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Independent math for a 7yo?


Mama_Rana
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The other day my 7yo son told me he thought he would do better with a math program that involved me giving a quick introduction/lesson, and then leaving the room and letting him work his way through it. :/

 

We're currently using MEP 2A, and he wants to just rush through the worksheet part. I like how it scaffolds and spirals his learning. It never feels like we're learning something new because it all just fits so neatly together.

 

But maybe I could do all the teacher-directed stuff first, then let him go through the worksheet?

 

 

Are there other options that are more independent that still will scaffold his learning the same way?

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Math Mammoth.

 

We moved from MEP into Math Mammoth because the instructions and the lessons are on the same worksheet. They have the samples on the same page too! My dd's LOVE that we switched because I can sit with them and help them through whichever ones they need, but they can easily adapt to doing them on their own too. Unlike MEP where I had to be there to show examples and to tell them what they were to do for each area.

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Well, Horizons might work for you. I would say, "Dude, I'll make you a deal. You do the lesson with me. I'll leave you to do the rest of the work on your own, as long as you're focused and get it done carefully and in a reasonable amount of time. *But*, you will have to work with me on any missed problems." If he gets the answers right, he gets his independence. But you check *immediately* after he does the work, so he's not reinforcing mistakes or misunderstandings.

 

Horizons would work like this. It has daily spiraling review, but the new concepts are covered at the beginning of the lesson. You simply go over the new material and the first section with him, then he completes the rest of the lesson on his own. You check his work, help him with any corrections, and you're on to the next subject.

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Math Mammoth.

 

We moved from MEP into Math Mammoth because the instructions and the lessons are on the same worksheet. They have the samples on the same page too! My dd's LOVE that we switched because I can sit with them and help them through whichever ones they need, but they can easily adapt to doing them on their own too. Unlike MEP where I had to be there to show examples and to tell them what they were to do for each area.

 

I was wondering if Math Mammoth would work; I'll check it out.

 

AbbeyEJ, I'll look at Horizons too. Never heard of it. And I agree about checking his work immediately. He sometimes rushes! :lol

 

ETA: I see that Horizons is put out by a Christian publisher. Is Christian content brought up in the math lessons?

Edited by Mama_Rana
follow-up question
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Looking at Math Mammoth my memory was jogged that I ALREADY OWN the light blue series! I bought it when I first started hs-ing and it was on sale somewhere. The reason I never used it was how it was packaged. It's the pdfs, and each file is a different topic covering a huge range. There is a suggested list of order, but I'm still overwhelmed thinking about where I would start. :/ Are there any resources out there about switching TO Math Mammoth from other things?

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Looking at Math Mammoth my memory was jogged that I ALREADY OWN the light blue series! I bought it when I first started hs-ing and it was on sale somewhere. The reason I never used it was how it was packaged. It's the pdfs, and each file is a different topic covering a huge range. There is a suggested list of order, but I'm still overwhelmed thinking about where I would start. :/ Are there any resources out there about switching TO Math Mammoth from other things?

 

The PDFs by topic are the "Blue" series. The "Light Blue" is organized by grade level.

 

I heartily agree with the recommendation for MM, though level of independence also somewhat depends on age, personality, and the particular topic at hand. I'd go over the lesson, and then hover nearby while he works the practice problems.

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The PDFs by topic are the "Blue" series. The "Light Blue" is organized by grade level.

 

I heartily agree with the recommendation for MM, though level of independence also somewhat depends on age, personality, and the particular topic at hand. I'd go over the lesson, and then hover nearby while he works the practice problems.

 

Yes, you're right, I looked more closely, and it's the "blue" not "light blue". I'm going to upload the clock doc to our iPad and let him have at it and see what he thinks. He needs to work on time anyway, and that would be a good start. Then I was looking at the year end tests to give him to assess his needs.

 

Thanks all!!!

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It's pretty easy to shuffle the lessons in the light blue series to make it less single topic focused. One of my 7 yos is doing Addition and Subtraction 2b, Place Value 2, and Fractions all together with the topics shuffled together. It only took me a few minutes to pick an order then bind them that way.

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