peachbub Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 so ds7 (first grade) finished saxon 2, though it was a bit of a struggle and i can't say he has mastered basic 0-20 addition or subtraction facts. should we press on to saxon 3 next year? i'm wondering if we should take a year to repeat level 2-type stuff or just keep going ... i think he does understand the concepts, it's just his recall of the basic facts isn't great yet. will he get more practice in saxon 3 or are we pushing ahead to multiplication/division? i'm just afraid of moving too fast that we miss mastery of addition/subtraction facts. have started reading some "life of fred" and was considering doing level 2 math mammoth this year? anyone else had the same experience? thoughts?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shernandez Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I would repeat 2, just moving more quickly through the lessons and skipping anything he totally understands. He is ahead, so taking a few months for extra practice won't do harm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 There's a lot of practice in 3; in fact, it may seem it goes way, way backwards when you start, but it's just the way Saxon reviews while teaching new stuff (sometimes the procedure is changed slightly or the terminology changes, sometimes it's just review by asking things in a different, maybe more difficult way). We used it a year ahead as you are--about 3/4 of the way thru 3 we took a small break. Dd just needed to slow it down a little. We did some other things, and then went back to it maybe a month/6 weeks later. So, you can just take a month or two off right now and cook some, or play lots of games (card games are good), or just chill for a little bit. Or, you can start in with 3 and go a little slower when you need to. I wouldn't repeat a whole level, as it is so spiral you will get lots of review of Saxon 2 at the beginning of Saxon 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ednkirstin Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I don't think I would redo Saxon 2 again, especially since he understands the concepts. Instead, I'd probably take a couple of months and focus on basic facts, then head into Saxon 3. Are you using Xtramath or anything like it? It seems to me that while Saxon 3 does continue to practice addition and subtraction, they also move into multiplication pretty quickly. My dd7 (also just out of first grade) finished Saxon 2. I've used the summer to have her work on multiplication and division with Xtramath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathwonk Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I'm a mathematician and not a fulltime homeschooler, although I did supplement my kids' instruction at home. I am not a fan of saxon's rote mechanical practice approach, although it helps some kids (like my younger son), it really bores some kids to tears (like my same younger son). On the possible chance your kid is really turned off by the dull saxon approach, I might suggest some more interesting book, like AoPS, alternated with saxon, so you can monitor what the effect is on your child. I.e. you don't have to just go with one book, you are there and can judge the results and adjust it day by day that is the blessing of homeschooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachbub Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 this is really helpful, thank you! i have been feeling like i don't want to rush ahead when i don't feel like he has full competency but i also don't really think he needs to repeat all of Saxon 2. we have been doing some xtramath, but not daily, and some card games, flash cards, around-the-house math this summer ... mathwonk, what is AoPS, and what about it would you recommend? i was an engineer by training and am not afraid of math, though i don't always feel like i'm a great teacher and don't always understand why the kids don't understand ... trying to include lots of different approaches so that one of them will "click!" :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I would play some RS math games yo solidify math facts and then move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsMama Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 xtramath is awesome. If he is really struggling getting math facts to stick, you may want to consider doing MUS Alpha with him for a few months. I use it with Saxon to help the kids "see" the math facts, and we are having fantastic results! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 I'm not mathwonk, but AOPS (which stands for Art of Problem Solving, BTW) starts with Pre-algebra, so probably not appropriate for your seven year old! :D There is a lower level program by the AOPS people called Beast Academy, but it currently starts with third grade and assumes mastery of basic math facts, so that probably wouldn't work for your current issue either. If you are just having trouble getting basic math facts to stick, try some math games to reinforce them - the book Kitchen Table Math has some great ones, arranged by skill, so it's easy to figure out what to use. An online game like Dreambox can also be really helpful for that kind of skill building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 We finished Saxon 2 at a young age, and no, if you have chosen Saxon (and therefore agree with how they recommend to master facts) I would not move on until those facts are mastered. That is what we did/are doing anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peachbub Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 Yes, I like the idea of using something visual, coming at it from a different angle -- and may use Math Mammoth or MUS for a few months and try to get back into Saxon 3 in January. Does that seem like a good plan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BugsMama Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Yes, I like the idea of using something visual, coming at it from a different angle -- and may use Math Mammoth or MUS for a few months and try to get back into Saxon 3 in January. Does that seem like a good plan? It does! MUS really does wonders with helping them "see" and memorize the facts. MM is good too and MUCH cheaper- you could get just the blue series addition and subtraction and be good. Either way would help him get them down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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