Is MUS enough for an advanced second grader?

[Jenny in GA]

My daughter is almost eight and in second grade. She is very good (and interested) at both math and science. She wants to be astronaut when she grows up.

 

She has been doing Math-U-See and is almost finished with the Beta book. I like MUS. I like the blocks, the videos, the way they describe things, and the systematic-ness of it. I understand it.

 

BUT I can't help but wonder if it's challenging her enough. Most days I will give her the day's worksheet and she will finish it correctly, front and back, in 5-10 minutes. Surely that doesn't seem like "enough math" for the day. So do I just give another worksheet from that same chapter? Somehow that doesn't seem right either ...

 

 

So I sort of have two separate questions:

 

1) Is MUS generally considered an "easier" or "less challenging" math curriculum? I've never used another, so it's hard for me to know. Sometimes I find myself looking at the lessons and thinking, "Really?? That's it?" But then again, it's "only" second grade math, so maybe that's all it should be. If you have any experience with more than one math curriculum, how does MUS compare? Has anyone used MUS for years and found their students were behind/not challenged/not truly understanding in a way you think they would have been with a different curriculum?

And on the flip side -- have any of you used MUS for years and found it to be, in fact, very thorough and challenging?

 

 

2) Regardless of what you think of MUS -- what are some things I can do to supplement math and make it more challenging for this particular child? I'm particularly looking for ideas that involve something other than "just give an extra worksheet from somewhere else" (although those kinds of suggestions would be helpful as well).

And how long (and how many different activities) could/should a child that age who likes math be spending on math every day?

 

Hope that makes sense. Thanks!

[2smartones]

A second grader probably needs 2 hours or less of school per day, so break that into how many subjects you're covering. I wouldn't spend more than 20 minutes on math.

 

I'm not very familiar with MUS. If you're looking for more challenge, though, look at either Singapore or Primary Grade Challenge Math.

[AngelBee]

I think MUS would be fine. You just need to maybe put her in a higher level or expect that she will move faster throught the material.

[CoastalGal]

I think MUS would be fine. You just need to maybe put her in a higher level or expect that she will move faster throught the material.

 

MUS is mastery-based...you can't just skip to a higher level. You CAN, however, work at your daughter's pace. If she gets the lesson and can teach it back to you, have her complete worksheet A, & the first review worksheet (D -- I think) and then the test. And then move on...

[AngelBee]

MUS is mastery-based...you can't just skip to a higher level. You CAN, however, work at your daughter's pace. If she gets the lesson and can teach it back to you, have her complete worksheet A, & the first review worksheet (D -- I think) and then the test. And then move on...

No, I get that. She could check her placement on the site and start he at a place that is appropiate for her.

 

Sorry I didn't explain well. :)

[mommytobees]

I think the answer to your question depends on how good YOU are in math.

 

My kids are using MUS after switching a few years ago from Singapore. My dd9 is on MUS Pre-Algebra. I realized whe my ds hit Singapore 5B that I was in trouble. He was rapidly hitting a point where I could no longer teach math.

 

So, I ask the question...... Can you teach the higher levels of math?

 

If you can NOT, then I would say stick with MUS and consider supplementing with the lower levels of Singapore until you hit a breaking point.

 

If you CAN teach Algebra and up, then I would give some serious consideration to switching her to Singapore.

 

Why?

 

MUS is a good program. It gives a solid foundation in math skills, but, it is NOT superior to some of the Asian math programs. Singapore is one of the easiest to obtain and use. Singapore teaches differently than the US teaches math. Singapore teaches much more mental and "internalized" math....if that makes sense.

 

Now, had I this to do again knowing what I know now..... Look into the Kumon Learning Centers in your area, assuming there are any. Find out if the Kumon center teaches math the same way it is taught in Japan where Kumon center was started. I have been told that they are the same, but have not confirmed it. In Japan kids learn math, um, internally. I don't know if that makes sense.

 

Anyway, I hope that helps.

 

Kris

[4Hisglory]

I would let her move at her own pace. My son is finishing up his delta workbook early(this month).He is in forth grade and will move into Epsilon next. When I see he really understands a concept I won't have him do all of the workbook pages. I will always have him do at least one systematic review page though,and then take his test. I also want to see him do well on the new concept when he takes his test or we need to stay put till I know he understands it.

My daughter is in Beta and finished one of her weeks in one day because she really got it.

I really appreciate how Math-U-See relates math to real life. My oldest,18(did not do MUS),has really struggled in understanding math seamlessly,the way it corelates. I find that MUS so far demystifies math so I am hoping my younger two won't have the same challenges.

[EKS]

MUS is great for kids who need to go faster than the standard pace. If it takes just one worksheet for her to get it, then move on. I went through Beta-Zeta in 6 months with my older son when he was 9. He then moved into Jacobs Algebra without any problems.

[Storm Bay]

It depends on the dc. Mine need more depth than MUS provides. My middle one did MUS for a few years. but we had to add SM. SM has more meat for my particular dc as far as heuristics and word problems are concerned. In addition, there are times when Mr. Demme's way was confusing (for eg, dividing fractions for dd and a few other things for her and for ds.)

 

Dd did two two grades of math one year, and then decided she'd rather play and draw than do that much work. Since then she has insisted on doing one grade per year (she did two grades of everything that year). This dd is artistically gifted and spends hours drawing, etc, each day (usually in her notebook, too. Her math pages are usually 75% drawings. She sets up the page a certain way to accommodate it. I don't like it, but she draws when I'm helping ds, etc.)

Edited January 27, 2011 by Karin

[joannqn]

My son went from Alpha through PreAlgebra in under three years, and is now working on Algebra. For him, MUS was perfect. He had taught himself most of arithmetic, and MUS allowed me to run through it quickly to make sure he got everything he needed before Algebra.

 

We used a combination of doing every page, doing test pages only, and using a mix of worksheets and test pages. We used every page of Alpha and Beta because I hadn't considered allowing him to skip pages at that time; instead he worked 2 through 15 pages in a day...however many he wanted...and yes, he did sit down and do 15 pages of math one day. Once we hit gamma, it occurred to me that it was stupid to make him do every page when he knew the material; I was just going through it to make sure he got everything anyway. So, we used the test pages. When I found a topic I knew he hadn't mastered, we used that lesson's worksheet.

 

Now that he is doing Algebra, we've slowed back down to taking a full year and doing every page. I'll be going deeper with math from now on by combining MUS with Art of Problem Solving. We'll be doing AoPS Algebra next year to get a deeper understanding of using Algebra, not just plugging numbers into formulas and doing basic word problems.

 

So, I think it kind of depends on the student. With a mastery program, there's no need to do every page. MUS does cover all of the same topics, just on a different sequence. If you do choose to switch programs, do it sooner rather than later because the sequence things are taught in are so drastically different that you may find that you need to go back a year or two to cover things MUS doesn't cover until later, or find the new program not covering things that MUS already completed.

Edited February 3, 2011 by joannqn