Opinions on teaching textbook math

[brewerfamilyhomeschool]

I have found that my daughter is not very good in math. How she passed math in public school is unknown to me because she has alot of trouble with it. She is in the 7th grade and still doesn't know all her multiplication tables and hardly even knows how to subtract, she doesn't know much about money or telling time either. We have been homeschooling since october of 2009 and I have tried working with her to catch her up on her math but she seems to still be having lots of trouble. I want to try something fun with her because I think she would learn it better if it were more fun and I have visited the teaching textbook website and I like their teaching method, she says she does to. Has anyone had experience with the teaching textbook? What level should I start her out on. My goal is to have her on an 8th grade level by the 2011/2012 school term if possible. Thanks in advance for your help

[DragonFaerie]

My son just started using TT a few weeks ago and he loves it. He is learning and really likes being able to follow the lesson and do the questions on his own. The downside for him is that he sees immediately when he gets a question wrong. From a teaching standpoint it's great because he can then view the tutorial on how to do the problem correctly (which I insist he does). But for my perfectionist kid, he gets upset when he gets even one problem wrong. Aside from that, he really likes the software and doesn't want to do math "the old fashioned way" ever again. :lol:

 

As for placement, their website has placement tests that you can print out to help determine what level to buy. I used the one for 3rd grade for my son (in 2nd grade) to see if he could even manage 3rd grade math. So far, all is well.

[thowell]

My dd10 loves her TT. I would strongly recommend that you have her take the placement test. Most lessons take dd10 around 20 minutes so she could easily move through a level in less than a year.

[brewerfamilyhomeschool]

thank you all for your help. I think I will order her the teaching textbook after I sell the Saxon math and dive cd. She told me today that she DOES NOT like her saxon math. I have some placement tests printed out from the teaching textbook website so I will have her to take the test.

[Momling]

But for my perfectionist kid, he gets upset when he gets even one problem wrong.

 

My daughter is the same way. If she misses anything, she wants me to go into the parent section and delete the question so she can do it again.

 

The program is working really well for her though. Surprisingly well! Math is stress-free and she talks about liking math.

 

I'd have your daughter do a placement test, look through the table of contents and have her do some of the sample lessons at different levels. If it's just one or two areas she needs work with, you might do better remediating just those areas, then start with Math 6 or 7 or whatever she places at. Or you could go back and have her do two lessons a day and get through two (or even three if you go year-round) grades.

 

Good luck!

[HSMom2One]

My dd10 loves her TT. I would strongly recommend that you have her take the placement test. Most lessons take dd10 around 20 minutes so she could easily move through a level in less than a year.

 

I completely agree with thowell. The placement test would be a perfect place to start, and from there you could zoom through the lessons quite easily and catch up.

 

My dd is not super mathy either....it has always been one of her least favorite subjects. Since I am not a strong math teacher, we switched from MUS to TT last year. It was perfect for us, and we intend to stay with TT for the duration. Just like you, we needed to make math fun -- and TT certainly does that. I am confident that the skills taught are solid and will help my dd move ahead to where she needs to be skill wise.

 

Along with TT, we have started using LOF once per week. My daughter loves it that every Friday she gets to do LOF for her math lesson. It is another fun program, and is quite unique in its non-traditional approach to teaching math concepts. TWTM recommends supplementing your regular math program with LOF like this in order to add some variety and more fun to the mix. Combining the two has really made a difference to dd's enjoyment of learning math.

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[HSMom2One]

thank you all for your help. I think I will order her the teaching textbook after I sell the Saxon math and dive cd. She told me today that she DOES NOT like her saxon math. I have some placement tests printed out from the teaching textbook website so I will have her to take the test.

 

BTW, we had a really tough time with Saxon as well. That was the first math curriculum we used when we started hs'ing four years ago. While it is a great program, it just isn't for everyone. MUS was a much better fit for dd, but TT exceeded our highest hopes.

 

I'm glad you have decided to go with TT, and I hope that it works as well for your dd as it has for mine!

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

[pamd]

My ds and I love TT and he also struggled with math facts, and telling time and the websites below really helped him, he also learns better through fun or games. You may want to look into buying the TT used I know when I was looking I found several cheaper then buying new. Good luck God Bless.

http://www.mathsisfun.com

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/math.htm

http://www.multiplication.com/interactive_games.htm

http://www.teachingtime.co.uk/

http://mathplayground.com/ASB_Index.html

http://www.bigbrainz.com/index.php this one does have a limited free download which is all we use ds loves it.

[NanceXToo]

We love TT over here! Check this out if you're so inclined:

 

http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/124221.html

[songbirdie]

If you want her on 8th grade level in math, then you need to be prepared to finish at least their 9th grade curriculum. TT information is below grade level. We used one year and it set them back an entire grade level. I personally do not like that they don't learn any real math terminology, and that there are no formulas taught. If your daughter ever intends to take the SAT, ACT, or any other standardized test associated with entering college, she will not understand the terminology on the test. For example, TT calls numerators and denominators "tops" and "bottoms". For the area of a rectangle they say, "multiply one side by the other side", and never teach the actual formula of area = length x width. For the perimeter of a rectangle they say, "add up the sides", and never teach the formula of P=l + l + l + l. This is important because she'll be asked questions about these formulas on standardized tests. Furthermore, their Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 add up to the equivalent of most other Algebra 1 courses. If she's going to college and actually needs Algebra 2 credit, you may give her credit for completing their course, but she will only have an Algebra 1 knowledge. If she's not going to college, then by all means, do what seems fun.

[Marla]

I personally do not like that they don't learn any real math terminology, and that there are no formulas taught..... For example, TT calls numerators and denominators "tops" and "bottoms".

 

We are trying out TT 7, on loan from a friend, and I'm bothered by the same thing you mentioned. Why not use numerator and denominator when referring to the parts of a fraction instead of saying "tops and bottoms"? My question (sorry, if I'm stealing the thread) is that I'm wondering if in later courses of TT, they switch to using proper math terminology or do they continue to refer to fraction parts as "tops and bottoms in every level of TT?"

[songbirdie]

My question (sorry, if I'm stealing the thread) is that I'm wondering if in later courses of TT, they switch to using proper math terminology or do they continue to refer to fraction parts as "tops and bottoms in every level of TT?"

 

I do recall the commentator saying 1 time outloud "numerator" and "denominator" and saying that the numerator is the top number and the denominator is the bottom number, but he never mentions it again.

 

The biggest problem for me is that every course they offer is below grade level. I know there are people who love TT math, and that is wonderful. We have to remember that every curriculum does not work for every family, and this is one curriculum that didn't work for us but I respect those who love it too.:)

[8filltheheart]

We are trying out TT 7, on loan from a friend, and I'm bothered by the same thing you mentioned. Why not use numerator and denominator when referring to the parts of a fraction instead of saying "tops and bottoms"? My question (sorry, if I'm stealing the thread) is that I'm wondering if in later courses of TT, they switch to using proper math terminology or do they continue to refer to fraction parts as "tops and bottoms in every level of TT?"

 

They use the term "undo" in algebra. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=135634&highlight=undo

[AmyinMD]

The biggest problem for me is that every course they offer is below grade level. I know there are people who love TT math, and that is wonderful. We have to remember that every curriculum does not work for every family, and this is one curriculum that didn't work for us but I respect those who love it too.:)

 

 

This has been a problem for us. My oldest was doing TT 6 and got through about half of it and then went into 7th grade PS. Math has been a struggle because she is definitely behind in that area. She's in basic Math 7. She does not know enough fractions. She never did number lines and they seem to use that for a lot of stuff. She does have a B in the class but she's really had to work at it.

 

My 10 yo is on lesson 102 of Grade 4 and they have yet to do any division. It looks like on lesson 104 they finally get to it but really a 4th grade textbook should be devoting a large amount of time to division. I would like to switch her to something else but she says she likes TT better than MUS and I'm not sure I want to switch programs when she is planning to go to public school next year with her sister. I supplement with Calculadders (my dd loves timed tests so this has worked well) and LOF Fractions. I'm hoping to do both Fractions and Decimals this year but my kid seems to be the only one I've heard of that despises LOF so I may supplement with Math Mammoth instead if she isn't liking it better in a few weeks.

[DragonFaerie]

For those of you using TT, does your child do only the CDs, only the workbook, or both? So far I've had my son using just the CDs. He's only doing 3rd grade and has so far has been able to do everything in his head, though he can always use scratch paper if he needs to work a problem out sometime. Is there any reason that he should be using the workbook, too, or is it just a matter of preference?

[cjshima]

For those of you using TT, does your child do only the CDs, only the workbook, or both? So far I've had my son using just the CDs. He's only doing 3rd grade and has so far has been able to do everything in his head, though he can always use scratch paper if he needs to work a problem out sometime. Is there any reason that he should be using the workbook, too, or is it just a matter of preference?

 

My 10 year old daughter is using TT 5 and so far she has only used the CDs. The problems have been easy enough for her to do in her head. When it gets more difficult, I will have her do the problems in the workbook. My 12 year old son is doing Algebra 1 and he is only using the textbook right now. The textbook for Algebra 1 is thorough enough that the CDs are not necessary (and they don't have the automatic grading at that level, so they don't need to enter their answers in the computer).

[Mom in High Heels]

My daughter is the same way. If she misses anything, she wants me to go into the parent section and delete the question so she can do it again.

 

 

 

LOL! Indy is the same way. He's been using TT for about 3 months now and LOVES it. He begs to do math. Huzzah!

 

We use the CD's and workbook because I want him to be able to do it on paper too.

[Veritaserum]

My very, very non-mathy 10yo dd is using TT5. Before that she did MUS, CLE, and Math Mammoth. We are trying TT now as remediation. I plan on putting her back in MM or CLE after TT5 or TT6. She is enjoying math for the first time, so I think TT is the right choice for her right now. I may add LOF to supplement TT. She loves MCT grammar and I think Fred may be like the MCT of math.