Lots of boys Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I know you are all sick of another math thread - but I would really value your advice. This is our first year homeschooling. I started my boys (k and 2nd) out in SM K and 2A. My ker breezed through the K early bird math (which I hated btw - intended for a classroom setting imo) and so we started the Miquon Orange. He completed the Miquon Orange and I was worried the concepts were quickly getting too advanced for him so I didn't want to move on to Miquon red too quickly. So we are now working through SM 1A. He is doing well overall with this. My 2nd grader started in 1B and it was a disaster almost immediately. We only lasted a month and he cried almost everyday when it was time for math. I was new at this homeschooling journey and didn't want him to hate homeschooling so we worked through Miquon Orange and Red and started TT3. He generally likes TT3 and Miquon but I can tell math isn't really something that is gonig to come easy to him. So my question is about next year... My oldest will be in 3rd and will happily go into TT4 next year. Should I continue with Miquon as well? My middle boy will be in 1st. Should I let him try SM 2A and B or should I have him follow his brother in TT3? Is there another program I should consider for him ? I am NOT a math whiz. In fact I am terrified of teaching it and SM is challenging for me to explain (hence our happiness with TT). Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I know you are all sick of another math thread - but I would really value your advice. This is our first year homeschooling. I started my boys (k and 2nd) out in SM K and 2A. My ker breezed through the K early bird math (which I hated btw - intended for a classroom setting imo) and so we started the Miquon Orange. He completed the Miquon Orange and I was worried the concepts were quickly getting too advanced for him so I didn't want to move on to Miquon red too quickly. So we are now working through SM 1A. He is doing well overall with this. My 2nd grader started in 1B and it was a disaster almost immediately. We only lasted a month and he cried almost everyday when it was time for math. I was new at this homeschooling journey and didn't want him to hate homeschooling so we worked through Miquon Orange and Red and started TT3. He generally likes TT3 and Miquon but I can tell math isn't really something that is gonig to come easy to him. So my question is about next year... My oldest will be in 3rd and will happily go into TT4 next year. Should I continue with Miquon as well? My middle boy will be in 1st. Should I let him try SM 2A and B or should I have him follow his brother in TT3? Is there another program I should consider for him ? I am NOT a math whiz. In fact I am terrified of teaching it and SM is challenging for me to explain (hence our happiness with TT). Thoughts? Honestly? I think children benefit greatly from having a parent who is willing to learn along with them (and ahead of them) as opposed to outsourcing the affair to a DVD. If you delve into the topical information in the Lab Annotations book I think you will find a lot of great ideas for making math comprehensible for you and your children. The combination of Miquon and Singapore is a strong one. There are some advanced pages in the Orange Book. One need not (ought not) work in a linear fashion when a child isn't ready. But you can move ahead "by topic" as the Red book has things like addition and subtraction problems that build on Orange. The Miquon First Grade Diary, the Liping Ma book, the Primary Mathematics Standards Edition HIGs, and Parker and Baldridge are all teaching recourses I found helpful (and I needed re-education too) along with the topical information in the afore-mentioned Lab Annotations. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Honestly? I think children benefit greatly from having a parent who is willing to learn along with them (and ahead of them) as opposed to outsourcing the affair to a DVD. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I am NOT a math whiz. In fact I am terrified of teaching it and SM is challenging for me to explain (hence our happiness with TT). Are you using the standards edition HIGs? They explain the math very well, IMO. Read ahead and learn the math yourself, then you can explain it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 :iagree: w/Bill and Kai. I just wanted to add that if it turns out that those teacher helps aren't quite enough for you, an additional alternative is MM, which is a similar style to SM but the instruction is all in one book, without a separate TM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots of boys Posted April 10, 2012 Author Share Posted April 10, 2012 Thanks for your thoughts. I have the HIG for SM and it is helpful but I think it was hard for my oldest son to change the way he did math from the base he got in PS and then to do it sooooo differently in SM when we started. He would be dissapointed to move away from TT so I will continue with that but I will also continue with Miquon and see is that works as a good combo. I will continue on with SM for my middle son (moving into 2A and B next year) and continue with Miquon as well. I am willing to learn along with them - in fact that is one of the things I love about homeschooling in many subjects. My concern is that SM teaches math in a way that is so counter to how I was taught and how I current use math that it is really hard for me to explain the concepts to them as they get more complicated - even with the HIG. Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts. I guess I was just wondering if there was another program I should try (other than TT and SM) that might be a better happy medium for all of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I guess I was just wondering if there was another program I should try (other than TT and SM) that might be a better happy medium for all of us. MM is well worth a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots of boys Posted April 10, 2012 Author Share Posted April 10, 2012 MM is well worth a look. Thanks, I will take a look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I agree, MM is an excellent choice for kids who are recovering from ps math. My dd is really solid on her computation ability after K-3 (and 2 months of 4th) in ps, but had huge gaps - she struggled with word problems, was hopeless at mental math, didn't understand the why behind anything, and knew nothing except add subtract multiply & divide - no elapsed time, measurement, geometry, etc. With MM, I have been able to fill in the gaps, either using the on grade level book, or if that was too much, by backing up and using 2nd or 3rd grade worksheets first, and then coming back to the 4th grade book (I did this with the mental math at the beginning of 4A). For the computation stuff she is solid on, I've been able to assign her half the problems, and move through those sections quickly. It's been great - she is now "caught up" in the sense of being close to finishing MM4, with a solid, conceptual understanding of everything in this grade level, and it's transferrable to other math situations. I know some find MM dull, or boring, or something - it's true it's not visually stimulating, it is very bare bones. But it is super complete, super conceptual, and very flexible and easy to use/teach. It has been a lifesaver for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) We don't do well with Singapore here -- though I keep trying it, and will pull from the HIG. I think it should work but it just doesn't, Button detests it. I know this is EXTREMELY unpopular among most of the mathematically savvy, but we're doing well with MathUSee, accelerated and including the mental math in the teacher's manual, supplemented with Life of Fred and MEP. Or you could do just the MEP, maybe adding fact drill (we like Calculadder and Singapore's speed drill books). If you use MUS I think a child of average ability should still move through the program more quickly than 1 book/year, I think you should aim to finish Zeta by the end of 4th or 5th (and not 6th), which shouldn't be hard if you do math through much of the summer (a good idea anyhow). Also you will have trouble if you switch the child to a brick-and-mortar school year before Zeta b/c the sequence is so odd. There are things I don't like about MUS, and I've had some struggles and have taken to teaching with homegrown or outsourced strategies for certain operations, but for us the mastery of operations is opening a lot of doors, and the method suits Button well. And you can learn everything with the child via the DVDs. Button does have a strong aptitude for math, but many have liked it with less math-focused students. Just make sure you maintain mental math skills. Button _loves_ MEP. He often doesn't want to start doing it, but gets really caught up in the spirit of it. He hates Singapore though he's never been in PS. He rated his math programs: Life of Fred first; then MEP; then MUS; then Singapore. MEP is free and excellent so you might want to try that first. We do like the speed drills from Singapore, and I'm working through some of the mental math in the HIG. Because we are going to sit the state standardized tests, I'll probably add a math option from the Critical Thinking Company's test prep next year. -- am crazy-tired b/c of some family challenges, hope this makes sense! ETA: we do MEP and MUS as part of Button's acceleration -- I want to move him through Zeta fairly quickly, so we can have fun with a variety of pre-algebra books for a year or two, and not be hindered by operational constraints when his conceptual grasp is fine. Either would be fine alone. MUS goes through high school, in which case I'd suggest doing the "honors" work if at all possible. :) best of luck. Edited April 11, 2012 by serendipitous journey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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