calebandbrooke Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Hi, I posted awhile back for advice about my son's math. The replies were very helpful- we took some of the advice and have been using MEP and playing with numbers- re-arranging facts making 3 or 4 member addition sentences and then combining them to 2 member, etc. I am learning that he REALLY responds well to being challenged. If we just sit and review fact cards he doesn't focus, but if I give him a challenge he can spout off facts no problem. We are going to take a break from SM for a little while and do MEP and challenge him with the abacus to get his facts cemented better then go back to SM. So... on to the new question- My daughter who is almost 6 has done almost a year of Horizons K and is struggling to understand math at all. She is opposite of my son in a lot of ways. She tends to memorize well, but does not understand concepts well. She has become very dependent on the number lines which I really don't like, and I don't love that she is "adding" 92+4, etc. without really understanding what 4+2 is. She can count it on the number line, but if you ask her in another context she just randomly guesses whatever number comes into her head :001_smile:. I only did Horizons this year because I had heard that the Singapore K wasn't great and I was wanting to do something gentler with her at first. She actually likes doing "math," but what she means by that is that she likes writing in the colorful workbook. She cries daily multiple times during the lesson saying she doesn't understand, but every day wants to do math first and says she likes it. I had planned to move to SM 1a with her next year, but I've got to do something now/over the summer to get her ready for it. I think MEP would be way over her head. She's just in K, so I'm not exactly worried about being "behind", but I'd rather spend the rest of our year cementing understanding instead of the mechanics of adding on a number line. I have a hard time feeling like we have done anything if we aren't using a curriculum, but I'm thinking I should spend the rest of the year playing games and working with her understanding. She writes her numbers well and doesn't really need practice with that part of it. Anyone want to give me "permission" to go "rogue" and not finish Horizons K? :001_smile: Just kidding... kind of... Thoughts? And what do you guys think about math for her for next year? I like mastery programs and I like singapore... but I don't know if that is going to be best for her. I don't think I can stomach teaching Saxon and would prefer not doing Horizons again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingmydream Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Have you thought of Right start math? I used horizons with my son and it was just too much and too fast. I know my daughter's learning style couldn't handle it. We used Christian liberty press math this year because I got it for free and it worked good until a few month ago. She just wasn't grasping it and trying to move forward was like slamming into a brick wall. Then a friend let me use her RS Math A and we have been sailing through it. I was so surprised as I don't think math like that and we tried singapore with my son years ago and chucked the book out the window. But RS is really gentle and the lessons are super short in the beginning and really help build confidence. They have math games too that you could supplement with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I'd definitely go rogue and skip the rest of Horizons K. For understanding addition and the process, I think adding on a number line is fine (it's definitely there in MEP). But, maybe you should pick up some c rods and let her just play around with those? Then she could see that when we put to parts together we get a bigger part. Just the other day my daughter was doing a problem like ___ - 11 = 9. I asked her, "Do you have parts, whole, or what?" she looked at it and immediately said, "I have two parts. To get that whole, I need to put those parts together...so it's 20!" I have taught a minute portion of that, but the rods have really displayed this concept in a very concrete manner. You could also work her through MEP Reception for the summer. It is very gentle, from what I can see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I second Right Start. It really teaches concepts and I haven't encountered a number line yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingmydream Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I guess the abacus is like the number line??? :D then they just start seeing it in their head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Rod and Staff's "Beginning Arithmetic." That's the first-grade title--R&S doesn't have kindergarten--but it's gentle enough that your dd could probably start now. You can get free samples and a free scope and sequence by calling R&S at (606) 522-4348. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edeemarie Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 We loveMcRuffy math! It has worked well for dd6 who is not nearly as "mathy" as I ds8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Singapore Essential K book B would be a good choice. Use C-rods with it. Also, what have you done for place value? I use a 100 chart and straws and money to demonstrate ones and tens. We add one number to the chat each day, and my son who struggled to learn to count in the first place is now understanding place value and basic addition facts really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Singapore Essential K book B would be a good choice. Use C-rods with it. Also, what have you done for place value? I use a 100 chart and straws and money to demonstrate ones and tens. We add one number to the chat each day, and my son who struggled to learn to count in the first place is now understanding place value and basic addition facts really well. :iagree: I'm loving Essential Math for my DS! He loves it, too! We also use cuisenaire rods daily. I used Horizons K for a portion of my DD's K year. I did NOT like it. I did feel like they were having children do math that they couldn't understand. As if it were the mathematical equivalent of sight reading! We have used Horizons for 1st grade and now 1/2 of 2nd grade and it's been good (though I'm going to switch to Math Mammoth). I would drop Horizons K in a heartbeat if she's struggling. Grab some rods and play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swiegers Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 My son is 4 and we're doing MUS Primer. It works really well for him. He already knows about place value and he is just starting with addition. The student books have plenty of exercises. I sometimes skip them when I realize he knows the concept and the extra exercises are just boring him. I really like that program. We watch the DVD's together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenbrdsly Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I don't think Horizons would be hands-on enough for what you are describing your daughter's learning style to be. I'd try Right Start instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Miquon. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calebandbrooke Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 Miquon. Bill Which level Miquon? It looked like it was for 1st grade and up... And what do I buy with it? What exactly are c-rods :)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Which level Miquon? It looked like it was for 1st grade and up... And what do I buy with it? What exactly are c-rods :)? C Rods (Cuisenaire Rods) are colored rods that (in ordinary use) equal their length in centimeters. So a One Rod (white) is 1 cubic centimeter and a Ten Rod (Orange) is 10x1x1 cm. The C Rods are a concrete way for children to learn the parts-whole values that Singapore does using "number bonds." This is just a more hands on, more visual, more developmental, and more self-empowering way of learning the fundamental ideas behind Singapore Math and other whole-parts math approaches. Add base-10 "flats" (which are the same scale as C Rods) and you have a 100 value manipulative. With these, 10 Rods, and the other C Rods students can model 3 digit numbers. You can do many of the same RS-style place value lessons (ones I think RS wisely teaches early) but the manipulative will be one children can visualize by area. A 100 "flat" is the same "size" as 100 One Unit Rods. This is different that a bead on one wire being "One" and a bead on another wire being 1-Hundred, or 1-Thousand. Wth the C Rods a child is encourage to learn though "playing" with the manipulatives, where "playing" with an abacus was connter-productive here, and became something I had to control. I would start with Orange. But I would also say the most important part of Miquon is the parent/teacher materials and the math re-education there-in. It is a great program for one who is wiling to get into it (and get past the initially stange look of the initial pages of the Orange book). Together the teachers books (3) and the workbooks help a parent teach the fundamental laws of mathematics in really simple, and easy for children to comprehend, ways. The Miquon Math Lab approach maxes it easy to adapt (steal) ideas from other good math programs (RS included) and has the advantage on getting children really hands on with their work. It does take a commitment on the part of an involved parent. Someone looking for an "open and go" workbook should look elsewhere. But if you want an interesting mix of developmental learning and deep mathematics presented in easy (for the children) to understand ways, and you are up for some self-study, Miquon can provide an extremely effective and fun introduction to mathematics. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I'm with Bill. Crods and Miquin areworking great for my dd5. We also use activities in HOD little Hands. I own Primer MUS but only do that once a week. I wish I would have used asian math to start with my oldest ones. :( HUGE difference in how the littles are picking up concepts. I also use montessori activities. Google and u will find tons! Youtube also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 right start Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindsrae Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 :001_smile: Right Start is the perfect fit for us because it provides scripted lessons for the teacher and lots of hands-on activities for the student. Dr. Cotter was a Montessori teacher in her former life, so it is a wonderful combination of things I love.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenmama2 Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I love Miquon too but if writing in a pretty workbook motivates here, she probably won't like it. Then again, she may be intrigued by the quirky style of the Miquon workbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papillon Mom Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I found exactly the same thing happening with my d. I stopped Horizon for a couple weeks while I started RightStart A it made all the difference!!! We stopped using the number lines and use the abacus instead, she needs it much less than she used to. I hesitated using it because I thought it was going to be too time consuming or crafty but its not. While I don't love it or always understand the why of it, its easy to implement and has benefited d. One of the biggest helps was referring to numbers by the RightStart way.(nine ten, instead of ninety,etc.) We redid the Horizon and have continued. Dd calls RS fun math and Horizons, easy math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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