Considering changing math...again...? about Saxon?

[snipsnsnailsx5]

I am very new to homeschooling, and one big thing I've learned is that all the researching and reading reviews for days, weeks, months on end does not compare to first-hand experience or using the curriculum myself.

 

I thought I had picked out perfect curriculum for my boys based on reviews and what other books said...but I've found that most of what I picked just isn't working.

 

I decided on Math U See for all my boys. I recently changed my 11 yr old to Singapore, so far I like that better.

 

However, the Math U See just isn't working for my 8 and 6 yr old either. I guess its the plain b/w workbooks. Also, I'm NOT a math-minded person, so trying to teach from the teacher's manual is a bit of a struggle. I get these easy concepts of course, but I feel like I can't explain it to my boys. The DVD's are a help, but...well time consuming?

I guess I am looking for a math curriculum that I can open up the teacher's manual and have a very straightforward outline of what I'm supposed to teach and how to teach it in terms the kids will understand. Also..a bit more exciting workbook pages. ;)

 

I saw just a couple samples of Saxon and I liked what I saw.

 

BUT can I hear some personal experience with Saxon?

[Caitilin]

I am very new to homeschooling, and one big thing I've learned is that all the researching and reading reviews for days, weeks, months on end does not compare to first-hand experience or using the curriculum myself.

 

I thought I had picked out perfect curriculum for my boys based on reviews and what other books said...but I've found that most of what I picked just isn't working.

 

I decided on Math U See for all my boys. I recently changed my 11 yr old to Singapore, so far I like that better.

 

However, the Math U See just isn't working for my 8 and 6 yr old either. I guess its the plain b/w workbooks. Also, I'm NOT a math-minded person, so trying to teach from the teacher's manual is a bit of a struggle. I get these easy concepts of course, but I feel like I can't explain it to my boys. The DVD's are a help, but...well time consuming?

I guess I am looking for a math curriculum that I can open up the teacher's manual and have a very straightforward outline of what I'm supposed to teach and how to teach it in terms the kids will understand. Also..a bit more exciting workbook pages. ;)

 

I saw just a couple samples of Saxon and I liked what I saw.

 

BUT can I hear some personal experience with Saxon?

 

Well, Saxon IS scripted, if that's what you're looking for. It was WAY too scripted for me after the first 10 minutes:lol:. Also, the workbook pages are anything but interesting and colorful. They're black ink on newsprint--it's hard to conceive of anything LESS visually interesting. And the teacher's manual is the same way, no color anywhere. I didn't mind this aspect of it, and neither did my dc, but if you want something that looks fun, this ain't it. :)

The main advantage of Saxon is that you can continue to use it all the way through. My dds12 are using Alg.1/2 now, and they like and understand it, so I will continue to use Saxon for them. I doubt, somehow, that I will be using it for the subsequent children, although, as always, subject to change without notice. :D

 

I am using Singapore for my other dc, and find that it's a lot more fun for me to teach and them to learn than Saxon ever thought of being in the early grades.

[Classically Minded]

I had Saxon math in private school and I can say that if you do Saxon math you will KNOW math! My daughter is almost finished with Saxon 1 and she loved it and so did I. I don't read everything word for word in the script - I simply summarize as I go sometimes. We also don't do the back of the worksheet. Saxon does constant review as you learn new concepts so the child doesn't forget what they learned a few months ago. It is the best approach of math in my opinion! ;)

 

Some say that Saxon 1 is more for K and Saxon 2 for 1st grade but it evens out around Saxon 3 and above.

Edited September 30, 2010 by Classically Minded

[ZeldaRules]

My son is 1st grade and I do use Saxon 2.

 

I like Saxon products because they are scripted. If I don't feel like doing something scripted, I pull out my Cuisenaire rods.

 

One thing I like about Saxon is in every lesson they suggest you review (for grade 2) the calendar (they give questions to ask - i.e. what day was it 7 days ago), tell time, graph the weather, do a pattern. and make a birthday graph and review it (I just did a birthday graph of a bunch of family members and people we knew to get a 'class average')

 

Then they have the lesson and a worksheet after that. The worksheet has 2 sides, one to do in school, and one to do as homework. I only make my son do one side. I have him do both if I feel he needs reinforcement.

 

I don't do the Meeting stuff everyday (the calendar, clock, etc).

 

I am personally comfortable with math, but it is nice to have something word a lesson for you.

 

Saxon is spiral, so there is constant review of old things learned in each new lesson.

 

Good luck.

[Pat in MI]

I know that you asked for Saxon reviews, but I wanted to throw this one out there for you to look at: http://www.mathmammoth.com/ . It reminds me a bit of Singapore, but seems easier to teach. The instructions are on the student page not in a teacher's manual. I used Saxon with ds when he was 1st and part of 2nd grades and really didn't care for it. I will say he did learn his math facts well that we covered in those years, but it wasn't worth the struggle to get math done. He didn't like the same problems repeating themselves so many times. It is a good thing to have plenty of review, but for some kids it just drives them batty. (My ds was one of these) I didn't like the scripted lessons as it seemed to draw math out longer and I was spending so much time making sure I said everything just right. The last negative was ds didn't like to write much and when they reach 4th grade with Saxon there is no longer a workbook they have to copy the problems down. I knew ds would not be willing to do this. I don't know if your children are anything like my ds, but those are the things we encountered with Saxon. HTH

Blessings,

Pat

[1Togo]

We did not use Saxon elementary for our youngest, and I consider that one of our biggest homeschool mistakes. We floundered through many programs trying to get ready for Saxon 54. Yes, the Saxon elementary lessons are scripted, but I should have recognized that I needed a script since I am not a math person. We're finally rolling with Saxon and playing catchup.

 

Btw, we used Saxon with our two oldest, and they did very well on the SAT and ACT math sections. One of them is not a math person, and the other can do complicated math in his head. We've been homeschooling for a while, and I am a Saxon fan. I realize other families get excellent results with different curriculum, but Saxon works in our household because the student can self-teach, for the most part, when they get to 54.

Edited September 30, 2010 by 1Togo

[JudoMom]

I am very new to homeschooling, and one big thing I've learned is that all the researching and reading reviews for days, weeks, months on end does not compare to first-hand experience or using the curriculum myself.

 

I thought I had picked out perfect curriculum for my boys based on reviews and what other books said...but I've found that most of what I picked just isn't working.

 

I decided on Math U See for all my boys. I recently changed my 11 yr old to Singapore, so far I like that better.

 

However, the Math U See just isn't working for my 8 and 6 yr old either. I guess its the plain b/w workbooks. Also, I'm NOT a math-minded person, so trying to teach from the teacher's manual is a bit of a struggle. I get these easy concepts of course, but I feel like I can't explain it to my boys. The DVD's are a help, but...well time consuming?

I guess I am looking for a math curriculum that I can open up the teacher's manual and have a very straightforward outline of what I'm supposed to teach and how to teach it in terms the kids will understand. Also..a bit more exciting workbook pages. ;)

 

I saw just a couple samples of Saxon and I liked what I saw.

 

BUT can I hear some personal experience with Saxon?

 

Saxon is all we've ever used. My oldest is now is 8/7.

 

I like that in the early years the TMs are scripted--it means that I don't have to figure out how to present the lesson. In 5/4 and up, the lessons are in a text book and written to the student, and all problems are to be worked on separate paper.

 

The workbook pages aren't exciting, but the lessons are with all the math manipulatives that are used. My youngest likes doing his Saxon 1 page with colored pencils or markers.

 

If you choose to go with Saxon, make sure you have your children take the placement test.

[In2why]

I have a 7 y/o boy and we tried Saxon the first year. It was very repetitive and took more time than I liked due to meeting time and getting together store stuff. Then I bought Miquon and while *I liked the concept my son is not a be free and explore math kinda kid. Luckily that was just for the summer, and we didn't lose too much time to it. For 2nd grade we have MUS. It is okay...but some parts are way too easy, and other parts like learning to regroup/carry do not have enough practice pages so I find myself printing out extra practice sheets. So I bought Math Mammoth and I am transistioning to it. I am using MUS for new concepts and having him review MM to get a feel for the format. My plan is to completely switch to Math Mammoth and I wish that I had found it earlier.

 

After all this floundering, looking back I would have either stuck with Saxon, because I think spiral is the best way to learn math and like the review process, or I would have begun with Mammoth Math. I believe that Mammoth Math is more independent and I like how the kids learn to do math in their head. But it is harder to begin mid stream.

 

So I feel your pain.

[Mallorie]

I'm a first time homeschooler, and doing Saxon 1 with my first grade dd. My 7th grader is doing Saxon Algebra 1/2 on his own with the DIVE cd-and he LOVES it.

 

I find it very easy to teach Saxon 1, it's all laid out, open and go, and fairly quick so far. The only beef i've been able to find with the program was talking to my hs friends, Saxon 3 has a goofy way of teaching multiplication (they start with 7s, which confuses some). All of my kids did Saxon at school last year, and I notice that my middle child who did Saxon 3 is struggling with his multiplication tables. So we're reviewing that...and he wants to stay in Rod and Staff 4, so is not doing Saxon. But i'm still tossing around ordering 5/4 because i'll use it with dd anyway. The other flaw was that it can be "boring", but that doesn't bother me. The trade off for learning math is worth it.

[8filltheheart]

I am very new to homeschooling, and one big thing I've learned is that all the researching and reading reviews for days, weeks, months on end does not compare to first-hand experience or using the curriculum myself.

 

I thought I had picked out perfect curriculum for my boys based on reviews and what other books said...but I've found that most of what I picked just isn't working.

 

I decided on Math U See for all my boys. I recently changed my 11 yr old to Singapore, so far I like that better.

 

However, the Math U See just isn't working for my 8 and 6 yr old either. I guess its the plain b/w workbooks. Also, I'm NOT a math-minded person, so trying to teach from the teacher's manual is a bit of a struggle. I get these easy concepts of course, but I feel like I can't explain it to my boys. The DVD's are a help, but...well time consuming?

I guess I am looking for a math curriculum that I can open up the teacher's manual and have a very straightforward outline of what I'm supposed to teach and how to teach it in terms the kids will understand. Also..a bit more exciting workbook pages. ;)

 

I saw just a couple samples of Saxon and I liked what I saw.

 

BUT can I hear some personal experience with Saxon?

 

I am slightly confused. You say that you switched to Singapore with your 11 yo and that that is going well but that you are not a math-minded person and struggle teaching concepts. Jumping into Singapore at that age takes quite a steep learning curve since the bar diagram method is not something that most Americans have been exposed to.

 

Is there a reason that you do not want to use Singapore with all of them? If it is an approach you like, it is as opposite as you can get to Saxon. Saxon is a great math program, but it has a lot (and I mean a lot) of repetition and moves incrementally through topics. If your kids are quick at grasping concepts, Saxon might just drive them crazy.

 

There are a few things you might want to consider as you look into math programs. Do you want a mastery type program (which is what Singapore is and MUS is to an overloaded extreme) ? Or do you want topics introduced and old topics reviewed? That is a spiral math program.

 

A few mastery programs that I can think of:

 

Math Mammoth

Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley

Singapore

Rod and Staff

ACE

 

Spiral:

Horizons

Abeka

 

Incremental:

Saxon (spirals but breaks down concepts into smaller steps)

 

 

I'm not sure about CLE or BJU. I believe that CLE is mastery. I'm sure others can fill in the lists better.

 

Before you purchase more materials that don't fit your needs, I would really evaluate your desires re mastery vs. spiral as well as how much review your kids need. Those 2 answers will help eliminate a lot of options and steer you closer to what you need.

 

I am not convinced you can't teach math if you are managing with Singapore that well jumping in feet first at that level. ;)

Edited September 30, 2010 by 8FillTheHeart

[H_Household]

We here love Bob Jones Math and have used K5, 1st and 2nd grade 3rd editions. We started with Saxon but realized that it moves each lesson to different ideas which cycle back around. That was too much for my kids and I to handle. We love how Bob Jones is hands on and teaches concepts in chapters with review mixed in so we don't forget what we've learned. It's very colorful, fun and has great stories weaved through as each book has a theme. Has a few verses from the bible here and there but is not so highly Christian that you could not leave those out if you're not. You might want to check it out!

Good luck!

[snipsnsnailsx5]

We're doing Singapore 5A with my 11 yr old. Its still a lot of review for him, but I wanted to get him used to the Singapore approach. He's a natural at math, and so very little explaining is even needed. phew! lol We'll see how it gets in the later levels. Maybe Singapore won't be so good starting it so "late" in the program? He grasps concepts quickly, so I don't want anything with tons and tons of repetition.

 

However, so far, it seems my 8 and 6 yr old need that repetition. But the mastery approach (is that where one topic is covered until its completely mastered?) seems to really bore them? They like doing different things and learning bits about several concepts at the same time.

 

I just ordered Math in Focus for the little two today. I couldn't make up my mind and I really like the way it looked. I read several reviews and threads here about it too and it sounded pretty good?

[Tarreymere]

We were using Saxon, but the worksheets are indeed very very boring and I just couldn't stand how it is so scripted. "Now say this, now say that, hand the child this,......" Ugh.

 

We switched to Math Mammoth, I got the download and printed it out, which I like because not only can I use it for my younger child I can reprint any sheets for the current child if necessary (catastrophe is never far away in my house). As for the content, personally I like it a lot better because I can't stand scripts. I like the way the worksheets are designed, and I like the way that the problems are designed. My daughter likes it better too, she finds it more interesting, and visually appealing not so much that it is pretty because it is not, but because the layout of the worksheets and the fonts are very clear and appealing. She is more willing to 'do math', and I didn't have THAT happening before. You don't get that same feel with Saxon. On another note, Math Mammoth is a lot less expensive too! I think we will be sticking with this one.

[Dolphin]

I jumped into Singapore this year with my 8 year old and so far it is going well. I understand that Math Mammoth is also a good program, and we are going to use those as individual units when we come to something my son has not yet covered, like division. There are 3 reasons I picked Singapore over the other Math programs.

1. When I studied what people said about Math, Saxon and Singapore seemed to have the most positive reviews over a good stretch of time. I asked the teachers at a local private school 1 said they would like to switch to Saxon and 5 said they wanted to switch to Singapore (they were doing a curriculum review, very handy when you are try to choose curriculum, they had 15 programs that they went through).

2. I am bad a Math and both had instructor manuals. I liked Singapore's better. IT is not as scripted, but it starts each unit explaining what the concept is, and how it relates to what they have previously done. It is more of a Math lesson for me before we start.

3. As I am not good at Math, I like the CD rom games that my son can play. Rainbow Rock for 1 and 2, vroot and Voom for 3 and 4. He spent the summer on Rainbow Rock to make sure he was all caught up for starting 3 in the fall.

 

I don't know if that will help, that is just the process we went through.

[Guest]

I guess I am looking for a math curriculum that I can open up the teacher's manual and have a very straightforward outline of what I'm supposed to teach and how to teach it in terms the kids will understand. Also..a bit more exciting workbook pages. ;)

 

 

 

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE CLE math! I find the teachers manual very teacher friendly, and useful. It is clear and easy to understand. My ds is still using Math U See, and it works great for him. But, I switched my dd(7) to CLE several months ago, and I LOVE it. It is easy for me to teach, and she enjoys the workbooks. She has learned so much since we switched to CLE. I have her use the righstart abacus, and it would be helpful to keep your MUS blocks to teach place value.