Question for MUS Users

[selh09]

My dd is finishing up Alpha and she has yet to master all the math facts in Alpha. We are a little frustrated and tired of Alpha. We've been using it for over a year now. Should I just move on to Beta or hang out a little longer in Alpha?

 

Thanks for any ideas or suggestions :001_smile:

[Stellalarella]

I have had a child who was extraordinarily slow at learning her math facts. I took her through Alpha and after she finished that, we did Math Mammoth. It was different enough from Alpha that she felt challenged by it. We then went back to MUS for Beta and then again went back to Math Mammoth. I have her in Gamma now and when she finishes that, I will have her do another math program. She just needs that much reinforcement.

 

For her, though, I have to do MUS first because she gets so easily frustrated. MUS is just absolutely the easiest thing for her to start out on.

 

But let me just say that MM is very affordable if a person feels desperate to try another approach. It's 1/3 the cost of MUS.

 

As far as your child, I just don't know, but here are some good questions to answer to guide your decision process.

 

Do I, as the teacher have a very good understanding of how to teach this area? Do I, as the teacher, need a different curriculum to help me be a better teacher?

 

Does my child need more time to physically and mentally develop in order to do this math?

 

Are we making math a part of our everyday life? Do we make math an enjoyable part of our day?

 

Is my child having fear based reactions to math? Is she attitude problems rather than math problems? :001_smile:

 

Can I find another math curriculum to try that I can afford? :001_smile:

[Hedgehogs4]

I have had a similar experience with my dd 7. I have not done any math with her over the summer, but bought an AL abacus and workbook to go with it. Amazingly, in just the last week, the math facts seem to be settled into her brain and she is now grasping concepts quickly and seems really ready to tackle beta. I was concerned at the beginning of the summer, but the break and a little maturity seems to have worked wonders. She loves the exercises were doing on the abacus...I think it will be an excellent and fun supplement for drills and reinforcement.

[selh09]

I have had a similar experience with my dd 7. I have not done any math with her over the summer, but bought an AL abacus and workbook to go with it. Amazingly, in just the last week, the math facts seem to be settled into her brain and she is now grasping concepts quickly and seems really ready to tackle beta. I was concerned at the beginning of the summer, but the break and a little maturity seems to have worked wonders. She loves the exercises were doing on the abacus...I think it will be an excellent and fun supplement for drills and reinforcement.

 

Thank you...My dd will be 7 soon and I haven't done any math with her over the summer either, except for what has come up naturally. I'm thinking of supplementing with LOF and picking MUS back up in another month or so.

[meggie]

My son was very good at using the blocks, but wasn't memorizing the facts. So I'm now having him do the drills on the MUS website every day. It took awhile for the 8+ and 9+ facts to stick. There was much repetition and a lot of me explaining it in different ways. *Finally* it clicked. The MUS lady at our hs conference also said to have him teach it back to me, so we're trying that.

[selh09]

My son was very good at using the blocks, but wasn't memorizing the facts.

 

This is my dd too. She had no problem memorizing the 9 facts because of the song from the CD! :D

[Mystie]

Both my sons didn't quite have all the facts memorized, though they could always figure it out without blocks or counting. I moved them to Beta and kept them reviewing the addition facts with Calculadder or xtramath.org.

[serendipitous journey]

If you want to try another program, MEP is free and terrific. But teacher-intensive.

 

We had some fact problems, but used the CD, math Wrap-Ups, and oral drills to get them down. We had the best luck with jumping or hopping drills: after each answer, Button jumps over something (like a sidewalk crack) or jumps off something (like the hearth) -- the movement really helps. RightStart also makes games folks like. I don't think we moved on to Beta until the facts were mastered, but am not sure; it doesn't seem like the end of the world, as long as you keep reviewing them ...

[tomandlorih]

Both my sons didn't quite have all the facts memorized, though they could always figure it out without blocks or counting. I moved them to Beta and kept them reviewing the addition facts with Calculadder or xtramath.org.

:iagree: This was my dd. She understood all the concepts.. just didn't have the facts themselves memorized. We moved on and she practiced with xtramath until she had them all and got her certificate. How much she remembers now.. who knows.. LOL but we moved on out of Beta that same way(but with subtraction facts) and, last year to this year, Gamma also(multiplication facts). Looking over the scope and sequence of Delta, I anticipate no problems again.

Edited August 11, 2012 by tomandlorih
clarification

[herekittykitty]

My 7 yo is also finishing Alpha and memorizing facts was a struggle. I am not switching from MUS though, as I feel it does an excellent job showing concepts and he loves the hands on blocks. I think he would struggle with memorization with any curriculum.

 

Like other people have mentioned, I think you have to find the right kind of drill for your child. My son does not like rote drill activities - like Xtra Math and the drill on the MUS web site where the facts are just presented. He also freaks out with anything timed.

 

I've found 2 things that work for him for fact memorization - Addition the Fun Way from City Creek Press and the card game set from Right Start. He listens to the Addition the Fun Way audio in the car and now remembers all of the math fact stories. He has an incredible narrative memory so this is a perfect fit. We do the card games for fact practice at home, and he likes that waay better than worksheets or computer drill.

[selh09]

Thank you for all the advice. We play games, etc. so I think it is going to take a little longer for them to sink in. She has all the addition facts memorized, it's the subtraction facts that are a little tough. She really does love MUS and so do I. I think we'll just hang out a little longer on the facts and maybe in another couple of months, they click.