RS Math: does anyone do it like this?

[opekoe]

Hi, I'm a newbie here, about to start homeschooling my DS (grade 2 equivalent) here in Singapore.

 

My question is about Rightstart Math. I haven't used it before, but am seriously considering it. I remember reading a recent comment about RS Math jumping around too much, ie. like the addition and subtraction topics being separate and a different topic is sometimes thrown in for one lesson and then re-visited only much later.

 

Has anyone tried rearranging the lessons such that related topics are grouped together, without interruptions? I guess I'm wondering if using the program this way will have a detrimental effect overall?

 

Thanks in advance for your comments!

[Snowfall]

It may have been my comment on things jumping around, so I can address that part, although I'm still using it in the same order as the manual suggests. :) Mainly it's money that jumps around. Clocks and time get 5 days in a row, but then nothing until 50 lessons later. Presumably you are supposed to be playing games and practicing reading real clocks in between, so that might not matter. Since it's American money, you may not be interested in teaching that right now anyway (although I hate to assume, so maybe you are). I definitely dislike how subtraction isn't introduced at all until very late in the first year - lesson 93 out of 107! I personally don't like that or the jumping around, but I like RS anyway and don't consider it a problem. I just add in whatever I think we need a few times a week. No biggie. :)

[siloam]

Actually there is a a lot of thought put into the order of things, it just doesn't fell that way and took me a while to see it. For example in B you cover single digit numbers 1-9. Then you cover Nickles and Pennies (1 and 5). Then you start moving into double digits and you cover dimes. Then you cover numbers up to 100 and you cover hours, half hours, and minuets, and with money you start adding Pennies, Nickles and Dimes. Later when you cover quarters (as in vs. half) you cover Quarters.

 

Long term they continue a pattern of introducing a topic, covering it with time, then with money and later with measurements. In level B and C because it is too early to introduce measurements they work on introducing terms that will be used later in measurements (in both B and C) and on drawing figure for measurements (in C). In D when measurements are introduced a child will draw a figure, then measure it to figure perimeter and area. But in order to be able to do that it helps if they understand what parallel lines, perpendicular lines, and different shapes are called.

 

It feels haphazard though, becuase in B there is no specific purpose for putting parallel lines where it is, and you don't see the pattern till later. Instead of covering money and time all in one spot they use it to prove other concepts. The program really isn't jumping around, but it feels that way because money, geography terms and time is covered in so many different places.

 

I honestly do prefer level C and up where you can see more of a pattern and have regular review sheets. But that said I would do B again, as is, if I had another student, becuase while it might feel jumpy to me it worked for all my kids.

 

Heather

[Catherine]

I have not done RS the say you describe, but I keep topics fresh in mind with the games.

[Snowfall]

Actually there is a a lot of thought put into the order of things, it just doesn't fell that way and took me a while to see it. For example in B you cover single digit numbers 1-9. Then you cover Nickles and Pennies (1 and 5). Then you start moving into double digits and you cover dimes. Then you cover numbers up to 100 and you cover hours, half hours, and minuets, and with money you start adding Pennies, Nickles and Dimes. Later when you cover quarters (as in vs. half) you cover Quarters.

 

Yes, it is designed the way she says. It's just that by the time we cycled back around to money to do dimes, my dd had already forgotten how much a nickel and penny were worth. I'm just telling her regularly outside of actual math work, because there's no way she can remember it without talking about it for a month.

[Homemama2]

I definitely dislike how subtraction isn't introduced at all until very late in the first year - lesson 93 out of 107!

 

You know, I really hated this when I was going through B as well. I kept thinking..."every other 1st grader is doing subtraction! My kid will be behind!" Now that we've done it, I totally understand why they wait so long. Once they throughly understand addition....they can understand subtraction with little to no difficulty (probably not true for all kids but I think it is for many). So when we started subtraction...he just knew it. He never had to "memorize subtraction facts" because he knew 5+6=11, so 11-6=5. It made total sense to him. (and, by the way, my friends w/ ps kids who had been doing subtraction all year were still struggling to learn those facts) ;)

I agree, sometimes it's hard to figure out why things are layed out the way they are....but the author does have a purpose behind it all.

[opekoe]

thank you ALL for the comments, they have been helpful and reassuring. :001_smile:

[cathmom]

You know, I really hated this when I was going through B as well. I kept thinking..."every other 1st grader is doing subtraction! My kid will be behind!" Now that we've done it, I totally understand why they wait so long. Once they throughly understand addition....they can understand subtraction with little to no difficulty (probably not true for all kids but I think it is for many). So when we started subtraction...he just knew it. He never had to "memorize subtraction facts" because he knew 5+6=11, so 11-6=5. It made total sense to him. (and, by the way, my friends w/ ps kids who had been doing subtraction all year were still struggling to learn those facts) ;)

I agree, sometimes it's hard to figure out why things are layed out the way they are....but the author does have a purpose behind it all.

 

one of mine is in B now. This is what I was thinking when I read the comment above. If you spend a long time making sure that the child truly, deeply understands addition, subtraction should be obvious.

[siloam]

Yes, it is designed the way she says. It's just that by the time we cycled back around to money to do dimes, my dd had already forgotten how much a nickel and penny were worth. I'm just telling her regularly outside of actual math work, because there's no way she can remember it without talking about it for a month.

 

Here is where having 4 kids close in age comes in handy. They play the games with each other. I have my ds play a time game, money game, corners, and an addition game weekly. It keeps it fresh in his mind, so he hadn't forgotten.

 

But if I found myself in that situation I would just back up and re-do the earlier lesson, and then move forward with the next. I have at times added to the warm up work as well, to keep things fresh. Though all of my kids seem to have different things they struggle with, so it often isn't something that scheduling would fix, KWIM?

 

Heather