If you use Saxon...

[AvasMom]

Do your kids do every single one of the mixed practice problems?? For awhile I let dd do just the ones she needed practice in. She fell behind. So we went back to doing all 30. She takes forever and a day to finish! She is consistently working until bedtime to get everything done. Not because she has a lot to do but because she is poky. Always has been. The girl is an awesome kid but she makes me CRAZY sometimes! Do you think we'd still have good results with Saxon if we did just the odds or just the evens?? I've been really stubborn about sticking with all 30 but it seems like she just makes more sloppy errors. I do make her go back over and correct every one that she misses until she gets them all right. Is that too much? But then I don't want to reward pokiness but giving her less work. I also don't want her to think she can get away with sloppiness by not making her correct errors. I have Amy Chua on one shoulder and a nice version of myself on the other. Help! :confused:

[mrs.m]

We alternate evens and odds. And she has to do all of the new practice problems (forgeting what that is called, it's the problems right after the lesson.) BUT that is only IF I continue to see over 85% on the tests and lessons. She has yet to score below that on a test or lesson though. I think she works carefully on each problem to achieve this score so she doesn't have to do more!

 

Some will say this is a big no-no. But it is working just fine for us.

 

ETA: we are using Saxon 76. I'm not sure if skipping is a good idea at the lower levels because I never used it.

Edited April 13, 2011 by jannylynn

[Melissa in Australia]

We do 20 problems per lesson ( more or less). I write them out for dyslexic ds13. for the others ( dd 11, ds 15) I just mark the problems that I want them to do. This is for book 76, and algebra 1.

 

Ds 17 is doing Advanced Math and does every problem. It takes him 2-3 days to finish a chapter, I am finding it a little frustrating, he spends 2- 2 1/2 hours a day doing math.

[Ellie]

Math 76 and up: a student should absolutely do every.single.problem.

 

Unlike most publishers which include a truckload of problems in each lesson and expect the teachers to assign as many or as few as their students need, Saxon is specifically designed such that every single problem in every problem set is important. Besides continuous review, concepts are developed during the course of the book. To skip problems is to miss what makes Saxon so good.

 

This is what Jann in TX wrote:

 

You will get many different answers to this question. There are many here on the boards who only give the odds or evens out...the PROBLEM with this is that Saxon DOES NOT design their program to be used in this manner (many other texts are designed this way). When you skip problems with Saxon you are setting yourself up for trouble later on...the problem sets do not have evenly spaced concepts AND some concepts may look the same to the untrained parent--BUT each problem is actually teaching/testing in a different area. By routinely skipping problems you are missing out on critical review. In most of the series--76 and above --the practice problems often DIFFER from the original concept (the one noted by the little number). As the students' knowledge and experience increases so does their ability to COMBINE concepts. The review problems are often more difficult/complex than the original practice problems.

[Tap]

We approached things differently.

 

We did all the problems that corresponded to the current lesson and the 10 previous lessons on a regular basis. (Only works with the newer versions that have the problem/lesson annotations). Occasionally (I don't remember the interval-maybe every 5 or 10 lessons) they did all the problems. If they missed anything on a quiz/test, they had to start adding the corresponding lesson's problems until they 'remastered it'.

 

They were expected to mentally 'do' the problems they were skipping. If there were ones that they couldn't remember, we reviewed them. It was rare that this happened but they did it often enough that I felt they were being pretty good about it. The didn't have to completely 'do' each problem, just mentally go through the steps enough that they reviewed it in their mind.

 

 

 

We did it this way because we didn't want to do all the problems, but at the same time, I didn't like the idea of 'every other'.

 

 

 

I know other people who use the lesson numbers in different ways. One family did the problems out of order. DO the problems in order of lesson number from most recent backwards, and only work for a set amount of time. The only prob is checking the answers, but they got used to it and it wasn't a problem for them.

[Donna]

I pick and chose some practice problems for the kids making sure every other day they have a good variety of about 15 problems. (Doesn't work to do just odds or evens.) They score above 90% on tests and don't need the daily spiral and review. They would have absolutely hated math if they had to do every problem.

[gingersmom]

We are in the last 2 lessons of 6/5 and my daughter is doing Algebra 1. I make my kids do every problem.

 

If it is something they are struggling with I may take 2 days to have them work through the practice problems.

 

Do you have the Saxon Teacher cds?

 

They have been so good for us. My son learns so much better from watching the cd then having me teach the lesson. Plus they go through the solution to every single problem.

[JudoMom]

My boys do every single problem. Ds11 is in 8/7, and math takes him about 1.5 hours these days. Ds10 is in 7/6 and ds8 is in 5/4--they're still around the 1 hour mark for math. When we first started in the middle level books, I did have my oldest do only odds or evens and he was doing fine, but I read several threads on this board and changed my policy. I didn't want to get to the upper level books and realize I'd made a huge mistake by trying to save a few minutes. In those threads I read, the posters were also quick to point out that working more problems would result in working math faster, and that held true here.

[AvasMom]

We are in the last 2 lessons of 6/5 and my daughter is doing Algebra 1. I make my kids do every problem.

 

If it is something they are struggling with I may take 2 days to have them work through the practice problems.

 

Do you have the Saxon Teacher cds?

 

They have been so good for us. My son learns so much better from watching the cd then having me teach the lesson. Plus they go through the solution to every single problem.

 

I don't but I got it for next year (Algebra 1). For those who do every problem, how do you keep it from taking 20 years? Would you make them correct every error or just go over the mistakes with them? What about sloppy mistakes? Maybe I'll try just making her correct her sloppy mistakes but "real mistakes" go over with her?

[ktog29]

We do every. single. problem. It takes us no less than 2 hours every day because ds1 is very poky as well. But...it is worth it for me to have him do it all...I'm hoping at some point he will be less poky ;)

[Chris in VA]

I don't but I got it for next year (Algebra 1). For those who do every problem, how do you keep it from taking 20 years? Would you make them correct every error or just go over the mistakes with them? What about sloppy mistakes? Maybe I'll try just making her correct her sloppy mistakes but "real mistakes" go over with her?

 

I make her do every problem EXCEPT the practice problems--we do a few of them til she gets the concept. (I mean the new ones, not the big set that is mixed.) I give her a little time, maybe 15 minutes, maybe 10, to get started on the big set. Then she puts it away and does it later in the day so we can get on to other things, and she has a break, and comes back to it more fresh.

 

I have her look over her work before she "turns it in" the next day, to try to catch any of her mistakes--this usually takes care of some, if not all, of the sloppy ones.

 

She's actually pretty fast now--math may take an hour to 1.5 hours, but it's broken up and includes her rechecking, a quick reteaching and going thru mistakes if needed.

[H.S. Burrow]

I don't but I got it for next year (Algebra 1). For those who do every problem, how do you keep it from taking 20 years? Would you make them correct every error or just go over the mistakes with them? What about sloppy mistakes? Maybe I'll try just making her correct her sloppy mistakes but "real mistakes" go over with her?

 

 

We do math first. :)

 

I have found (with my son) that doing math after lunch takes him twice as long and there are twice as many errors.

[Tenaj]

We do math first. :)

 

I have found (with my son) that doing math after lunch takes him twice as long and there are twice as many errors.

 

This really depends on the kid . .. I have had both types of kids. Right now, I have my 9 yo doing 5/4 and we just switched to having him do it after lunch because if he does it first thing in the morning he gets completely bogged down. My oldest dd was this way, too. Several of my other kids do theirs first thing in the morning because that's what works best for them.

 

By the way, we do every problem and, yes, sometimes it seems like it will never get done, but we just keep plugging away.

[1Togo]

We do every problem. However, pokiness can sometimes be related to focus and stamina. You can try these options:

 

1) Do 1/2 lessons; i.e. 1/2 one day and 1/2 the next day.

 

2) Set a time limit for the lesson; i.e. one hour. Whatever isn't completed during the hour is done as homework after all other school and before free time.

 

Neither of these options are forever things, and they are not rewards for pokiness. Students do get burned out on math. Also, as the new concepts increase in difficulty, they just don't have the stamina to focus for 30 review problems.

Edited April 13, 2011 by 1Togo

[iquilt]

Here is how we use Saxon. My oldest is in 5/4 this year. We do every problem for every lesson. First she does the timed practice sheet, and then we do the mental math with immediate feedback. Next I teach the lesson with her reading the examples out loud so that I can hear what she understands. She then does the lesson practice and I provide immediate feedback for those also. At this point we take a break from math and she usually moves onto another subject. She will come back later to work the mixed practice problems, all of them every lesson. I will check these at the end of the day and circle any that are incorrect. We will then review those either that afternoon or first thing in the morning before beginning the next lesson. We have worked about one lesson per day with a test every five lessons. With every test she is required, by me, to receive at least 80%. She has a 90% average currently on all of her tests and we are on lesson 84. We do not plan to finish the book before our summer break but will just keep going with this book when we start up again in August. HTH

[Hikin' Mama]

every single problem. It takes my daughter quite awhile to do so, because she is dyslexic and dysgraphic. However, sometimes on Fridays I will let her skip some. But with Saxon you cannot pick just evens or just odds. I eliminate only those problems whose concepts she has down cold. I will choose problems that she struggles with and problems whose concepts I want her to have down cold. She still has at least 20 problems when I do this. Like I said I only let her do this occassionally.

 

BTW, we are in Saxon 87.

[partyof5]

D She takes forever and a day to finish! She is consistently working until bedtime to get everything done. Not because she has a lot to do but because she is poky. I've been really stubborn about sticking with all 30 but it seems like she just makes more sloppy errors. I do make her go back over and correct every one that she misses until she gets them all right. Is that too much? I also don't want her to think she can get away with sloppiness by not making her correct errors.

 

I kept the parts of your original post that I can particularly relate to--I could have written it! My dd12 is bright, but slow to work her math (though she works slow all day right now!). I, too, feel like I don't want to compromise on the mixed issues of sloppy errors, long math hours, math accuracy, etc.

 

We are in Alg 1/2 this year and new to Saxon, so 30 problems hit us both hard at first. I made her do them all and correct them all until she was so weighed down by the task that we both were a mess.

 

NEW trial plan (dh's idea): Since sloppy errors are the primary issue here, we allow her to do evens and check her work...this still takes almost an hour. If she gets 100% then she does not need to do the odds that day.

 

The result? Much more careful work, checking her work, asking more questions of me when she has trouble, and a real desire to do well. I think it has actually improved her math understanding. Truthfully, she still has to do the odds most days but we have gone from about 8-9 wrong out of 30 (ALL of which were sloppy errors, not from misunderstanding the concept) down to 3 or less. And it's a system where she knows & accepts the consequence.

 

If we can stay at this accuracy %, I'll go back to having her do all 30 next year and allowing approx. a 90% average before going on. But for now, the change in dd's approach to her math from her attitude to her execution has been worth it.

 

Good luck with whatever you try!

[Chris in VA]

Here is how we use Saxon. My oldest is in 5/4 this year. We do every problem for every lesson. First she does the timed practice sheet, and then we do the mental math with immediate feedback. Next I teach the lesson with her reading the examples out loud so that I can hear what she understands. She then does the lesson practice and I provide immediate feedback for those also. At this point we take a break from math and she usually moves onto another subject. She will come back later to work the mixed practice problems, all of them every lesson. I will check these at the end of the day and circle any that are incorrect. We will then review those either that afternoon or first thing in the morning before beginning the next lesson. We have worked about one lesson per day with a test every five lessons. With every test she is required, by me, to receive at least 80%. She has a 90% average currently on all of her tests and we are on lesson 84. We do not plan to finish the book before our summer break but will just keep going with this book when we start up again in August. HTH

 

Yes, this is us, too.

[Jesi4891]

I was homeschooled and used Saxon from 3rd to 6th grade. I loved it and thought it did a great job of preparing me for advanced math. I learned how to self teach, which was a necessity when I had some not so great teachers and professors later on. I did every other problem, odds one day and even the next. While it might now be the best option for everyone, it worked well for me!

[Anita in NC]

My kids do all the problems. All the practice questions and all 30 of the following questions.

 

My 5th grader takes about 90 minutes to do his math, he's doing Saxon 87. He takes so long because he stares off and just doesn't apply himself and I have to keep reminding him to focus.

 

My 9th grader does half a lesson of Advanced Mathematics per day and depending on the lesson spends 30 mins to 1 hour.

[Nestof3]

No, I hand pick. They do nearly all of the first half because they are more word problems which I think are crucial. They end up performing various mathematical operations within the problems, but the problems aren't just given to them.

 

I am more selective about the second half. For example, there may be three multiplication problems of the same sort -- I assign one. They end up doing about 1/2 - 2/3 of these. I only give the addition and subtraction ones about once a week. When a topic is new, I give more problems. For example, Nathan does all of the fraction problems right now.

 

Sometimes, after they fix their corrections, I will give them another similar problem just to make sure they understand their mistake. They have to correct every incorrect problem -- I find this to be one of the most important things.

 

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1. I begin teaching the lesson. Sometimes, it's so easy that I can just give them a couple of practice problems. We only do the mental math problems every now and then.

 

2. If it's a harder lesson, they do the practice problems while I sit next to them so that I can stop them if they begin doing something wrong.

 

3. They then do their problem set. They bring me their work when they are finished. I check it and hand it back to them for corrections. If they are stuck on something, I may help them by asking questions or giving hints. I may tell them to refer back to the lesson. I always try to avoid just telling them how to do it.

 

Ben takes about 30 minutes to do Saxon 5/4. Nathan takes about 20 minutes to do Saxon 6/5. The teaching part takes 5-10 minutes at the most.

 

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When I taught Aaron, as long as got a 90% or better, he only had to do half the problems. If he dropped below, the next day he had to do the entire lesson. I've also done it like this: whatever problems you miss, you will be given a problem similar in style to complete. So, if you have four errors, you will do four extra problems.

Edited April 13, 2011 by nestof3

[kidsnbooks8]

We do all of the problems in each lesson. We are using 5/4, 7/6 and Algebra 1 this year.

[ktog29]

oops

[Teachin'Mine]

Math 76 and up: a student should absolutely do every.single.problem.

 

Unlike most publishers which include a truckload of problems in each lesson and expect the teachers to assign as many or as few as their students need, Saxon is specifically designed such that every single problem in every problem set is important. Besides continuous review, concepts are developed during the course of the book. To skip problems is to miss what makes Saxon so good.

 

This is what Jann in TX wrote:

 

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:iagree: OP you might consider offering your daughter an incentive to finish math within a reasonable amount of time.

[AvasMom]

Oh yeah, way old thread. We are complete Saxon haters now and firmly into the Singapore camp for the boy and Jacob's for the girl.

[EKS]

This is big problem with Saxon. In order for the program to work, you really need to have the kid do all of the problems. But some kids take forever to do the problems. I recommend that you find a program that doesn't require so much output.

 

Alternately, Saxon itself recommends (or used to recommend) that if you must reduce the number of problems, that you do two lessons and then have the student do the second mixed practice set.