Math curriculum for Dyslexic 14 yo?

[Bula Mama]

My 14 yo ds has been in a really great missy kid boarding school for the past year 1/2. We're going to be in New Zealand for the next year, however, and have decided to bring him along and homeschool him during that time. I want to approach this year as a time for him to read himself really good books on History, Science, and just otherwise, yet work hard with me on the areas that he's behind (Dyslexia, etc). I'm planning several All About Spelling levels (his spelling is terrible) as it's been good for him in the past for one but I'm not sure what to do about math.

 

He can probably handle somewhere in the range of 7th grade math if he works hard. I need a program where concepts are clearly laid out in a step by step manner.

 

Any ideas?????

 

Thanks!

[CatholicMom]

Well I have been singing the praises of Teaching Textbooks (CD-Rom computer program) because:

 

1) it's different from most any other program, which helps when you need a fresh start (and some motivation)

2) it's very visual which helps a lot of kids

3) it's short and sweet (22-ish problems, most of which are review. Only 4-5? of the new concept and then it reviews it daily)

4) it's logically laid out

5) it's very independent and generally only requires overseeing by the parent and occasional help

6) LOVE the gradebook where you can easily check how your child did. I have a policy that they must get 90% to go to the next less (only 1 or 2 problems wrong) or else they have to go back and correct the wrong problems. That way they can't get bogged down.

7) every single problem has a full solution that the child can view. As in they will show you how to solve the problem if you need it (I think you have to try it first before they will show you how to do it, though? I can't remember. Pretty sure there's some kind of safe-guard against laziness/cheating). I think this would be really helpful as the child does more advanced math that mom doesn't totally get :laugh: . Other programs only have the answers in the back, but TT shows you how to do every. single. problem. if you need it.

8) For dyslexics, which I believe my son almost certainly is (but isn't diagnosed), it is helpful that they HAVE to write the numbers in the right order or else it will be counted wrong. Whereas on paper my son would write "04" for 40 without thinking about it and his attention isn't drawn to it until I notice. If they get it wrong because of a silly mistake you can delete it and have them answer it again.

9) The child can easily "rewind" the lecture and watch it again if they don't understand the first time. It also reads all the words on the screen, so this would be good for kids who have trouble with reading but you don't want to hold their math skills behind because of the reading issues.

10) SO easy to use.

 

I think it's great!

[simplyme99]

I agree with Teaching Textbooks. We started it this year (my DD is 11, dyslexic and behind in math), she is doing well with it.

[EKS]

The best math year I ever had with my dyslexic son was the year we used Lial (he was 14). I didn't just hand him the book though. I would write out an example problem on our small whiteboard and my son would attempt to do the problem. If he could and seemed confident doing so, we would move on to the next example, if not, I would do a bit of teaching and then give him another problem just like the example (which Lial just happens to provide right on the page with the examples!). He would attempt that, usually with success. Then depending on the nature of his difficulty, I'd either have him do another problem of the same type or move on. Then I would assign problems for him to do independently based on what areas he was having trouble with.

 

This method worked for him, I think, because it forced him to be an active participant in the lesson. He wasn't just listening to me or watching me do the problems. Also, the order in which Lial presents problems is so logical that my son could often figure out how to do a problem based on what had been taught previously, meaning that he could take it to the next step without direct instruction. The method also worked because I was able to target his assignments to the areas he needed reinforcement. Because of his LDs, my son takes longer to complete assignments, and being able to get the most bang out of a limited number of problems is very helpful.

 

Lial has a lot of problems (you don't need to assign all of them or even half of them, but they're there if you need them). It has chapter review sets, practice tests for each chapter, and cumulative review sets after each chapter. You can get excellent solutions manuals and books of tests (or you can use the included practice tests as tests). And it is available relatively cheaply on the used market.

 

Anyway, I recommend taking a look at Lial's Basic College Math or Prealgebra.

[Hunter]

Aufmann Basic College Math is similar to Lials and the junior college series I have used with success. It's just another option.

 

I don't know if Professor B is too easy for your son. Books 1-3 cover up to algebra. It's conceptual and uses a lot of oral recitation. Unlike most conceptual programs, the scope is VERY narrow, so it's a good catch up curriculum.

 

It's teacher intensive and scares me to pieces, because it's all text written to the teacher and things are presented in an order that isn't familiar. It's ingenious and efficient, but unfamiliar. I feel like I'm treading water when I use it. I don't like the feeling and really haven't gotten to the 3rd book hardly at all. But when I buckle down and trust--trust isn't easy for me--student progress is phenomenal.

 

I now put every student on Xtramath.com. If they don't pass knowing their facts, I don't teach past that, and start them in Professor B and How to Tutor. So far everyone has needed to start with addition. Guess what? So did I. :sad: I never did learn those pesky things and it always slowed me down and made me inaccurate. I figure now is a good as time as any to remediate myself as well as anyone else :tongue_smilie:

 

To flesh out the narrow scope I'm supplementing the topics in the What Your Grader Needs to Know series with picture books and journaling. I'm using the old series so the 6th grade text contains many of the topics in the revised 7 and 8th. I haven't had anyone yet who started with the addition that has graduated from the books I have listed. I've got Saxon Algebra 1 here and a few students have played around with it, but I'm not TEACHING algebra to anyone who cannot add quickly and accurately. Yes, I've taught high school Saxon without knowing facts to a child who didn't know his facts, but it was more tedious than it needed to be. Also, I'm older and lazier, and there's another tutor I can refer them to who doesn't have the patience and desire to teach the basics, and wants to teach advanced topics. If they stay here, I get to teach MY way.