cathmom Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 For anyone who's done all of them, would you advise this or not? My son turned 8 a couple months ago. He's almost 2/3 through B. Math is effortless for him - I don't think he's had to struggle to understand anything so far. I already have D, but don't have C. I was planning just to buy C, but then I started thinking maybe he could just go right to D. I have the transition lessons, we could do any of them he doesn't know yet. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I don't have D, but I have B and C. Personally, I wouldn't skip C; it introduces multiplication in a very systematic, thorough way that I would hate for my kids to miss, and the rest of the program really cements the mental math introduced in B. Again, though, I don't have D so perhaps it wouldn't be a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 That's what I figured, but I thought I would ask anyway. It's really not a problem to buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peony Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 For anyone who's done all of them, would you advise this or not? My son turned 8 a couple months ago. He's almost 2/3 through B. Math is effortless for him - I don't think he's had to struggle to understand anything so far. I already have D, but don't have C. I was planning just to buy C, but then I started thinking maybe he could just go right to D. I have the transition lessons, we could do any of them he doesn't know yet. What do you think? We have B through D and are in the middle of C. I can't think of any section you would want to skip in C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 How strong is he when it comes to subtraction? B barely touches upon subtraction and that's the primary focus of the first part of C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 How strong is he when it comes to subtraction? B barely touches upon subtraction and that's the primary focus of the first part of C. He got it beautifully before it was taught. We were playing Addition War, and I casually said, "You beat me by 7" or something and he started adding his cards, then mine, then subtracting to find the difference to say what we had beaten each other by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 How strong is he when it comes to subtraction? B barely touches upon subtraction and that's the primary focus of the first part of C. Hmm, I disagree: multiplication is introduced before subtraction, and after that multiplication, subtraction, geometry (area, perimeter), and early fractions are covered fairly evenly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Cathmom, I think your logic is good on at least trying it. Do you find yourself compacting the lessons in B already? That would be a sign that it might work. The Transitions lessons are meant to improve understanding and fill in gaps for someone who already knows the basics. Compare the table of contents for Transitions (the lessons that line up with C) and see how well they compare. I think in *theory* this could actually work for you. I'm not saying anyone else ONLY YOU. Like I said, needing to compact B would be a big sign that this could work for you for C. If nothing else, you just try it and see what happens. If he bogs down, then you'll know he needs the expanded lessons of the full level. If you really find the regular levels not fitting him and want to diverge, your other option is to get Activities for the ALAbacus, the original book, that contains all the topics arranged in the order they develop. So then you can just jump to what he wants and not get bogged down. There are lots of little details they weave into the lessons (place value, money, next step on telling time, etc.), so it's really not ideal to jump like you're suggesting. But if he's bored stiff, you could try it. All that happens if it doesn't work is you just go ahead and order C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Cathmom, I think your logic is good on at least trying it. Do you find yourself compacting the lessons in B already? That would be a sign that it might work. The Transitions lessons are meant to improve understanding and fill in gaps for someone who already knows the basics. Compare the table of contents for Transitions (the lessons that line up with C) and see how well they compare. I think in *theory* this could actually work for you. I'm not saying anyone else ONLY YOU. Like I said, needing to compact B would be a big sign that this could work for you for C. If nothing else, you just try it and see what happens. If he bogs down, then you'll know he needs the expanded lessons of the full level. If you really find the regular levels not fitting him and want to diverge, your other option is to get Activities for the ALAbacus, the original book, that contains all the topics arranged in the order they develop. So then you can just jump to what he wants and not get bogged down. There are lots of little details they weave into the lessons (place value, money, next step on telling time, etc.), so it's really not ideal to jump like you're suggesting. But if he's bored stiff, you could try it. All that happens if it doesn't work is you just go ahead and order C. Yes, we breeze through the lessons. that's a good idea to compare the table of contents! Thanks. I wouldn't say he's bored stiff - he loves math, loves playing the games, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 While I think he probably could do it, I just asked myself if it was worth it to possibly compromise his math education to save $100. The answer is no. That would be "penny wise, pound foolish." Thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 While I think he probably could do it, I just asked myself if it was worth it to possibly compromise his math education to save $100. The answer is no. That would be "penny wise, pound foolish." Thanks all! Good decision. You'll be happy. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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