How did you accelerate MM or math in general

[justLisa]

I am realizing I've totally been holding DS back in math by going page by page in MM. He would like to focus more on math in his day, since we all know that is the direction he is most likely heading in his future.

 

DH learned math in another country and was using algebra in grammar school. For some reason I always felt like it was crazy to have a kid get through early math so fast, but DS seems capable.

 

So how did yo accelerate with MM? I am going to purchase grades 4-6 soon, but right now we are shortly in to grade 3. I notice from grades 2-3, there is a lot repeated but just with expanded place value, or a more challenging section on money, clock, etc. Once he was doing 3 digit addition/subtraction he quickly learned how to apply that concept to even thousands, so that kind of takes care of a big chunk of the unit on thousands. I think I am trying to give myself permission to join units that are similar on different grade levels and just cover more thoroughly. We just started multiplication, and he is working on memorizing the chart. He can totally apply the concept though, he just doesn't know all his facts yet. He is very interested in geometry but the grade 3 geometry is not so excited. DOes geometry come up again in MM4 and 5?

 

I see some kids are in higher levels of math at ages 7 or 8, and I'm wondering what you do. There's no way DS would want to do every single page to get through in half the time.

[Veritaserum]

We do a few problems and move on if it's clear the child understands.

[boscopup]

We accelerated by skipping problems, sections, and/or chapters where appropriate. Note that we ONLY skip topics if he can clearly demonstrate knowledge of it. This was easiest in the lower grades, when it was addition/subtraction stuff. For example, the only thing in 2B that we did was one section on fractions that he hadn't been formally taught. The rest was stuff he already clearly understood. We also use Singapore IP/CWP, and those would often review those topics we skipped in MM (3-digit addition/subtraction is one we skipped in MM because he demonstrated that he could do it via the Singapore IP).

 

We've slowed down in the grade 4, though I wouldn't exactly call it slow. We're in 4B, having started 4A at the beginning of September. We usually do one section per day, unless it's a topic that needs more time (multi-digit multiplication standard algorithm got split up across 3 days). I look at the topic, see how much of it my son understands, and if he understands it well, I'll just give enough problems to practice it and keep it fresh. If he has no prior knowledge of the topic and it's a more difficult topic, we'll do all the problems. We've done all of the multi-digit multiplication problems and all of the long division problems so he'll have plenty of practice with those algorithms. He doesn't, however, need to do all of the problems where you multiply/divide powers of 10 (40 x 30). He's really good at those problems, so he needs less practice than he does with the newer standard algorithms. We definitely breeze through those place value sections, as he understands place value forward and backward. We practice a bit with the new bigger numbers, but we don't dwell on it, just because he has continually demonstrated thorough knowledge of those concepts.

 

We do all chapter tests, whether we skip the chapter or not. If he gets 100 on the chapter test without working the chapter, I know it was the right choice to skip that chapter. ;) We also do the cumulative reviews.

 

Re: geometry... The grade 3 book does have some things not taught in grade 4. You'd have to compare scope and sequence to see what you can skip there. There are some topics that you could just teach together with the grade 4 book. Standing up at the white board and just teaching the concepts without worrying about where they are in the MM books would probably be helpful.

[shukriyya]

:bigear:

[lauracolumbus]

I use MM 4 and Saxon 5/4 for second grade. DD gets math. I alternate weeks of doing either MM or Saxon. I do this by doing two lessons (if possible) in either book/day. This means I skip stuff I know she knows. For example, in Saxon we either skim the lesson if she knows it, or if she doesn't we spend more time on the lesson. Then I will skip lots of problems that I know she knows well and focus on those she doesn't. For example if she has time problems down, I might do one w/her orally for the whole week to make sure she doesn't forget. If she doesn't get it, we do more.

 

The same w/MM, although it is a bit harder. I will usually only have her do half the problems on 2 pages for the day. For example, if there are 4 problems in a set, she only does evens. There's a lot more mixed into the MM problems, so I skip less if I see there are multiple concepts being taught. She does most, if not all, of the word problems.

 

Laura

[acurtis75]

I had a similar realization several weeks ago about my dd and math. In her case, math isn't her favorite subject but she learns quickly & I realized part of her dislike was result of being bored. I use MUS but I'm pretty sure you would accelerate mm in a similar manner. Mus books are 30 chapters/lessons. There are 3 worksheets a week focused on the new topic, 3 more that have problems on the new topic plus a systematic review of previously learned concepts & a test. There are also three unit tests and final exam. I was making her do all worksheets for each lesson. When she wanted to get done she could do a page front in about 10 minutes. Other days it would take her an hour to do the same thing because she was bored. She rarely made errors other than the occasional careless mistake.

 

I sat her down and explained that I thought she was bored and that I wanted to make math a better experience for both of us. I told her if she worked hard and did her best we could do less drill and repetition and spend more time doing some fun math and reading living books about math.

 

Now we watch the lesson DVD together and then I watch her work a few sample problems. If she seems to have the concept down I let her take the test. If she gets the answers right we move on to the next lesson. If she seems to need more help when I watch her work the problems I have her do one of the last 3 worksheets for the week that include the review. If she does well with that I either let her take the test that day or the next. We are spending less time on math but she's now reading lots of math related living books and enjoying them.

 

This system is working well, she likes math better now and she's still passing all tests. She rarely misses more than one answer and always finds her mistake when checking. This tells me that I was indeed holding her back.

 

The only downside to this approach is that we've moved through 23 of the 30 lessons in about a month so I just had to order the next level of curriculum which I originally planned to start next September.

[justLisa]

Thanks for the ideas!

 

BOscopup I have been giving DS tests more often. He actually loves them. It's funny, he thrives on graded feedback. He has gotten 100% on the last 3 unit tests doing almost none of the actualy work. I notice sometimes he skips several problems and I'll say "um, hey buddy I think you forgot to finish this...." and he will say "ok, well I don't think I need to but if you want me to I will." LOL. He is very serious about the tests, and spends a great deal of time checking and making them very neat.

 

RIght now we are focusing on multiplication. I never fully appreciated MM until I started looking at is as units instead of a year going page by page!

[quark]

Some ways we accelerated (examples):

1. Have DS do just 3-5 of the harder problems instead of all 10 on the page. If all correct, we move on to the next concept. If he gets one wrong, assign one more and so on.

2. Use 2-3 programs at the same time. One at the level he wanted to learn (eg. LoF, Key To, and now AoPS, Great Courses, other texts), one for fun (eg. LoF, Penrose the Cat and now logic puzzles) and one for some practice (eg. Singapore, MEP, MM, now AoPS and other texts). At the pre-algebra level, I didn't assign work for the highest level program, just made it stress-free so he'd learn it how he wanted to.

3. Use the whiteboard with real-life, relevant examples. If he understood it and could assign me some problems and know how to correct my work, I let him move on.

4. Keep LOTS of math literature around the house.

5. Every 5-6 months had him take a free placement test from another program to see where he'd place and work forwards or backwards accordingly using current materials (the placement test was just to see where he was, not to buy the program unless it looked like a program he might want to try).

[foxbridgeacademy]

Instead of doing grade levels in MM we purchased the "topic" levels (I can't remember blue /lt blue?). Anyway we can easily move on to the next section in each topic when DS has a firm grasp of the concept. Some topic books only took 2-3 weeks (like Multiplication) others I expect to spend lots of time on (fractions and intergers). I hope to have all of th upper level books finished by mid summer so we can move on to pre-algebra for 6th grade.

[happycc]

Some ways we accelerated (examples):

 

2. Use 2-3 programs at the same time. One at the level he wanted to learn (eg. LoF, Key To, and now AoPS, Great Courses, other texts), one for fun (eg. LoF, Penrose the Cat and now logic puzzles) and one for some practice (eg. Singapore, MEP, MM, now AoPS and other texts). At the pre-algebra level, I didn't assign work for the highest level program, just made it stress-free so he'd learn it how he wanted to.

 

 

 

How on earth did you assign all this?

[Beth in SW WA]

Dd8 has accelerated through math over the last couple years. We skip many problems when she already mastered the concepts/computation. She is doing all the problems in TT prealg except addition/subtraction/equivalent fractions and other arithmetic operations which she obviously knows well.

 

In her SM workbooks we skip a few as well. I asked her to do some 5a pages on dividing fractions last week for review. I wanted to make sure she understood why we invert & multiply. She looked at it and said, "No! That's baby math!"

 

Oy!:tongue_smilie:

 

I don't let her skip any cwp/ip.

 

We are working our way through HoE verbal problems. We won't skip any.

 

I take quark's approach. We use elements of multiple programs which results in a lot of crossover of concepts. (TT, SM, HoE, Key To, MM, LOF, Khan Academy)

 

Friday she got sucked into Penrose which launched us into a fun tangent. We spent an hour on squares/square roots. Yay, math. :)

[ChandlerMom]

I agree with using multiple curricula that attack the subject in different ways. I like the one for practice, one for fun, and one challenge/interest/need model.

 

Another option is to work different "strands" of math at the same time, so do a lesson (maybe fewer problems if they "get it") from 2 or 3 chapters on the same day (one arithmetic, one geometry, for example). I broke elementary math down into about 4 different strands. If the math topics are different enough, kids won't burn out -- lots of different stuff are lumped together as "math".

 

PS: your ds readiness for algebra doesn't really have anything to do with acceleration or ability -- it really should be determined by HOW your child thinks. Some kids think abstractly young and are ready for algebra earlier. Others think more concretely and their brains just aren't ready for abstractions until somewhere in the 8-12yo range. You really cannot push a kid into abstraction and really shouldn't since at BEST you would be forcing them to task parts of their brain inappropriately to the task. There are TONS of fun, useful math topics for the accelerated math student that do NOT require algebra or abstraction. Math is not some sort of linear progression from arithmetic to algebra to calculus -- I like the AoPS description of each as just another toolbox. It's better to make sure your kid can use all those tools in their current toolbox proficiently before adding more tools! Depth, logical thought, creative problem solving are more important than doing algebra early.

 

Of course I say that with an 8yo who is doing pre-Algebra now. :lol: So I'm not against accelerating, but I am making dd dawdle here in breadth and depth for now, and starting pre-A was about her deep boredom with the 5th grade curric (it was all obvious to her and she was starting to dislike math). So she does one part drill, one part deepening on percent/fractions, one challenge problem for critical thinking, and one part pre-A.

Edited November 20, 2011 by ChandlerMom

[Mandy in TN]

uhmm, I am sure that I won't remember it all, but here is some of what we did with my youngest (currently 9yo/ 3rd grade).

 

As far as a basic math program/ exposure, he did MUS Alpha, Singapore 1, Singapore 2, Saxon 54, and Saxon 65. Prior to Saxon he just did everything, but did many lessons in a day. He finished MUS Alpha in a matter of weeks. There were so few problems in Singapore that it didn't take him long to finish both 1 and 2. He liked the variety of problem types in a Saxon lesson. However, when we hit Saxon, we didn't do every problem and/or we did problems orally.

 

As far as exploration, we played a lot with manipulatives (pattern blocks, wedgits, dice, dominoes, cards). He carried around laminated 100s charts and loved finding patterns. He would open calculators on the computer until the screen was filled with them. Then, he did Miquon Book1, Penrose, and Hands-on-Equations. We looked at LoF, but he never really liked it- too much story and too little math.

 

As far as computation, he began Kumon mid-summer before he turned 5. While I like to introduce topics at home, I like the speed and accuracy encouraged by Kumon. It just isn't in my personality to feel comfortable letting him move ahead in concepts without first achieving speed and accuracy in those concepts he does understand. I also like that it is out of my hands so to speak. I like that someone else talks to Doodle about math and lets him know that he must master the computation before moving forward.

 

Last spring I realized that with all the supplements Doodle had jumped ahead of where he was in Saxon 76 and would even slowing him down by cutting his work he would even be hitting Alg at Kumon this fall. We ditched Saxon and worked through some of the Key to Alg books. He found Foerster's Alg and wanted to start. I let him play with it some, but we didn't start-start until this fall. This fall we have bounced back and forth between explaining Kumon and doing Foerster's.

 

We began Jacobs: Mathematics a Human Endeavor, but stopped about week 9 of our school year. Honestly, I am not particularly happy about Doodle's education in general this fall, but there are just so many hours in the day. He needed to spend more time on other subjects and I needed to spend time with my senior. Next year he will have me all to himself.

 

I am sure that I am not remembering everything, but in general I allowed him to move ahead by supplying the materials. He moved ahead because it was his passion. Acceleration in anything will not only be dependent upon the parent providing the materials, but on the child's ability and desire.

 

HTH-

Mandy

[shukriyya]

This thread has been very helpful. I'm just now realizing the benefits of using elements from different programs to complement our spine. It keeps things interesting and also lets me know whether dc really understands the concepts or not.

[Beth in SW WA]

 

PS: your ds readiness for algebra doesn't really have anything to do with acceleration or ability -- it really should be determined by HOW your child thinks. Some kids think abstractly young and are ready for algebra earlier. Others think more concretely and their brains just aren't ready for abstractions until somewhere in the 8-12yo range. You really cannot push a kid into abstraction and really shouldn't since at BEST you would be forcing them to task parts of their brain inappropriately to the task. There are TONS of fun, useful math topics for the accelerated math student that do NOT require algebra or abstraction.

 

Singapore challenging word problems are a sneaky way to introduce algebraic thinking on a wee one. I believe it has transformed the way dd8 thinks. She visualizes bar models in her head. Hands-On Equations is another fantastic way to introduce algebra early in a non-threatening, fun way. The verbal word problems worked out with cubes/pawns completely demystify algebra. Dd is now writing all her equations on paper after showing the visual representation of the problem.

 

I doubt dd will enjoy the discovery aspect of aops. I could be wrong -- but it appears she likes her math front-loaded. Instruction first, practice second. This is convenient since dh & I work this way as well. Our older dc have done wonderfully with a front-loaded program for alg.

 

Shutting up now. :bigear:

[justLisa]

Beth - I was thinking of picking up the SM CWP to do wtih DS when DH doesn't have as much time to devote. He has DS solving algebraic equations already and they seem to have fun doing so. He has been giving him "solve for the unkown" problems for a while, he is just limited by his basic math and we are not ready to hand out a calculator.

 

Thanks for all of the ideas. Chandler mom I am not sure why you think algebra require so much abstractness. Or maybe I misunderstood what you meant. Solving for the unknown with a variable can be pretty straight forward.

[acurtis75]

Thanks for all of the ideas. Chandler mom I am not sure why you think algebra require so much abstractness. Or maybe I misunderstood what you meant. Solving for the unknown with a variable can be pretty straight forward.

 

:iagree: I think the ps system has led us to believe that Algebra is some big scary subject that you have to introduce at just the right time or forever scar your children. Solving for the unknown (which is basic algebra) can be done once you know some basic math skills. It makes math a little more fun and interesting in the elementary levels. One of the things I appreciate about MUS is that solving for unknowns was introduced in Alpha which is the very first most basic level. DD loved these types of problems and we've continued to introduce more difficult ones as her math skills develop.