warneral Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I hate to admit it, but we have been doing BA this summer and all three of us (rising 3rd & 4th graders) find it frustrating. We are to skip counting lab and I especially found the geometry chapter frustrating. Even I didn't know many of the answers. I'm considering dropping it bc we are not enjoying it and I don't want my kids to dislike math. I understand the benefits and all that jazz but am concerned about how the kids feel doing the problems. Yes I sit with them and no I don't project my personal feelings I'm sharing here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I think the geometry section (first chapter of 3a) is pretty mind-stretching. The others didn't provide particular interesting for my son, who's halfway through y3 of MEP- either they're too easy or too hard. There is no middle ground. It seems to be a really strange combination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 If it isn't working then drop it, no harm no foul. AoPS is more than the average math program, it isn't for every student. Out of my children with AoPS programs available to them I have two children who use them, and two who don't. I expect you aren't alone and that resale value will be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 I think the geometry section (first chapter of 3a) is pretty mind-stretching. The others didn't provide particular interesting for my son, who's halfway through y3 of MEP- either they're too easy or too hard. There is no middle ground. It seems to be a really strange combination. Yes the skip counting is much easier, I'm just dreading any hard stuff that may make them frustrated again lol. I think we'll keep going to perimeter and area as we could use more practice and I'll re-evaluate. My kids and I are good at math but we are more in-the-box thinkers:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I think the geometry section (first chapter of 3a) is pretty mind-stretching. The others didn't provide particular interesting for my son, who's halfway through y3 of MEP- either they're too easy or too hard. There is no middle ground. It seems to be a really strange combination. Okay, that's interesting because I keep flirting with getting it, but then when I look at the samples that's exactly what it seems like - everything is really simple or it's interesting, but seems like it might stretch my kids too much. I just thought I must not be getting it somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Puzzling through difficult stuff is a skill best introduced young. And for a bright child, few things are truly difficult for them in the lower grades. BA is a good stretch for my rising 3rd grader. She definitely doesn't understand everything, but so far has not gotten to the point of frustration. My older girls are MUCH more resistant to things like this b/c I didn't lay that foundation when they were younger. Could you just use/read the guides without doing the practice books, if that is the part you/they're not enjoying? My daughter actually takes it to bed with her...go figure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Okay, that's interesting because I keep flirting with getting it, but then when I look at the samples that's exactly what it seems like - everything is really simple or it's interesting, but seems like it might stretch my kids too much. I just thought I must not be getting it somehow. I think MEP builds skills in a much more helpful manner. And there are plenty of problems in there that are also in Beast Academy. There are some neat things in BA, but I never figured out who the audience was -- geniuses? Then why so many easy problems. Average students? Then why the wild leap from intro to independent thinking. Less prepared students? Won't be able to do the hard problems. I think the creators of MEP develop skills sequentially in a way that makes it accessible to students of many levels. I think I'm sticking with MEP plus supplements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 There are some neat things in BA, but I never figured out who the audience was -- geniuses? Then why so many easy problems. Average students? Then why the wild leap from intro to independent thinking. Less prepared students? Won't be able to do the hard problems. This is exactly it. I think the audience is fast-processing kids though, and it is designed to give them puzzles to slow down their acceleration. Except then, the large number of easy problems start to feel like busywork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fractalgal Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I hate to admit it, but we have been doing BA this summer and all three of us (rising 3rd & 4th graders) find it frustrating. We are to skip counting lab and I especially found the geometry chapter frustrating. Even I didn't know many of the answers. I'm considering dropping it bc we are not enjoying it and I don't want my kids to dislike math. I understand the benefits and all that jazz but am concerned about how the kids feel doing the problems. Yes I sit with them and no I don't project my personal feelings I'm sharing here. My 9yo son just finished BA 3A and 3B (both guides and practice), and it seems to be ahead of typical 3rd grade level math in depth. He had finished Singapore's CWP 4 Standards before he did Beast Academy, so he was used to harder problems and able to get through most of BA3 pretty well. As for frustration, he did have to go back and redo some of the problems, but it seemed to be about the right level for an enrichment for him. So in our experience, for depth BA 3 is advanced when compared to most third grade math programs as far as challenge problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 This is exactly it. I think the audience is fast-processing kids though, and it is designed to give them puzzles to slow down their acceleration. Except then, the large number of easy problems start to feel like busywork. I don't find it strange or busywork. Assumption is kids haven't been exposed to the material before. So easy problems would build procedural fluency (most need practice) and tough ones will stretch their minds. Having said that I haven't used this book with an intended audience - a bright 3rd grader learning topics for the first time. While I also find huge leaps between easy and hard, I am attributing it our circumstances. We are using BA with a first grader who already knows the concepts, so easy is too easy (since it's not knew) and hard is at times too hard (since he doesn't have the maturity of a 3rd grader). Having said that, with the exception of poliominoes and some problems in the Area/Parameter chapter, we haven't had too much trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I think the audience is fast-processing kids... :iagree:Fast processing visual thinkers. Yes, there are some easy problems but there are not pages and pages and pages of them, as in most curricula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.