Jump to content

Menu

Math frustration


Mommy to monkeys
 Share

Recommended Posts

Okay. I am really frustrated with my 4th grader and math right now. He's frustrated. I'm frustrated. Last year, he was getting 100's almost all the time, and didn't like to miss any! Since we started this school year, he has REALLY struggled.

 

We have usually schooled year round but took a couple months off this summer. We use CLE math, so we didn't start the year out with a review unit. . .we started with 405. I think that's the problem. He has completely forgotten to do almost everything! I go over the lesson with him and then he does the problems. Then later we go over what he didn't understand. . .well its taking him FOREVER and he's missing literally more than half. I know I need to back up or do something, but I have no idea exactly what to do. Supplement? I wouldn't know what to use to supplement though, because it's not JUST ONE TOPIC. It's everything. He's a really bright kid, so having something be "Hard" is something that's new and frustrating for him.

 

Please oh please help me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have learned the hard way that my dd can. not. take. math. breaks. She forgets everything, too. We use CLE, and I really like it. Recently, though, I ordered some Keys To....Fractions, Decimal, and Percents to solidify her knowledge and give her extra practice.

 

The Keys To series are quite cheap and provide lots of review. Maybe try a few of those?

 

Another idea is IXL. I think you can do 20 problems/day for free.

 

Khan academy might provide some help.

 

You could back up the CLE a few light units and re-do some from last year.

 

Someone else mentioned Time4Learning. We used that years ago. The math was animated and fun, & I loved the language arts/reading. It's about $20/month, but your ds might only need a month to get back to speed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don't want to go the "child on computer" route. Atleast not yet.

 

I have learned my lesson: no summer vacation for math! What an awful lesson. I think we do need to just back it up. . .and then stay consistent. We do math 4 days a week. If we back up, I'll up it to 5 and maybe skip the quizzes until we're caught up? Just thinking outloud.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We're using CLE 400, and my dd had a similar problem of forgetting alot after finishing 300. After 4 weeks of school it is starting to come back, but the worst gap is her math facts. She finished 310 in June, and started in 402 in August. After the first couple of lessons in 402 where I realized she had forgotten a lot, I went back and had her do a few lessons in 401 which helped. I still don't have her doing speed drills, but maybe in 403 I'll restart those. If I were you, I would order 401-404 and just have him redo them. Or at least 402-404 since 401 is pure review. It is still super early in the school year, so maybe don't do all the quizzes and tests and you'll be fine. Like you, I realize that letting her take 8 weeks off in the summer was a BAD idea!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don't want to go the "child on computer" route. Atleast not yet.

I have learned my lesson: no summer vacation for math! What an awful lesson. I think we do need to just back it up. . .and then stay consistent. We do math 4 days a week. If we back up, I'll up it to 5 and maybe skip the quizzes until we're caught up? Just thinking outloud.

 

I hear ya!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay. . .I got some back units ordered. We'll start over at 402 and go from there.

Wish me luck!

 

Hope it goes well! I've learned the hard way that anything more than about 6 weeks off for the summer and everything is lost, lots of review needed! In the 11 years I've homeschooled, I've only taken off more time than that twice...and both times have deeply regretted it!

 

Hang in there! This too shall pass (yes, tough lessons to learn, ugh!) Merry :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don't want to go the "child on computer" route. Atleast not yet.

 

I have learned my lesson: no summer vacation for math! What an awful lesson. I think we do need to just back it up. . .and then stay consistent. We do math 4 days a week. If we back up, I'll up it to 5 and maybe skip the quizzes until we're caught up? Just thinking outloud.

 

I think that's a good plan. And as you see he is mastering things, you can combine lessons, crossing out duplicate types of problems between the review sections.

 

One way I ensure understanding is to look through the lesson, identify areas that I know he might have trouble with, and have him solve the first problem of each type on the whiteboard in front of me. I can guide him through it if he gets stuck, and then when he goes off to do his lesson he is confident that he will remember how to complete everything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a blessing homeschooling is. Instead of having to just forge ahead, I can go back and make sure my son's needs are met. (This is me looking at the silver lining;))

 

Thus hopefully eliminating the frustration and fear of math. Thus increasing his confidence by allowing him to remember how he learned the things he has lost or misplaced. Thus giving him a valuable life lesson that when a tool is rusty you ought to sharpen it before trying to use it.

 

Sometimes I think I learn more when something doesn't go smoothly than when everything is going well. My boys didn't get a break this summer for more than a few weeks. But it was enough of a break to show me some serious weaknesses in some basic things. Because it happened before the beginning of the school year it didn't take me long to place a few things on my curriculum order to sharpen things up. And I ended up doing almost exactly the same thing. Going back a little to what I know they could do and accelerating as they gain confidence.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...