Help! Need independent math for 5th grader.

[sewgirlie]

I'm newly pregnant and can't handle teaching math right now. I'm too nauseous. Could anyone recommend a program, other than teaching textbooks, that can be done fairly independently? My child is not mathy at all and needs most things explained well.

 

 

Thank you,

 

 

Carrie

[boscopup]

CLE (spiral) and Math Mammoth (more mastery-ish) are both independent. Saxon 4/5 (incremental spiral) and up are also independent, AFAIK.

[JudoMom]

My boys do Saxon independently starting at level 5/4. We use the DIVE cds, but there are also Saxon Teacher cds.

 

If you decide to go with Saxon, I would have your child take the placement test (it's available several places online) and place your child at whatever level that says.

[Mandy in TN]

Math is meant to be taught. I would not suggest that any math program be used without an instructor.

 

However, at 5th grade age over the summer, you could use drill sheets to review the four operations with whole numbers. A 5th grader could in all likelihood use something like Key to Fractions with minimal assistance.

 

These suggestions would eliminate the need for copying, be easy to grade, and require no instruction (in the case of review drill sheets) or minimal instruction (in the case of Key to Fractions).

 

HTH-

Mandy

[Susan in TX]

Math is meant to be taught. I would not suggest that any math program be used without an instructor.

 

I have homeschooled successfully for many years, and graduated a few to public high school where they excelled in Math, and I have never "taught" math. I rely on good curricula to teach it for me. Teaching Textbooks, CLE, and Developmental Mathematics are all very good self-teaching curricula. I have also had several children do Saxon Algebra 1/2 independently without me doing any teaching.

 

Susan in TX

[sweetsouthern]

was going to say teaching textbooks, or maybe swicthed on schoolhouse? both independent. so is abeka....:001_smile:

[sewgirlie]

Thanks for the info! I must be having a "duh" moment. We've used CLE in the past and liked it. I think I'll let her use it just for the summer, by then I'll feel better.

[NittanyJen]

I can readily recommend either Life of Fred (if your child has mastered addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division through long division) and reads well. If he or she does get stuck (unlikely, but possible) then the author is available to students by email for assistance. The books are inexpensive, another plus when expecting a baby in the house, even with hand me downs available :). The program is extremely robust and will teach math well. Start with the Fractions book and go from there.

 

If learning with an applications model is not your style, or if you and your child are more comfortable with more repetition and less application, Math Mammoth is an outstanding program that self-teaches as well, and the author is also easy to work with.

 

For additional self-directed support with either program, and to give the child a break from "same old same old" send them to the Khan Academy online-- featuring as many new problems on any self-selected topic as they wish (there is a "tree" design, so they can follow a logical progression of topics, as they demonstrate mastery of each, the next related topics highlight to choose from), with related VERY well-done and clear video instruction that they can pause, rewind, replay, etc as needed. The videos are really great; my kids use them to explore advanced topics that they are curious about, or old topics that their current math programs have exposed as weaknesses in their prior PS education.

 

Good luck; you can do this! I have to respectfully disagree with a prior poster-- although yes, discussing what your kids are learning from time to time is important, and checking papers is good (in Life of Fred there are end of chapter problems they check themselves, but I look them over at night for accuracy and completeness, and then there is a Bridge test after five chapters that you have to check yourself, so you will still be in tune with how your child is doing, while your child still benefits from the skill of learning HOW to learn without being spoon-fed everything, or as my DS10 puts it, "finally, a book that treats me as if I have a brain!"). Not all kids are ready for this responsibility yet at this age. But with a baby on the way-- if your child is ready, then go for it-- math can be learned this way, very effectively :).

 

And . . . congratulations and have fun!! I envy you-- I so very much wish for another little one . . .

 

Jen

http://hillandalefarmschool.blogspot.com/

[NanceXToo]

Is there a reason you don't want it to be Teaching Textbooks? My daughter (who is not mathy either) started using Teaching Textbooks for 5th grade this year- in fact, she just finished the final quiz of the final disc today and is now done with math for the year! And it was fantastic.

 

She likes math, she no longer feels math is "too hard" or that she isn't good at it, she's had fun with it, she GETS it, she's built up so much confidence, she does it 99 percent independently... AND she did wonderfully on the math portion of her standardized testing this year (so don't be scared of all the "it's not a good enough program/it's too behind the other math curricula" hype out there)!

 

It's been a great math year for us and we're looking forward to continuing with TT6 in the fall.

[Karen in CO]

Saxon.

At 5/4 and above, it can be done independantly. Take a placement test.

[NanceXToo]

I see a few people recommended Saxon but I would not recommend Saxon at ALL for a child you say is "not at all mathy." I think MY eyes were bleeding just looking at the first lesson of Saxon 5/4 before I said heck no and found TT instead. My non-mathy child would have detested it, and I would have definitely had to give lots of help, which wouldn't have been my thing since I'm not very mathy either.

[JudoMom]

I see a few people recommended Saxon but I would not recommend Saxon at ALL for a child you say is "not at all mathy." I think MY eyes were bleeding just looking at the first lesson of Saxon 5/4 before I said heck no and found TT instead. My non-mathy child would have detested it, and I would have definitely had to give lots of help, which wouldn't have been my thing since I'm not very mathy either.

 

In all fairness, I've got 5 children in Saxon (currently using levels 1, 3, 5/4, 7/6, and 8/7). They are varying degrees of "mathy", and none of their eyes bleed :001_smile:. They all do well with this program, and the older 3 boys are almost entirely independent with the program--this includes my least mathy, most daydreamy child. We use the DIVE cds for my peace of mind, but I don't know that they're necessary.

 

I've got my reason why I would never use TT (based on discussion IRL w/ friends who use it and love it), but I don't post them because I've never used the program myself.