Lady Florida. Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Has anyone used Life of Fred with Teaching Textbooks? I searched the forum but couldn't find anything. I'm considering this for the upcoming school year, specifically pre-algebra. We've been using LoF alone, but I think ds needs more. I've been eying TT for about 2 years now. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 My dd used LOF last year every Friday as her math lesson. We combined TT and LOF at the recommendation of TWTM to add some fun learning and variety to the normal week. If you have the 3rd edition of TWTM, you'll find the info on pages 96-97. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick_Mom Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I did this last year when ds started algebra because he needed some reinforcement in certain areas. But he didn't like LOF, so I switched to the Key To ... books instead. They've been wonderful for review. But they don't have the flair that LOF has. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 27, 2011 Author Share Posted July 27, 2011 My dd used LOF last year every Friday as her math lesson. We combined TT and LOF at the recommendation of TWTM to add some fun learning and variety to the normal week. If you have the 3rd edition of TWTM, you'll find the info on pages 96-97. Blessings, Lucinda I have the second edition. Neither program is mentioned. :( Did you match the two, or just have her do what came next in each one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I have the second edition. Neither program is mentioned. :( Did you match the two, or just have her do what came next in each one? Nope, no matching. I just had her go through each of the lessons as far as she wanted to go within the given time on Fridays. She kept a LOF notebook and I only checked the bridges. Some people here on the boards have said they use LOF for reinforcement and review by choosing one level lower than their student is actually on in their regular math program. I've thought about doing that too. Here is a bit from TWTM 3rd edition that got me to use LOF as a supplement: "For an entirely different approach to math, consider investing in the Life of Fred series to complement your math course. Written by teacher Stanley Schmidt, the series provides a narrative survey of mathematics. It is entertaining and highly nontraditional, and it can help the student avoid the math doldrums (that period of time after the first excitement of "doing school" wears off, when math lessons can easily become repeated drill sessions with no end in sight..)...The series gives even young students the opportunity to look at mathematics from another angle, and to think again about why numbers work as they do." (from pgs. 96-97) In the Logic stage section of the book, it suggests a schedule of regular math lessons M-Th, then using LOF on Fridays for 60 min. This is what we did all last school year and my dd thought it was great because we also did art and co-op on Fridays, making the last day of the week different than the other days of the week. This year for 7th grade I'm going to save LOF until dd completes Pre-Algebra in the spring, then let her finish up a year of hard work with a bit of fun. Either way, I think LOF is great to add along with TT, or any other math program, as a supplement. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Some people here on the boards have said they use LOF for reinforcement and review by choosing one level lower than their student is actually on in their regular math program. I've thought about doing that too. That's what we do--it is working well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnowWhite Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 That's my plan for this year- fifth grader will be using TT6 and LOF Fractions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Note that when done thoroughly, LoF can also be used quite successfully as a standalone program. There is NOTHING wrong with using it as a supplement at all! This note is just for the benefit of future readers of the thread; I would hate for people to think that such an outstanding (and complete) program is only useful as a supplement. The math you need is all there. We use it for my DS10, and just for fun, or when he says, "I love that kind of problem! Can I do more exploring of what comes next?" Instead of letting him race through Fred (Fred is actually so deep, letting him zip through would do him a disservice since it is his main curriculum as a hopefully college-bound kid) I let him go play on Khan Academy as a supplement to Fred. He also reads additional living books about math-- Penrose, Number Devil, Why Pi, etc. Khan Academy would be a nice place (and free!) to get reinforcement for anybody who wants more reps of a particular type of problem. Now . . . my big challenge coming up will be . . . DS7 is doing fantastically well in Singapore Math. What will happen when he gets to the advanced Fred book age??? I don't like the idea of ditching Singapore, when it is serving him so well. There is no rational reason to do so. OTOH, having him to two complete math programs simultaneously is nuts! But he's already asking about Fred, since his brother loves it so much. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it! But for what it's worth, yes, Fred can be "a fun supplement," and as a math-loving person who is married to a math professor, we love Fred and get excited when we hear about people using a series that excels at helping kids connect math to the world, and showing them how to "think" mathematically so accurately. But it is so much more than that when you want it to be-- the math is all there for those who wish it to be a complete curriculum, too! However you use Fred, enjoy! As the author says in the intro, let them have a happy childhood :). I love the photo of his daughter with the three pacifiers in her mouth :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirowife Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 My daughter used TT6 and Life of Fred Fractions last year. Life of Fred wasn't for her - too much reading I guess but my other daughter did LOF Fractions and Decimal and Percents for fun before starting TT Alg 1 and she loved them! I think it depends on the child for LOF but both of my girls (and mom) love TT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Right now I have ds do Fred and Saxon. When he's finished w/ this Saxon book, I'll use the TT I have on the shelf and keep on w/ Fred. I consider Fred a safe math for ds. I don't even correct it. He does. I've seen him go pull a Fred book off the shelf to re-read a lesson. Good, clean fun, and it gets some learning in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 28, 2011 Author Share Posted July 28, 2011 Thanks everyone. I took the plunge and found a used set of TT Pre-Algebra. We had been using LoF alone, but it just wasn't enough for ds. As much as he loves the stories, and they help him see the practicality of math, I also think they were getting in the way of his understanding the concepts. He doesn't want to give up LoF, so we'll be using both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMom2One Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Thanks everyone. I took the plunge and found a used set of TT Pre-Algebra. We had been using LoF alone, but it just wasn't enough for ds. As much as he loves the stories, and they help him see the practicality of math, I also think they were getting in the way of his understanding the concepts. He doesn't want to give up LoF, so we'll be using both. I'm glad you decided to take the plunge! As a side note, I just wanted to mention that your used version of Pre-Algebra does not have the built in gradebook feature. They are in the process of updating and revising the whole series and until this year, Pre-Algebra and above haven't been fully updated yet. The version that will be released this month, however, will be set up for PC/Mac and will have the gradebook included. I don't know if this matters to you or not, but I just thought I'd bring it up. Blessings, Lucinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 29, 2011 Author Share Posted July 29, 2011 I'm glad you decided to take the plunge! As a side note, I just wanted to mention that your used version of Pre-Algebra does not have the built in gradebook feature. They are in the process of updating and revising the whole series and until this year, Pre-Algebra and above haven't been fully updated yet. The version that will be released this month, however, will be set up for PC/Mac and will have the gradebook included. I don't know if this matters to you or not, but I just thought I'd bring it up. Blessings, Lucinda Thanks. I probably wouldn't use the gradebook anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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