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nknapp5
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My ds8 is currently on lesson 40 of Saxon 3. We enjoy Saxon very much but after Saxon 1 and 2 it feels there is much review and few new concepts learned. I have even skipped review here and there to try not to bore him completely. He loves math but is wanting more! I don't have a problem with review but we try to school year round so we don't mind as much review. Any suggestions on what I should do? I had someone suggest adding Ray's arithmetic to our curriculum but I know nothing about it. I really don't want to switch but I don't want his love of math to go away either!

Thanks Nadia

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Look at Khan Academy-- free online resource; kids love it.

 

Look at Life of Fred Elementary. It has some things he will already know, but also things you have not encountered yet.

 

Look at some readable math books that have a story to them that introduce interesting concepts-- Penrose the Mathematical Cat, the Sir Cumference series, etc. Check your local library.

 

Look over online samples of other curricula that are not quite so drill and repetition intensive as Saxon, and do more to explain the relationships and beauty of math instead of just the algorithms of how to get it done as Saxon does. If Saxon really works for you, fine, stick to it, but if your son really loves math, it could mean one of two things: a) Saxon really works for you, and sticking with it is a good choice or b) he's really good at math, and needs something more, and it may be worthwhile at this early stage, to look at something that may engage him more. Math Mammoth, Singapore, and other curricula are worth considering.

 

Don't let anybody tell you what you "have" to do. I may have my own opinions, but he's not my kid, he's yours, and you will know best. There is no one magic bullet that is right for everyone.

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We haven't gotten to that level of Saxon yet, but I think I understand what you are experiencing. The first 30-ish lessons of Saxon are review (based on the assumption that you took a summer break and are just now coming back to math). I think you could safely skip them, although it sounds like you've already waded through them! I would expect them to bring in the new material very soon.

 

One of my concerns about Saxon math as we move forward is the feeling of never/rarely having anything "new" or exciting in a math lesson. Saxon introduces everything so slowly and in such tiny increments that it's sometimes hard to notice the transition to new material. For some kids, this is a good thing because there's less of the panic of trying to "get" some seemingly impenetrable branch of mathematics. But it also takes away some of the fun and excitement, especially for naturally mathy kids.

 

So far, I like how effortless Saxon has made math for my son. We'll have to re-evaluate what we're doing if he starts to think math is boring or too slow-moving.

 

For your son in the meantime, I like the suggestion to try to supplement with Khan Academy, Life of Fred, etc. Maybe he'd enjoy the new Beast Academy stuff?

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My ds8 is currently on lesson 40 of Saxon 3. We enjoy Saxon very much but after Saxon 1 and 2 it feels there is much review and few new concepts learned. I have even skipped review here and there to try not to bore him completely. He loves math but is wanting more! I don't have a problem with review but we try to school year round so we don't mind as much review. Any suggestions on what I should do? I had someone suggest adding Ray's arithmetic to our curriculum but I know nothing about it. I really don't want to switch but I don't want his love of math to go away either!

Thanks Nadia

 

Ray's is very much in the "traditional" procedurally oriented sort of approach of Saxon. It don't think it would add much to the mix other than more (rather boring) work.

 

Have you considered other options that add more intellectually interesting challenges than what he is getting in Saxon? The "incrementalism" of Saxon (which is to say constant review with only very slight new material) is the hallmark of this program. It does not get better and if you are chafing under that sort of approach now it may kill your son's love of math before long.

 

There are much more interesting and effective choices available.

 

Bill

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Know that Saxon 3 is very easy in the first half and then gets quite a bit harder in the second half. So, if you want to stick with Saxon (it has worked very well for us), find some fun stuff to supplement with and zip through the really familiar stuff--by halfway through it will probably be a different experience.

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