ckmommyof3 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 We are no longer able to homeschool our children. This will be our last year. :( I need your help. My 6th grader is really behind in math. We have not yet tried CLE, but had her take the placement test. She tested at the 3rd grade level. (Other math programs have been a bust for us.) We have until the start of the next school year (this fall) to get her caught up to a 6th grade level. She will be starting in a public school in the fall :crying:. Any suggestions on how to catch up a child quickly would be really appreciated. Many thanks, Christina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) What I would do would be: 1. Do math 5-6 days per week with as few breaks as possible. 2. Work on math facts until they are down pat 3. Do more than one thing for math. eg. I'd add something like Key to Fractions which starts at the beginning of Fractions and covers everything she'll need to know about them 4. Play math games 5. Not do subjects that really can be put off at this age, such as art. I've never heard of any dc being held back over art in ps :) 6. If you're doing Latin or any other foreign language, that may have to come under No.5 I haven't used CLE so I can't help with that, but I would do only as many problems per day as you need for it to stick, bearing in mind that you are going to go through several grades in a short amount of time. But don't panic. If worst comes to worst, the ps may do some remedial work in math, but I'd be like you and want do catch all the way up. Edited February 28, 2011 by Karin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) http://www.quaternionpress.com/buybooks.html Do the 'fractions and More" book. It would be difficult to cherry pick problem topics because arthmetic likes to build on itself, so my recommendation is to work through the topics that are typically difficult and go use the 80/20 principle. ESP considering time constraints, but do not expect to make up for three years of math in a matter of months as there " is no royal road to math" Anyway that's my two cents, good luck. Edited February 28, 2011 by Ray road for rode why oh why do I always misspell it..oh the shame.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenrysdam Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I had to spend last Summer getting foster kids up to grade so I feel your pain. I used www.superteacherworksheets.com and www.homeschoolmath.com a lot. I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on curriculum for it. I used homeschoolmath the most because it generates new worksheets with answer keys every time you refresh. I would also ask to borrow a copy of the 5th grade math book for the Summer so you know what to teach. Don't stress too much on it. As long as you cover adding with carrying, subtracting with borrowing, lots of multiplication tables, and some division, you should be ok. Most of the first few months of public school is review anyways because they all forget all the math over the Summer. Best wishes, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quad Shot Academy Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Does she know all four sets of her basic facts well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 First of all, I say this with kindness and not with judgment, but I think others would be able to help you better if you could tell us why she is so far behind. Does she possibly have a learning disability? If so, you might want to post your question on the special needs board, and also find out what kind of help can be obtained from the school she will be enrolling in. If your ps system is like ours, even if she is not a student (but especially because she will be an enrolled student next year) you might be able to get an educational evaluation done through the public school system, at no charge. I did this with my dd, because I had some concerns. They first did a "screening" and then a more thorough IQ test and achievement test. I think most school districts will do this sort of thing when the teacher has reason to believe there may be a problem. They said my dd had a mild processing disorder, and that they would be happy to write up an IEP for her, should I ever enroll her in the p.s. here. I imagine they would do something similar for you, so that your daughter could get the help she needs from day one, rather than be floundering in a class that is above her level. If it has really been more of a teaching/discipline/structure type issue, then whatever program you choose, I would recommend that you make math a part of daily life from now on. Seven days a week, rain or shine, hell or high water, math gets done. Period. You've got to make it a top priority. Does she know her multiplication facts? If not, you might consider ordering a skip counting CD, because that might be the best way to get those numbers into her head quickly and firmly. I guess I'm not sure what else to suggest at this point. I hope you can tell us more about her learning style and what you have and have not covered. And best of luck. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica626 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I've yet to homeschool anyone over the age of 6. Just wanted to add that Sonlight sells a really neat hand-held math facts video game device. Maybe that could be used for drills while she isn't "doing" math. HTH! Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay3fer Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I'm going to go against the grain and recommend a program that's totally free that has had astonishing success with kids who feel like they're "failing" math (usually, just due to the curriculum failing them). If your dd can count by 2s, 3s and 5s and understands basic multiplication, along with very basic fractions, I'd suggest this online "introductory unit" from JUMP Math. I think this one's at a 3rd grade level: http://jumpmath.org/publications/materials/iu/Introductory%20Unit%20Using%20Fractions%20-3%20-%204.pdf This one may be the same, but it says it's an intro for Grades 5-6: http://jumpmath.org/publications/materials/iu/Introductory%20Unit%20Using%20Fractions%20-5%20-%206.pdf I don't know exactly what the difference is. There's a teacher's guide here: http://jumpmath.org/publications/materials/iutg/TM%20for%20Introductory%20Unit%20Using%20Fractions.pdf You may need to log in but the program is free. Why fractions? The author, John Mighton ("The Myth of Success" is a great book about education), believes that starting with fractions is easier than most parents assume, and it's empowering, giving kids tons of arithmetic skills they never even knew they were building, almost painlessly. He's tested this program with inner-city, disadvantaged kids and seen it succeed hundreds of times. He says (I'm paraphrasing) once kids build their confidence in math with the fractions stuff, there's no stopping them... Good luck!!! (p.s. if you create a login, there's lots of "teacher" info, blackline masters, etc., that are helpful in various areas of math, for different grade levels here) Various teaching tips & suggestions for kids who have fallen behind: http://jumpmath.freeformsolutions.ca/program/basic-number-sense I have purchased this program at the Grade 1 level and I'm VERY happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 (edited) There is a math program called "Knowing Mathematics" that is designed to "catch up" kids who are 2 or more years behind in math in only 12-14 weeks. It was created by Liping Ma (famous for teaching people how to teach math "the Asian way.") "Knowing Mathematics is a small-group mathematics intervention program for fourth- through sixth-graders who are two or more years below grade level. Combining best practices of East Asian and U.S. instruction, it is designed to vertically accelerate students to grade level. Students are provided with a new way of learning mathematics, different from their previous experiences that may have been accompanied by failure and frustration. At the same time, the curriculum draws on the mathematical knowledge that students already have, although fragmentary and insufficient, to repair and re-organize it to build a sound foundation for future learning." This is a better site for it. You can have a "sneak peek" at the material. The sixth grade textbook is $12.30, and the TE is $65.50. This is definitely what I would try. Edited February 28, 2011 by ondreeuh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 CLE seems to be about a year ahead, so maybe if you can get her through CLE 5, you would have her close to grade level. I would look very closely at what she got wrong on the placement test and see if you can just cover some basic things in CLE 3 and then move onto CLE 4. I would skip all the quizzes and maybe the tests and if the lower levels are easy for her, I'd have her do 2 lessons a day. I'd also do math on the weekend. Really, the lessons don't take that long. Even with all that, if you are not able to get her where you would like her to be, you could continue to afterschool math until you felt she was caught up. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Math Mammoth Blue Series...individual topics. Start out with the placement test (follow the instructions for choosing the right test ) to see what areas she is specifically behind in then go from there. If CLE is a year ahead as others have mentioned then you might not be as bad off as you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EppieJ Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Here's a couple more to throw your way - both online, both free. Timez Attack - this is just multiplication drill (2-12) in a game setting http://www.bigbrainz.com/ Khan Academy - we just started using this. It starts with the basic 4 and goes on into college math. it also uses sort of a game format http://www.khanacademy.org Hope these help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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