Math U See placement ?

[Guest]

I do not think Teaching Textbook 3 is working for my dd(8). She does not do well with listening to the lecture on the computer by herself. I used MUS for my older son, and he did great with it. So, I am thinking of using that with her. She does not have all her math facts memorized (larger add/subt. problems), but she knows how to get the answer. Do I still need to start with Alpha with her? Or, can she move to Beta and we practice math facts on the side?

[morosophe]

Or, can she move to Beta and we practice math facts on the side?

 

That's what I'd do. Of course, you could have her do some placement testing.

[Guest]

That's what I'd do. Of course, you could have her do some placement testing.

 

Thanks. I do know about the placement tests. She would easily test out of alpha. Although she does not have them memorized for quick recall. I think I will go with Beta.

[acurtis75]

My dd tested put of alpha so I started with beta. After a few lessons I realized she could benefit from watching the alpha instruction for her addition facts. I found a VCR tape on eBay of the old version of their curriculum. It was ten dollars and we used it to review the alpha lessons. The old version is formatted differently and has assorted lessons on it from alpha to gamma but I emailed mus and they sent me an outline of which lessons to use to get the alpha material.

[Calm37]

I do not think Teaching Textbook 3 is working for my dd(8). She does not do well with listening to the lecture on the computer by herself. I used MUS for my older son, and he did great with it. So, I am thinking of using that with her. She does not have all her math facts memorized (larger add/subt. problems), but she knows how to get the answer. Do I still need to start with Alpha with her? Or, can she move to Beta and we practice math facts on the side?

 

Did you use MUS Alpha with your son? It's been a long time, but I recall some of the tools Mr. Demme used to help the kids with the math facts. There were very few, in the end, that needed to be memorized cold. And the way he taught subtraction was so different. "14-8", for instance, was "2 to get to 10, plus 4 = 6." My girls had practiced all the numbers that added up to 10 for so long that they picked up all the subtraction facts very quickly after just a week of doing that.

 

I like the idea of the PP to get an Alpha instructor's video and go through it if you haven't done Alpha before.

 

Blessings,

[3monkeys]

This is what I did just this year. I bought the DVD for alpha off eBay, then printed the extra practice math worksheets directly from their website. He would watch the lesson and then do worksheet. I did one lesson a day and finished in 30 days. This showed me what we needed to work on. He is now in Beta, doing fine and we still work on the facts as we go along. He is still on target to finish Beta this year as some lessons are just review for him. I will say he has not mastered his facts and is doing fine in Beta. Hope that helps.

[Guest]

Did you use MUS Alpha with your son? It's been a long time, but I recall some of the tools Mr. Demme used to help the kids with the math facts. There were very few, in the end, that needed to be memorized cold. And the way he taught subtraction was so different. "14-8", for instance, was "2 to get to 10, plus 4 = 6." My girls had practiced all the numbers that added up to 10 for so long that they picked up all the subtraction facts very quickly after just a week of doing that.

 

I like the idea of the PP to get an Alpha instructor's video and go through it if you haven't done Alpha before.

 

Blessings,

 

I did Alpha, Beta, and almost all of Gamma with my now 4th grader. My dd(8) actually did MUS primer, and almost completed all of Alpha. But....she forgot everything she learned in MUS Alpha when we switched to another program. She has most of them memorized...just not the larger ones.

[datimasa]

This is what I did just this year. I bought the DVD for alpha off eBay, then printed the extra practice math worksheets directly from their website. He would watch the lesson and then do worksheet. I did one lesson a day and finished in 30 days. This showed me what we needed to work on. He is now in Beta, doing fine and we still work on the facts as we go along. He is still on target to finish Beta this year as some lessons are just review for him. I will say he has not mastered his facts and is doing fine in Beta. Hope that helps.

 

I think this is a smart and economical way to do it.

 

I knew I would be using MUS with future dc, so I went ahead and bought Alpha all the way through Epsilon (not all at one time though). I just fast tracked her through Alpha and Beta, and slowed down some in Gamma. She was about 10-11yo when we did this.

 

I think it is important for them to see how Steve does things right from the beginning. It almost always makes more sense than what we were taught growing up. I had so many "aha" moments, and I was good at math in school! The shortcuts and tricks he uses help so much. Some of them I figured out on my own, but only through looking at a lot of right answers and just kind of figuring out how it worked.

 

I think you an continue to work on math facts on the side. Not what Steve recommends but I think it can get discouraging to hold a child back for too long because of math facts. Just MHO :)

[datimasa]

Oh, I forgot to say that because we were fast tracking through those first few books, I just copied the lessons I wanted her to do. It saved me from having to buy another student text when she wasn't going to do most of it. But, 3monkeys has a great idea if you do not need to buy the student texts at all. :)