stephanie Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 This year dd was bored with TT after 3 years of it. So we went to MM. Well, now THAT isnt working for her either. It's like she needs mo of a "lesson" than they give. I feel like it jumps quickly from one topic to next each day. Today she cried during math, and I do not like it when that happens. She was just overwhelmed a bit. So I'm considering yet another switch. :cursing: Our math feels incomplete everyday. I was thinking about Abeka maybe because she likes a workbook format? Or give MM longer o work through and supplement with LoF perhaps? Ive run out of ideas for math at this point for her. On a side note...do y'all think doing MUS fract /dec/percents would have her prepared for pre-alg in 8th? That was my next option for math for her. Thanks much for your time (again)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 Forgot to mention she is in 7th grade! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 What level of MM are you using? ETA: And what are you planning to use for Prealgebra next year? Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Do you have a HS bookstore that you could take her to & look at the various options? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UmMusa Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 That stinks. I too feel that MM doesn't explain so well. My 5th grader is using it for the first time this year and is doing ok, no tears, but we'll see once we get out of the 'review' chapter and into new material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dereksurfs Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 (edited) This year dd was bored with TT after 3 years of it. So we went to MM. Well, now THAT isnt working for her either. It's like she needs mo of a "lesson" than they give. I feel like it jumps quickly from one topic to next each day. Today she cried during math, and I do not like it when that happens. She was just overwhelmed a bit. So I'm considering yet another switch. :cursing: Our math feels incomplete everyday. I was thinking about Abeka maybe because she likes a workbook format? Or give MM longer o work through and supplement with LoF perhaps? Ive run out of ideas for math at this point for her. On a side note...do y'all think doing MUS fract /dec/percents would have her prepared for pre-alg in 8th? That was my next option for math for her. Thanks much for your time (again)... Hi Stephanie, sorry to hear about your current math dilemma. Weren't you trying out KineticBooks as well? Or was that for another child? Anyway, to answer your question my son just finished MUS Zeta which covers Decimals and Percents. I think it includes a little bit of fractions, but only for the purpose of introducing decimals and percents. Fractions are covered in the prior book as a whole. MUS is Mastery based. So they really cover decimals and percents pretty completely. He is doing fine in Pre-Algebra now. We demo'd KB and TabletClass and ended up liking TabletClass a bit more. He finds a lot of what he is doing is review. We also supplimented with HOE. That helped to introduce variables. The only complaint I've heard about MUS is that some feel it is not rigorous enough compared to SM for example. But you could always suppliment if you feel the need. I will include the scope and sequence which I copied form their website below: LESSON 1 Exponents; Word Problem Tips LESSON 2 Place Value LESSON 3 Decimal Numbers with Expanded Notation LESSON 4 Add Decimal Numbers LESSON 5 Subtract Decimal Numbers LESSON 6 Metric System Origin–Meter, Liter, Gram LESSON 7 Metric System–Latin Prefixes LESSON 8 Metric System Conversion–Part 1 LESSON 9 Multiply by 1/10 or .1 LESSON 10 Multiply Decimals by 1/100 or .01 LESSON 11 Finding a Percent of a Number LESSON 12 Finding a Percent > 100%; Word Problems LESSON 13 Reading Percents in a Pie Graph LESSON 14 Multiply All Decimals LESSON 15 Metric System Conversions – Part 2 LESSON 16 Computing Area and Circumference LESSON 17 Dividing a Decimal by a Whole Number LESSON 18 Dividing a Whole Number by a Decimal LESSON 19 Solving for an Unknown LESSON 20 Dividing Decimal by a Decimal LESSON 21 Decimal Remainders LESSON 22 More Solving for an Unknown LESSON 23 Transform Any Fraction LESSON 24 Decimals as Rational Numbers LESSON 25 Mean, Median, and Mode LESSON 26 Probability LESSON 27 Points, Lines, Rays, and Line Segments LESSON 28 Planes and Symbols LESSON 29 Angles LESSON 30 Types of Angles Edited September 26, 2012 by dereksurfs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie Posted September 26, 2012 Author Share Posted September 26, 2012 What level of MM are you using?ETA: And what are you planning to use for Prealgebra next year? Jackie We are using MM6. Honestly, I'm unsure about Pre-alg for her next year. My ds is using KB this year, but he is a different kind of learner. At this point I am really at a loss for what to do. She is a goal-oriented child; I can give her an assignment and she's good to go. Therefore having a math that is too time- intensive for her completely overwhelms her. She wants to see the concept, do the problems, and be done. (dont we all) Any thoughts you might have are greatly appreciated though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 We are using MM6. Honestly, I'm unsure about Pre-alg for her next year. My ds is using KB this year, but he is a different kind of learner. At this point I am really at a loss for what to do. She is a goal-oriented child; I can give her an assignment and she's good to go. Therefore having a math that is too time- intensive for her completely overwhelms her. She wants to see the concept, do the problems, and be done. (dont we all) Any thoughts you might have are greatly appreciated though! FWIW, the bulk of decimals and fractions are taught in MM5. Did she do ok on the placement (end-of-year 5) test? If she has weaknesses, I would go back and cover those in MM5 first, and then move on to MM6. I'd feel comfortable moving on to prealgebra after chapter 5 in MM6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 She might be happier with Key to Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. The little booklets don't skip around at all. I love Kinetic Books, but I know it isn't a fit for everybody. It was perfect for my two older girls, but my youngest would not do well with it. She needs something that moves a lot slower and isn't on the computer. MUS is a good fit for my 14yo right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 We are using MM6. Honestly, I'm unsure about Pre-alg for her next year. My ds is using KB this year, but he is a different kind of learner. At this point I am really at a loss for what to do. She is a goal-oriented child; I can give her an assignment and she's good to go. Therefore having a math that is too time- intensive for her completely overwhelms her. She wants to see the concept, do the problems, and be done. (dont we all) Any thoughts you might have are greatly appreciated though! Horizons has a strong pre-algebra that is pretty much like that. Lessons are short and sweet (directed at the student, but there is teacher guidance in the manual if they need more). Lessons are straight to the point, with some review of previous concepts (but not overkill). There are extra worksheets if the student needs more work. Regular tests and quizzes. It usually took my son 30-45 minutes per day, never more than an hour. And it definitely gets into some beginning algebra in the second half of the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Ds did MUS Epsilon & Zeta (fractions & decimals/percents) in one year then did pre-algebra in 8th, Algebra in 9th and is planning to double up again this year doing Geometry & Algebra 2. It was a good solution here. Ds came from ps, did a level of SOS math (total waste of time) then LOF fractions & decimals before landing in MUS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted September 27, 2012 Share Posted September 27, 2012 FWIW, the bulk of decimals and fractions are taught in MM5. Did she do ok on the placement (end-of-year 5) test? If she has weaknesses, I would go back and cover those in MM5 first, and then move on to MM6. I'd feel comfortable moving on to prealgebra after chapter 5 in MM6. :iagree: with Wapiti. MM builds conceptual understanding year by year, and much of the conceptual teaching on fractions & decimals is in level 5. MM6 goes into more advanced topics for fractions & decimals, and adds things like graphing linear functions that are generally covered in prealgebra. (FWIW, when my DS tried to go in the opposite direction, before MM6 had been released, he easily tested into TT Prealgebra after MM5.) So you might consider backing up into MM5, moving quickly through it for the conceptual explanations (e.g. just do 1/3 of the problems in each lesson), then back to MM6. I think most kids could go into one of the "gentler" algebra programs after MM6 without much trouble. Another alternative might be Lial's Basic College Math, which a number of people here have used as a sort of combo arithmetic-review-plus-prealgebra. You can buy a used copy quite cheaply (make sure there's no writing in it), and have your DD use it as a workbook. I haven't used BCM myself, but you could search for threads about it, or try PMing Jann in TX, as I believe she recommends using it this way. Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 She may be bored with TT but does it work? If it works better then anything else you've tried then boredom should not be a factor in ruling it out. Not everything is exciting. Maybe supp the program? Were supp'ing TT 7 with HoE and LoF Fractions and Decimals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie Posted September 28, 2012 Author Share Posted September 28, 2012 She may be bored with TT but does it work? If it works better then anything else you've tried then boredom should not be a factor in ruling it out. Not everything is exciting. Maybe supp the program? Were supp'ing TT 7 with HoE and LoF Fractions and Decimals. She really didnt score exceedingly well in math like I had hoped for. I do think it's a matter of time. I think TT worked great when the dc were younger because it was fun with all the animations. Now I think they're over it. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Horizons has a strong pre-algebra that is pretty much like that. Lessons are short and sweet (directed at the student, but there is teacher guidance in the manual if they need more). Lessons are straight to the point, with some review of previous concepts (but not overkill). There are extra worksheets if the student needs more work. Regular tests and quizzes. It usually took my son 30-45 minutes per day, never more than an hour. And it definitely gets into some beginning algebra in the second half of the book. :iagree: we really like Horizon Pre-Algebra this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 I just looked at Horizons pre-alg, and it did look like something she would work well with...at least the approach. But she is not in pre-alg yet. I wonder if she could work through this text slowly while still working on some of her Keys to series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 (edited) :iagree: we really like Horizon Pre-Algebra this year. I have read really good things about Horizons Pre-Algebra. Edited October 1, 2012 by besroma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I just looked at Horizons pre-alg, and it did look like something she would work well with...at least the approach. But she is not in pre-alg yet. I wonder if she could work through this text slowly while still working on some of her Keys to series? I would consider doing this. Also, have you considered LOF or MEP? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 I would consider doing this. Also, have you considered LOF or MEP? I have considered LoF, actually. Ive had it in my cart for a long time now. :tongue_smilie: i can't remember What MEP is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 My oldest used LOF fractions/decimals/percents as a suppliment prior to pre-algebra. It was a big help! The approach is so different from traditional style texts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 I have considered LoF, actually. Ive had it in my cart for a long time now. :tongue_smilie: i can't remember What MEP is? I highly recommend LOF....we love it! MEP is here: http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm It is free, so you could use it all, or just a little. It is more of a "puzzle" math, not drill and kill. She might like the format. We like it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanie Posted October 2, 2012 Author Share Posted October 2, 2012 I highly recommend LOF....we love it! MEP is here: http://www.cimt.plymouth.ac.uk/projects/mep/default.htm It is free, so you could use it all, or just a little. It is more of a "puzzle" math, not drill and kill. She might like the format. We like it a lot. Wow! I dont think Ive ever seen MEP? That's a pretty neat site. I may just have to get LoF to see how it works for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Wow! I dont think Ive ever seen MEP? That's a pretty neat site. I may just have to get LoF to see how it works for her. MEP is excellent. If you do a Google search on MEP and Well Trained Mind Forums, you will find quite a few threads about it. You won't find any using the WTM search because you won't get any results for "MEP." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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