Cross post: MEP question

[Nakia]

Yes, another MEP question. Is it possible to use MEP as a supplement, and, if so, how do you do it? It seems so FULL that I can't imagine using it just part time. We do not have the time to devote to another complete math curriculum. But MEP seems like just the thing to supplement what we are currently using.

 

Also if you are starting your child in MEP for the first time (other than about 2 weeks you spent on it last year :tongue_smilie:) would you just place them in the appropriate year of their grade level? One of my girls is advanced in math and the other is average.

 

Thanks!

[Meriwether]

Bumping this because I want to know, too.

[Free]

Since I afterschool, I use MEP as a supplement and not as a complete program.

 

It takes some work, but I try to co-ordinate the lessons being covered in school with MEP. The "MEP Scheme of work" gives the broad level topics being covered each week, so I pick the topic I want from there. (For example, say I want to cover Fractions in MEP Year 5, I know by looking at the Scheme of Work that Fractions are covered in Week 6).

 

I read the corresponding lesson plans and mark only the most challenging problems from the Lesson plans/ Practice books. I pick a few mental arithmetic kind of problems as well. So each session is a mix of 10 mins of mental maths + about 20 mins of independent working through challenging problems.

 

Once we have covered enough of the school topics, we also spend a few weeks to go into the topics not covered in school. It acts as a nice enrichment program as well this way.

[serendipitous journey]

I'm working with a littler one, but we've used MEP as a supplement and now are switching over to it. To supplement I did one program in the AM and one in the PM: I didn't do a full lesson of both, though, just skimmed/picked problems off one and did the other more in-depth. This was working because we are hammering in long division in our other program, so there's not a lot of teaching, just about 10 minutes of problems.

 

It seems like you could

* alternate days. This shouldn't slow you down too much, esp. if you throw in one or a few problems from your main math at some point on the MEP days.

* cherry-pick MEP problems as you go, maybe only 1 or 2 from each lesson.

* bypass the MEP lesson plans, except where you need the explicit teaching, and do the worksheets. Skip every fifth lesson, which are review and less fun I find (they may not be review at your level, though ... we're in 2).

* also, I believe that MEP year 1 corresponds to K. Though the concepts are funky; Button can do the third grade level of Singapore, but we put him in Year 2 of MEP b/c of the Roman numerals and combinatorial problems.

Edited January 23, 2012 by serendipitous journey