Geometry and drawing lessons in Rightstart C

[Snowfall]

I'm pretty sure the drawing lessons are unique to Rightstart, but what about all the focus on shapes and vertices and lines of symmetry and...etc. lol Is that stuff covered so frequently in other math curricula? It doesn't appear to be covered so much in the other curricula I've looked at, but there are no home schooling stores near me and I've never been to a convention, so I've only seen a handful of them.

 

I guess I'm looking through C, seeing so many lessons devoted to drawing and geometry, and wondering if all of that is really necessary or beneficial for a 2nd grader. We're using and loving B right now, but I don't know if I want to do all.those.drawing and geometry lessons. If that's all normal for 2nd grade math then I guess we'll do them all, but if not, we might skip some of those lessons - unless DD actually likes them, which I won't know until we get there. I'm not naturally mathy, so I don't know if this stuff really promotes mathematical reasoning ability or if it's just something Dr. Cotter really likes and decided to include based on that.

 

Also has anyone else skipped ahead to do more subtraction? We're on lesson 76 or so of B, and DD is good at subtraction within 10 from doing MEP, but we've dropped MEP and I'm considering skipping ahead to the subtraction lessons in B and then some of the early subtraction lessons in C. Then I'd go back to where we are. Has anyone else done that and did it work well for you? I started considering it when I realized she's having trouble crossing over 100s in addition right now (she can add within hundreds and regroup 10s, but she's confused on regrouping over 100). We'd have to stop here for a while, so we might as well be doing something else that I know she is ready for, and subtraction is definitely it. I just don't know if there's some reason we shouldn't do that, that isn't coming to me right now.

 

Thanks!

[Celia]

I don't know what the best thing to do is, but I could have written your post! My ds (who incedently was also born 5/04) is at the same point in RS B and beginning to struggle. I know we need to change something up pronto because we're both getting frustrated!

 

I'm not loving the geometry so early on. Even the bits in B I skimmed a bit and used another program that I thought was more on target for his age.

 

I know I'm not answering your question at all, just sympathizing and looking forward to hearing what others say!

 

A question for you though: How much of C is focussed on geometry and drawing? I know this is something my ds will not like, and I've been considering making the switch to another program after B, and am trying to figure out if buying C is worth it for us.

[Terabith]

I've totally outsourced Right Start C's drawing and geometry lessons to Grandpa, who is an engineer and has been very excited about it. He's been doing tons of preparation and has gotten out all the mechanical drawing tools. Anna doesn't particularly like it, but I have to say, it's a huge relief to me to NOT have to do it.

 

I really love the conceptual understanding RS builds, but i'm seriously thinking of switching to Math Mammoth after we finish C. It's just SO teacher intensive. I know math at this level is and should be teacher intensive, but for some reason, I just don't really like teaching it.

[Snowfall]

Thank you both for responding. Celia, I'll have to go through RS C in more depth to tell you exactly how much of that is in there, but it looks like it doesn't really start until about halfway through and there are several lessons on it. I think there are more than 10 and possibly more than 20, but I've only looked up to about lesson 45 in any depth. I'm working my way through looking at every lesson, though, so I should be able to answer that question for you in a day or two, and I will. :)

 

Terabith, how nice for you to have someone to do that with your son! (Edit: I just realized I said 'son' instead of daughter!) I don't mind teaching math, but some of that just looks tedious to me, and if I don't know of any big math benefit to it, I'm going to have a hard time making DD do it if she hates it.

Edited February 23, 2011 by Snowfall

[Haiku]

 

I guess I'm looking through C, seeing so many lessons devoted to drawing and geometry, and wondering if all of that is really necessary or beneficial for a 2nd grader.

 

My dd enjoyed those lessons, but I don't think she really learned anything from them. They are, imo, a weird anomaly unique to RS. I am sorry that we did them and I think that, had we skipped them and moved straight into the subtraction portion of C, I might have been able to salvage RS for my dd. As it was, by the time we got through all the drawing and subtraction stuff, dd had already taught herself multiplication and division and was bored out of her gourd with all the (for her) review she was getting in RS. And I looked ahead to D and saw that it didn't start division until approximately 100 lessons in!

 

I switched dd to MM 3B after (mostly) finishing RS C. It was a good move for us.

 

Tara

[applesing]

We are doing RS C this year and have finished the geometry lessons. While they weren't my favorite lessons this year, I was impressed that Dr. Cotter used the lessons to reinforce addition and multiplication skills. She very cleverly requires the student to use critical thinking in these lessons. I also found that the geometry lessons were good exercises in following directions and spatial awareness. They were good for my daughter, and as much as they intimidated me, I am very glad that we did not skip them.

 

We love RS and plan to continue using it. I think that it is a brilliant curriculum and am amazed at the level of understanding my DDs are achieving.

[Paula in PA]

We are doing RS C this year and have finished the geometry lessons. While they weren't my favorite lessons this year, I was impressed that Dr. Cotter used the lessons to reinforce addition and multiplication skills. She very cleverly requires the student to use critical thinking in these lessons. I also found that the geometry lessons were good exercises in following directions and spatial awareness. They were good for my daughter, and as much as they intimidated me, I am very glad that we did not skip them.

 

We love RS and plan to continue using it. I think that it is a brilliant curriculum and am amazed at the level of understanding my DDs are achieving.

 

:iagree: What I bolded is, I feel, the main purpose of the geometry lessons in the earlier levels. It's not always fun to do, but it provides another way of looking at and working with various math concepts.

[Mommy22alyns]

I was dreading those drawing lessons, but Becca absolutely adored them. I think it's a good thing we were also doing CLE though, because I think subtraction and multiplication are more important than drawing geometrical figures in 2nd grade.

[Allearia]

Those were my son's favorite lessons and the reason we kept going with RightStart. He can't wait to start RS Geometry after we finish E. I hate them with a passion, I just like the worksheet type write the answer lessons. Of course I am also not fond of lessons with measuring etc. But I have made myself do them. I can't say that they are completely essential but I am glad we did them and they gave my son a better understanding of spatial relationships, angles, etc. and also helped with being very careful with drawing the lines, lining up the ruler properly. So I am glad we have done them. Will your child be scarred for life and denied entrance to Harvard if you skip them? Probably not. But they are a nice extra.

[kim.4dogs]

Mu dd7 really did not like them. I kept going through them, but finally I think I ended up skipping the last 3 or 4 geometry lessons. She was just *done* with them by then! (We have *never* skipped any other lessons in RS. We love it!)

[Mom0012]

I'm pretty sure the drawing lessons are unique to Rightstart, but what about all the focus on shapes and vertices and lines of symmetry and...etc. lol Is that stuff covered so frequently in other math curricula? It doesn't appear to be covered so much in the other curricula I've looked at, but there are no home schooling stores near me and I've never been to a convention, so I've only seen a handful of them.

 

I guess I'm looking through C, seeing so many lessons devoted to drawing and geometry, and wondering if all of that is really necessary or beneficial for a 2nd grader. We're using and loving B right now, but I don't know if I want to do all.those.drawing and geometry lessons. If that's all normal for 2nd grade math then I guess we'll do them all, but if not, we might skip some of those lessons - unless DD actually likes them, which I won't know until we get there. I'm not naturally mathy, so I don't know if this stuff really promotes mathematical reasoning ability or if it's just something Dr. Cotter really likes and decided to include based on that.

 

Also has anyone else skipped ahead to do more subtraction? We're on lesson 76 or so of B, and DD is good at subtraction within 10 from doing MEP, but we've dropped MEP and I'm considering skipping ahead to the subtraction lessons in B and then some of the early subtraction lessons in C. Then I'd go back to where we are. Has anyone else done that and did it work well for you? I started considering it when I realized she's having trouble crossing over 100s in addition right now (she can add within hundreds and regroup 10s, but she's confused on regrouping over 100). We'd have to stop here for a while, so we might as well be doing something else that I know she is ready for, and subtraction is definitely it. I just don't know if there's some reason we shouldn't do that, that isn't coming to me right now.

 

Thanks!

 

Honestly, I don't know how much is necessary or beneficial at that age. I will say that my daughter really enjoyed the drawing lessons, so even though we stopped using RS at the end of level C, I'm considering supplementing with the geometry program 2 days a week once she's ready. I can say that that there was not enough review of the geometry terms in the lower levels for it to stick for either of my kids. So, I would say do the drawing lessons if your children enjoy them, but, if not, skip them.

 

Lisa

[jewel7123]

My oldest dd LOVES to draw, so I'm thinking she will probably love this portion of Level C, but I will probably be supplementing by the time we get to that level.

[Snowfall]

Thanks for all the info. I'm glad to know that the drawing incorporates practice with arithmetic. Normally my dd also really enjoys drawing so hopefully she'll like them, but she has shown resistance to other programs that require her to draw anything specific, so we'll have to see what happens. I think we'll still skip them if she really hates them, because I plan to be supplementing with Math Mammoth and Singapore CWP anyway, so I don't think we'll miss anything fundamental between them.

[Snowfall]

A question for you though: How much of C is focussed on geometry and drawing? I know this is something my ds will not like, and I've been considering making the switch to another program after B, and am trying to figure out if buying C is worth it for us.

 

I just went through and counted the drawing lessons, and there were only 15 of them, out of 150 total lessons. I didn't really see how the child is asked to apply their math facts in the lessons, but I didn't read every word of every lesson. I didn't even understand at least one of them (the one with drawing equilateral triangles) but that may be because I need to look at it with the worksheet in front of me to see how the figures are supposed to be drawn. I don't think that's the case, though. I think I just had no idea how she was saying the triangles should be drawn - next to each other, on top of each other, or what.

 

Some other things that may or may not be helpful to you in deciding: We aren't taking a long summer break, so we aren't going to need any major review. That means we can probably skip about 10 of the first lessons. They're review of sums less than 10, adding 9s, the two-fives strategy, and things like that. We aren't going to need that because we're just going to finish B and start C. So if we decide not to do the drawing lessons, that knocks out about 25 of the 150 lessons. Considering that we're just past 2/3 of the way through B right now, it might be that there will be more C lessons we won't really need, because they're a review of things we're already going to have covered by the time we finish B.

 

Basically, it looks like 30 or so the first 35 lessons are a review of B, which is great if you take a long break (maybe) but it seems a little excessive if you don't (or maybe even if you do). I don't think we'll skip all of those lessons, but if we get there and my dd already has that stuff down well, we're definitely not going to do all of them. I just don't see the need for that. I may instead decide to skip some of them, then go back to them later. Since the rest of C focuses on subtraction and multiplication, we might do that. That sounds sensible right now, but we'll see when we get there.

 

I also see some lessons on measuring that we will probably skip. We've already covered measuring more thoroughly this year than C covers it. We got the Math Mammoth Blue book on measuring for that. Those are just a few lessons, but it's more that we won't need to do. That 150 sounds overwhelming to me - especially since 8 of them say they'll take 2 days. 158 RS lessons is a LOT to me, given how I know it sometimes takes us more than one or two days just to get through a lesson that's only supposed to take one day.

 

Anyway, I haven't used it yet so I don't know how helpful that is, but that's my perspective as someone who's looking at it and planning to at least try to use it. lol I figured I'd share. :)

[Celia]

I just went through and counted the drawing lessons, and there were only 15 of them, out of 150 total lessons. I didn't really see how the child is asked to apply their math facts in the lessons, but I didn't read every word of every lesson. I didn't even understand at least one of them (the one with drawing equilateral triangles) but that may be because I need to look at it with the worksheet in front of me to see how the figures are supposed to be drawn. I don't think that's the case, though. I think I just had no idea how she was saying the triangles should be drawn - next to each other, on top of each other, or what.

 

Some other things that may or may not be helpful to you in deciding: We aren't taking a long summer break, so we aren't going to need any major review. That means we can probably skip about 10 of the first lessons. They're review of sums less than 10, adding 9s, the two-fives strategy, and things like that. We aren't going to need that because we're just going to finish B and start C. So if we decide not to do the drawing lessons, that knocks out about 25 of the 150 lessons. Considering that we're just past 2/3 of the way through B right now, it might be that there will be more C lessons we won't really need, because they're a review of things we're already going to have covered by the time we finish B.

 

Basically, it looks like 30 or so the first 35 lessons are a review of B, which is great if you take a long break (maybe) but it seems a little excessive if you don't (or maybe even if you do). I don't think we'll skip all of those lessons, but if we get there and my dd already has that stuff down well, we're definitely not going to do all of them. I just don't see the need for that. I may instead decide to skip some of them, then go back to them later. Since the rest of C focuses on subtraction and multiplication, we might do that. That sounds sensible right now, but we'll see when we get there.

 

I also see some lessons on measuring that we will probably skip. We've already covered measuring more thoroughly this year than C covers it. We got the Math Mammoth Blue book on measuring for that. Those are just a few lessons, but it's more that we won't need to do. That 150 sounds overwhelming to me - especially since 8 of them say they'll take 2 days. 158 RS lessons is a LOT to me, given how I know it sometimes takes us more than one or two days just to get through a lesson that's only supposed to take one day.

 

Anyway, I haven't used it yet so I don't know how helpful that is, but that's my perspective as someone who's looking at it and planning to at least try to use it. lol I figured I'd share. :)

 

Thanks for the great info! Just the overview I was needing. I agree that 150 lessons sounds like a heavy load. I feel we've kept up a reasonable pace with our math lessons this year, and it will be late spring when we're done as we're needing to slow down a bit.

 

Hmm... choices choices.

 

Thank you :)