If an older student needs to start over in math...

[mom31257]

...what would you use to memorize math facts and for curricula? I met with a homeschool student today who has struggled with math all along, is now 17, and probably won't be able to graduate because of math. I've signed her up for Khan Academy which seems to start from the beginning, but she really needs to memorize her math facts. So many sites I know of are for young children, and I don't want her to feel bad that they are childish.

 

I was thinking MM might be the way to go for curricula. I want her to have written work as well as on the computer. So you have a point of reference, she is adding on her fingers and didn't know what to do with double digit multiplication or long division.

 

Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

[Lily_Grace]

I would get secondhand copies of the MUS videos and go through them one by one. He doesn't talk down but he makes the math 'why' very evident to a struggling child.

[choirfarm]

ALEKS. Now that costs something, but she could do a free trial for awhile to see how it goes. What I like is that it diagnoses exactly where they are.

[happygrrl]

I really like BCM. It can be found cheaply and one can also get a computer program (Digital Video Tutor) that goes along with it. The explanations are perfect for the older, remedial student.

[ThreeBlessings]

Have you watched any videos by Maria Miller, the maker of Math Mammoth? She has a video which outlines a specific process to use with helping students memorize facts. I used her process slightly tweaked with my kids last year and it really helped. Here is the multiplication drill video. There are also videos on strategies for addition and subtraction if she needs those, plus many more. I do think MM could be a good choice. Also I would go to a website like worksheetworks and just print off a bunch of drill type sheets to be used on a daily basis. Using those facts daily will get her memorizing them. If she is having a really hard time with the drill I'd probably let her use a multiplication chart in the beginning as even copying those facts again and again will help with memorization. Same thing for addition and subtraction if she needs help with those.

[siloam]

I really like BCM. It can be found cheaply and one can also get a computer program (Digital Video Tutor) that goes along with it. The explanations are perfect for the older, remedial student.

 

I would second this. BCM is Basic College Math by Lial. I don't use the tutor part, but the text itself is great.

 

Lial writes texts specifically for remedial college students going to community college. In other words, high school math for people who are not mathy, who don't understand math speak. She does explain why math works before moving to the formula, but gives long problem sets for lots of practice, like comparing the cost of Sprint and Nextel plans for a year taking into account the start up fee (not right off, this is later in the book). She highlights all definitions (which I have my kids memorize), and clearly refers back to example problems when directing the student to work on a problem set.

 

I do also have MM and it is also good and not too childish. They really don't last that long if you are doing a couple pages a day, so you could do those first them move into something like BCM to solidify their understanding.

 

Heather

Edited December 1, 2011 by siloam

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I also would highly recommend Lials BCM along with Calculadders for fact memorization! Also maybe the Key to Series for extra targeted practice!!

[Naturalmama2]

I have been using Reflex Math (reflexmath.com) for math facts and have been really pleased. It is a video game type practice site that gives a lot of different kind of reports to let you see how your child is progressing, the facts that are fluent, how long is spent each day, etc. You can choose the type facts that your child practices - addition and subtraction or multiplication and division. My boys (11 and 7) love it. It is a web site that you pay to use (like $35 per year). You can try it for free for 2 weeks. Best wishes!!

[rocketgirl]

I'd highly recommend Math U See, highly!! Even if you watch the videos, skip ahead & just do practice pages as needed. I have learned so much guiding my kids through it. Math U See explains everything and sequences everything so that you see the connections. Things are not taught as separate topics, they are taught as one giant continuous topic. When I took our daughter out of 4th grade, we began with Beta - place value, decimal street. She has worked so hard to get to Epsilon now in 6th, but I know that understanding is so much more important that any superficial age requirement because while we hope that she is ready for high school math in just a few years, the most important thing is that we prepare her for the whole rest of her life.

Edited December 2, 2011 by rocketgirl

[....]

There is a math intervention program by Liping Ma. http://www.eduplace.com/intervention/knowingmath/prod_overview/index.html I don't know a lot about it, but there's its website.

 

Also, BCM is a good idea.

[2GAboys]

Of my gosh-do ALEKS free two month trial. Logically he is not starting over but has serious gaps. ALEKS's artificial intelligence will assess what he has mastery of, what he is actually prepared to learn now based on what he does know- it will target exactly what those gaps are and will target all instruction to his individual needs. TWO Months are free to homeschooler. In 17 hours my son caught up on his gaps from level 4 (4th grade-GA standards-Yes they have them all). He has begun 5th grade today and already has been assessed at having 197 out of the 280 or so topics for that grade level mastered. It constantly reassesses, reviews, teaches (need to keep an eye on this part because it is algorithm as opposed to conceptual). I print out worksheets everyday that it generates targeted especially to what it determines are his individual needs which I get to go over with him if he makes mistakes. I schedule quizes. The parental account is phenomenal. I know what topics he has worked on, what ones he is about to do (so I can prep lessons/worksheets in advance if it is something I want to teach/give extra practice on). It is very motivational as the kids get to see their pie chart get filled up. When one slice (geometry for example) gets filled up it is so validating and encouraging. They get to choose which pie slice they work on until they either have filled it up or are told they have to master another part of the pie before they can continue (obviously need to understand something from another area before they can continue). I have been very please-It is not perfect but it would be good for an older kid.

[Caribbean Queen]

Are you working with her personally? I would teach her strategies for learning the math facts.

+ 0 is easy,

+ 1 is too.

+ 10 has a pattern.

+ 9 is just one less than +10, I know 6 +10 is 16, so 6 +9 is one less than 16.

 

she needs to know 6 +9 has the same answer as 9 + 6

 

Once she knows the additon facts the subtraction ones are easy.

When seeing a subtraction fact I think of addition

12 - 5 = I think, "5 + what = 12?

 

I would use strategies for multiplication fatcs and then teach her to think of multiplication in order to learn the division facts.

[Finnella]

I started my 12 year old in the first level of Math U See this year. We were able to move through Alpha and Beta fairly quickly; we watched the videos together. He finally understood the underlying concepts and, for the first time, is not counting on his fingers. He's also able to teach other people what he's learned, so I can see that he's really learning math.

 

When we started homeschooling last year, we tried Aleks. It was a disaster for us. It's light on explaining the why of things, though I had a friend tutoring him as a back up for this. But in the end, my DS still didn't understand and did lots of guessing. At the end of the school year, Aleks had him working on supposedly a 6th grade level. When we started testing him without the computer (just equations and paper), he was still barely on a third grade level.