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[Guest inoubliable]

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[Slipper]

Honestly I'd back him down to the level of math that he could do (and maybe a bump down from that). I think he needs to feel successful. There's no shame in doing 5th grade level reading and 2nd grade level math.

[Lara in Colo]

I agree with finding his level and going from there.

 

I also had a child I pulled that didn't know her multiplication tables and she wasn't "pushable".

 

I bought this:

 

http://www.multiplication.com/our-books/buy-our-books

 

the yellow one is the better choice (I own both)

 

This book teaches the times tables with a cute story, a coloring page and some fun games. Because they learn a story and the characters are the same for each number, division is a snap.

We had fun, learned the facts, and no tears or fighting.

[Candid]

Use placement tests!!! Don't guess his level. Start really low with them (like second) and do one test a day and find what level he is at.

 

And personally I'd look for a curriculum that "moves fast" to get him up to speed. If he is bright then he doesn't need weeks of practice, but he does need to learn this stuff and move one.

[AimeeM]

There are huge differences in math curricula. Don't compare where he would be in Saxon, to where he would be in Math Mammoth. Many children work down a level in certain programs (CLE, Singapore, Math Mammoth just to name a few) but are *on* grade level in other math curricula. There are no federal mandates for what is taught when.

 

My daughter is advanced in math, but woefully behind in language arts (dyslexia). I will point out this - her dyslexia shines through in her math in ONE area... those stinkin' multiplication tables. Lol. Although she is working on pre-algebra, her tables are reviewed daily and I see no end in sight.

Most children (even children in public school) SHOULD be at different levels in different subject areas. Children aren't machines and your child is an individual with his own strengths and weaknesses. He may indeed be behind in one area, but ahead in others. Don't hold him back a year formally, across the board, just because of one or even two subjects. :grouphug:

[webbeccjo]

Have you explored learning disabilities? he could have a math LD

 

http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/math

 

http://www.ldonline.org/article/5896/

 

maybe a curriculum specially designed for kids with math LDs would be helpful.

[EKS]

I have two suggestions:

 

One is to give him the Math U See placement tests and *watch* him carefully as he does them. When it stops being easy for him, even if he's getting the right answers, that's where you place him. Then you move quickly through the parts of MUS books that he already knows. This will likely be the first part of each book. And slow down for the parts that he doesn't know. MUS is really easy to tailor the pace to the kid and you can speed up quite a bit an not miss anything. I used this approach with my son when I discovered halfway through Saxon 7/6 that he had some huge holes in his understanding. He placed into Beta (for 2nd graders) and we went from there. He finished Zeta (6th grade) 6 months later.

 

The other idea would be to use Liping Ma's Knowing Mathematics, which is meant to get 4th, 5th, and 6th graders who are behind or have gaps up to speed quickly. I have not seen these books, but I have a huge amount of respect for Liping Ma.

[Mommyof4ks]

Honestly I'd back him down to the level of math that he could do (and maybe a bump down from that). I think he needs to feel successful. There's no shame in doing 5th grade level reading and 2nd grade level math.

 

:iagree: My dd is 12 and in 6th grade. Last year we reviewed everything from first grade to the present to fill in gaps and such. She struggled big time with math for years, and we kept plugging along, but suddenly the lightbulb came on and she got it, so we decided a review was in order. She quickly worked through 1-3 grade, and we memorized tables and facts. She is now caught up Wii her peers, and she will start algebra next year.

 

The same thing happened with my middle ds concerning reading. He struggled for years, and finally it clicked, so we are starting back with spot books and moving forward from there.

 

There is no shame in repeating information in order to build on it. Frame it as review, and tell him you are concerned that the school did not provide a proper foundation or whatever, and follow it up with a you can do it attitude. He will get through this and move on!

[JudoMom]

What level is he on in his other skill areas?

 

I would consider having a man-to-man talk with him. I'd have my dh do it, but if that wasn't possible, I'd do it myself. I would tell him that if he buckled down, tried, and worked hard, I would promote him to the grade level he was supposed to be before he was held back. I would tell him that he's bright, and it's not his fault he was in a school system that was failing him. I'd focus on his work ethic in the conversation, not on any gaps he has.

 

Of course, only you know your child and whether or not this would be a disaster. But if it is a confidence issue, this might go a long way in helping him.

[celticmom]

If he learns well from audio sources you could order or download multiplication tables set to music. I did this for dd7 and it helped her a great deal. VP offers them set to both classical and more modern music. That way he can work on learning facts without you while you are helping a sibling.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Do you actually teach him? My dd10 sounds very similar to your son in her troubles. The thing is, I had been going over the work with her for 5 or 10 minutes, getting a "yeah, yeah" from her and then expecting her to do the work independently. She wouldn't do it. We would butt heads because I thought that it was all due to attitude. Then I realized that it was more than that. She needed a different approach from ME.

 

I took her back to 1st grade math. We had some trouble there because she misunderstood my thinking that we would blow through these problems until we found gaps etc. She thought that I put her back in 1st grade math because she was "dumb". Once we cleared up that misunderstanding she did much better. We went step by step through the books (I use a combination of Singapore Math and Kumon workbooks). We found out where her blocks were.

 

She was resistant to being taught because she had built up math anxiety and had told herself that she "couldn't do it" for so long. So I got out all the math games that I could lay my hands on. I found math games online. We got out the manipulatives and did things step by step. If you see my thread on "I'm so glad that I'm homeschooling dd10", you will see that we are finally seeing some progress.

 

The point of all of this though, is that I do not leave her side for one minute during math time. I teach the concept and have her respond every step of the way, by writing the answer on the write/erase board for me, putting out the manipulatives to find the answer, playing a game etc.

[ssavings]

Has he been evaluated for a math LD? Sometimes, very bright kids with LDs can go a long time without being identified, because thry compensate for their LD so well...

[JFSinIL]

a "teacher in a can"

program like Chalkdust or Teaching Textbooks might be good - it removes YOU from most of the teaching, and has built-in feedback for the student. plus -the teacher (on DVD ) never gets upset at having to repeat themselves and demonstrate how to work a problem until the kid "gets" it ;-)

 

The above have on-line placement tests, too - and you can start now and keep plugging away through the summer and into next year. When a level is finished, start the next (and perhaps be able to skip through the first 40 or so review lessons to get to new material since you are not taking the summer off).

 

Been there, done that.

[EKS]

Do you actually teach him?

 

...

 

The point of all of this though, is that I do not leave her side for one minute during math time. I teach the concept and have her respond every step of the way, by writing the answer on the write/erase board for me, putting out the manipulatives to find the answer, playing a game etc.

 

Exactly. When a child is struggling with math, the best thing to do is *not* to turn him over to video instruction and hope for the best, it is to sit next to him and teach him and make him an active participant in the process.

[Guest Kames]

Have you explored learning disabilities? he could have a math LD

 

http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/math

 

http://www.ldonline.org/article/5896/

 

maybe a curriculum specially designed for kids with math LDs would be helpful.

 

This sounds exactly like my DS10. Exactly! Everyday is a struggle. But we are seeing improvement...slowly. DS10 was evaluated late last year and found to have Dyscalculia along with Dyslexia. It is similar to Dyslexia but has to to with math distances, direction (left, right, east, west) calculations and symbols, telling time. Found out I have it too. Answers a lot of questions.

 

MUS has worked the best for us. Tried the books with cute characters and stories but this is just another "thing" to memorize, another step in the calculation chain. It is hard for me to do but we just have to move slow. A little information at a time in proper progression with lots of review and time. Sooner or later it clicks.

 

I have a theory that these two LD's work against each other causing greater obstacles. There are a few people working on this LD. You Tube Dyscalculia treatment or Dyscalculia.org.

 

Our children are very inventive and smart, just learn in a different way. Using games and dice and cards with dots or dominoes creates a visual understanding of numbers. Please explore the topic, there are some things that can help.

 

I have heard that research on this LD is where Dyslexia was thirty years ago, but making fast strides.

[MomatHWTK]

For my oldest, ADHD came across as unwilling to do the work. I was surprised when he was tested and we found a processing delay and extreme ADHD.

[Marianne in TX]

I'm in my 8th year of homeschooling....and am just now getting this. close. to finding my groove. Not sure why it seems that I have to learn everything the hard way:glare:but I'll share some of what I'm discovering, and maybe some of it will be helpful.

 

I think I've tried every math curriculum there is. At this point, I'm using knowledge from a gazillion sources as well as the experiences that I've had with my kids. Math is just beginning to turn around for my 7th grader, and this is what we are doing.

 

I have 3 Math folders for her: 1. Math Drill; 2. Math Vocabulary; 3. Math Lesson. Each folder has a plan sheet plus the necessary materials (flash cards, vocabulary cards, math work sheets, etc.)

 

Our lesson is 30 minutes. First, we drill facts. I'm very flexible here. In fact, I just made up some different x9 cards this morning for her, because I had an idea that might help her remember them more quickly. I'm teaching them by group, and then only timing her when she feels like she knows them. And even then, the app we've been using doesn't give you a set time....but just tells you how long it took. So she tries to improve her time, without the excessive pressure (for her) to finish in a set amount of time.

 

Since we are working on facts separately, I encourage her to use a multiplication chart with lesson work. She can figure out multiplication and division problems with strategies or skip counting...but I want her saving her problem-solving power for the lesson...not using it for solving multiplication and division.

 

Next, we work on vocabulary. I make vocabulary cards for her from our lessons. When they are new we just read them. The next day, I'll give her a word list. Then I'll read from a card and have her choose the correct term. After a few days of this, I'll say, "What can you tell me about ___________?"

At first this was very difficult for her. But we've only been working on vocabulary about a month, and I can see an improvement. She is, overall, more engaged in the lesson. Even though I'm using flashcards for vocabulary, it's really not in a "testing" way. It's all very conversational. I also have a couple math dictionary resources for kids that are very helpful. I suspect that her engagement is improving because her math lessons are reinforcing her vocabulary work, which is in turn reinforcing her math lessons. If that makes any sense:001_huh:.

 

Last is the lesson. I get anxiety just typing this, because I don't know if I'll get her caught up in time to take Algebra I as a freshman, but it is what is working. And I've made up my mind that mastery of concepts is more important than a timeline. After much agonizing, I decided to start her with Math Mammoth 5A. We aren't going to rush. I'm not going to push her through when I can tell her understanding is sketchy. (Part of the benefit of working with her is being able to really tell what she *gets* and what she may need help with.) Actually, we haven't even started 5A yet, because I don't think her fraction and decimal work is up to par. So we are actually doing work pages from Intro to Fractions with a couple pages from 3B that I thought were particularly good. Then, I'm going to have her do the Fraction, Decimal, and Geometry sections from 4B. All this to say....she is just doing math worksheets. I don't talk about grade levels....and I try not to think about them:tongue_smilie:. For 5A & B, I had the pdf printed and 3 hole punched at Staples. When I picked it up, I threw away the title pages with GRADE 5A and GRADE 5B and put the workbook pages right in one of those really nice Staples binders before I even paid for it.

 

Wow! Sorry for the rambling; but I do hope that there is something helpful in all that....or at least you will know that you aren't alone.:grouphug:

[fairfarmhand]

Let him play games on http://www.fun4thebrain.com to learn those facts.