disabilities. For most of this time I just held mathy kid to his brother's pace and supplement him with MEP because he is so interested and adept. Because this is so foundational I don't feel comfortable going faster than he can absorb/ability for non-mathy child.

 

Mathy twin likes worksheets as well. I invite him to make his own problems and he does do that at times. Actually, that self creation holds some academic value for him perhaps but with the material presented so far I don't see academic value/need in additional worksheet stuff. I suppose it would be easy enough to write some up for him but I'm just not willing to do something like that when I don't think it is needed for his understanding.

 

Recently I decided to just teach at their individual paces so I can take even more time with non-math kid and math guy can move along at a more appropriate for him pace. I don't know if it's possible because you're schooling more kids and I have just two but I've decided that keeping them together is probably not ideal for either. Because RightStart is "quick" to teach going on their own hasn't added much to my day but has made me feel a lot better about math around here.

Edited September 23, 2010 by sbgrace

[siloam]

Here's what we don't like.

1. Very few worksheets- ds loves worksheets and it seems a little light on reinforcing math facts to me. Has anyone supplemented in this area?

 

If you look in the back...of the workbook I think, they do have math fact worksheets. I believe these you are allowed to copy and use multiple times.

 

2. The songs- dd hates these and covers her ear when we do them. Ds is okay with Yellow is the Sun but doesn't like the others. Is it going to be a big deal so skip some of the songs?

 

We have never used either the songs or the taps.

 

I would separate them.

 

You can use the memory games to reinforce "seeing" the quantities with your ds. When he goes to count just ask him to first try seeing the number. If it is a number grater than 5, like 7 I will often say, "First can you tell me what 5+2 is?" Over time all my kids have been able to stop counting.

 

With your dd, feel free to go slower. You can even do the warm ups, lessons and worksheets all on separate days. Play lots of the games for reinforcement. I like to take the war game and modify it. I often will just start with 0, 1, 2 and 3, so the most they are adding is 3+3.

 

Also if they can use the abacus without counting, that would be a good in between step moving towards recognizing the quantities. While the goal is to be able to do much of the work mentally, you are always free to fall back on it, even on lessons when the goal is not to. You have to balance where the child might be at developmentally now and what will be easier for them in the future, so you can deal with it then after they have a basic proficiency. Working at learning two skills (both how to do the math and how to do it mentally) is just too much for some kids. If you have one of those kids, just focus on one of the two. Then either do the exercise again focusing on the other, or if they just aren't able move on for now. There is a lot of review in level D, and your child will be more mature, so that would be a good time to really focus on doing mental math for a late bloomer.

 

Heather

[Beth in SW WA]

Dd 6 also started B in early Sept. We buzzed through the first 20 lessons and are now doing one lesson/day and are on lesson 30. It picks up and gets more and more wonderful. I can't imagine NOT teaching math this way to this age. I'm even having dd 7 listen in sometimes to learn the 'RS way' -- even though she is beyond this in skill. I love the method.

 

For many lessons I use our Base-10 blocks.

 

At night I throw Saxon 1 or MM worksheets at dd6 for independent'ish review. I'm sure I don't need it with RS, but I like coming at math from different angles.

 

I just added pics of my girls doing RS on my blog.

[abrightmom]

Math Mammoth makes a wonderful supplement to Right Start. I think it would be worth using with your DS who is more mathy and likes worksheets. The Blue Series is available by topic. You could use Addition, Subtraction and Place Value. :001_smile: Math Mammoth is fantastic IMHO. First Grade starts out gently but QUICKLY ramps up.

 

I think you can skip the songs. The song is just a memory tool to help the child remember the ways to break apart 10.

 

I agree that you will have to separate them. :D I think it's only in a dream world (which a few people actually live in for real :001_smile: and it must be so nice) that the kids would stay together for math. I WISH it was that way here but one kiddo inevitably passes another by.

[campmom]

What I have done. I am using RS B with 2 ds who are 15 months apart in age so one is obviously ahead of the other. They love RS and beg to do it! I agree that splitting them up might be the best way but if its not possible or you just don't want to. I am keeping mine together for the RS lessons I think they really enjoy doing the lessons together. We haven't played alot of the games yet but for the ones we have we have done those together also. I'm letting the older one move ahead at his on rate ( i let him do how ever many pages he wants) with Math Mammoth- I also have an abeka math workbook that I let him work in if he wants to. So far it is working nicely. By the way, they are both using MM. I'm not forcing the older one to do more work, but I'm also not holding him back. It seems to be working great and math is the favorite subject at our house.

[kim.4dogs]

I supplemented RS B with Singapore 1A and 1B workbooks. I didn't feel like it was *needed*, but it was nice to have something different to do on those crazy days when we just couldn't get to a RS lesson.

 

And we've only every done the "Yellow is the Sun" song. None of the others.

[Soror]

I started my 6 y.o. boy on RS B this Sep as well. He likes some of the songs ok- we do the Yellow is the Sun but we don't do the Writing Number song. He seems to be catching on well but goes back and forth on his mental math. Sometimes he is quick as a whip on it but then sometimes he wants to count it out. I have just been doing 1 lesson a day. I really want to take it slow, although at first he was really bored with it. We are on lesson 11 or so as well. We have been doing the number circles as well which he seems to have taken to pretty darn easy. I am anxious as the money lessons are coming up and am wondering if he will get it.

[siloam]

I started my 6 y.o. boy on RS B this Sep as well. He likes some of the songs ok- we do the Yellow is the Sun but we don't do the Writing Number song. He seems to be catching on well but goes back and forth on his mental math. Sometimes he is quick as a whip on it but then sometimes he wants to count it out. I have just been doing 1 lesson a day. I really want to take it slow, although at first he was really bored with it. We are on lesson 11 or so as well. We have been doing the number circles as well which he seems to have taken to pretty darn easy. I am anxious as the money lessons are coming up and am wondering if he will get it.

 

I bet he will do fine. You are only going to cover nickles and pennies right now, think the quantities of 5 and 1. He has already been working with those quantities, so he can already do the math. It is a matter of helping him to assign those values to an object that doesn't naturally present itself as those amounts. That is the hardest part. The actually math he can already do. If he does struggle feel free to demonstrate that by writing out the amounts under the pictures of the coins or the coins themselves (if you have them), so he can see how easy it is and equate it to what he has been doing. Once it is demystified and he can see he has already been doing this it should make the symbol correlation easier.

 

It will also come up again later in the book, with dimes added. Then again later either in level B or C with quarters added. If he really just doesn't get it, then I would assume it is developmental. Move on. When you get to the next money section I would just come back to and do these lessons first. Hopefully the developmental piece will have fallen in place by then.

 

Heather

[Mommy22alyns]

If you look in the back...of the workbook I think, they do have math fact worksheets. I believe these you are allowed to copy and use multiple times.

 

 

Yes, and what I do with these is make a 2 sided copy and laminate it so Becca can use a dry erase marker. Just that little thing makes the drill less boring for her.

 

We barely used the songs too.

[Soror]

I bet he will do fine. You are only going to cover nickles and pennies right now, think the quantities of 5 and 1. He has already been working with those quantities, so he can already do the math. It is a matter of helping him to assign those values to an object that doesn't naturally present itself as those amounts. That is the hardest part. The actually math he can already do. If he does struggle feel free to demonstrate that by writing out the amounts under the pictures of the coins or the coins themselves (if you have them), so he can see how easy it is and equate it to what he has been doing. Once it is demystified and he can see he has already been doing this it should make the symbol correlation easier.

 

It will also come up again later in the book, with dimes added. Then again later either in level B or C with quarters added. If he really just doesn't get it, then I would assume it is developmental. Move on. When you get to the next money section I would just come back to and do these lessons first. Hopefully the developmental piece will have fallen in place by then.

 

Heather

Thanks so much for your thoughts. I am anxious about this for some reason. It is nice to get the perspective of someone who has been through it. I am happy to hear that for now it is just nickels and pennies- he loves all things money so perhaps that will help. Thank you as well for the thoughts on coming back to it later if needed, hopefully it works out but if not I have an idea of what to do without stressing. Again thank you so much!!!

[Beth in SW WA]

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

 

Heather is the RS goddess! I have appreciated her words of wisdom and encouragement also. :001_smile: