Activities for the AL Abacus as main program

[Bokons]

Has anyone used RightStart's Activities for the AL Abacus as their main program?

 

If so, do you just start from the beginning and work through the book?

 

Thanks.

[stm4him]

I have not used it as a main program but I have used it as a supplement in the summers. I think it is the fastest and most thorough way to cover the use of the abacus in math and I do think it could be used as a main program with extra drill added in until moving into a higher level math like Saxon Intermediate 3 or 5/4 (depending on where they tested). Just make sure you are either playing games or doing lots of drill so that things are being covered and I would also make sure you have review built in somehow. It only covers arithmetic, not geometry, measurement, money, or time (if I'm remembering correctly) so you may want to get something for those individual topics. I wish more people knew about this. It is a great way to keep Right Start methods without the full program.

 

HTH!

[cmarango]

I don't think that it would be best as a main math program unless you are well versed in the RS method. I see this book mainly as a collection of worksheets...good for supplementing, but it is such a small part of the RS way.

[laf919]

There is an activity book - which explains how to teach arithmetic using the abacus - and a book of worksheets that go along with it. The worksheets are helpful, but if you are only going to buy one, buy the Activity Guide - that tells you how to teach. I used this with their games kit for kindergarten math and was quite happy with it. For a variety of reasons, we did public school for first and second, so I only continued to use some of the games for afterschool activities, but I really liked it. I could not afford to buy a new RightStart kit each year and these books, along with some workbooks from a teacher's store on time and money and measurement, etc. - could easily be a solid elementary math program. You would need to figure out pacing and what to teach when and how much review your child needs - but if that doesn't scare you, go for it! It's a great program, and I can still see how much understanding of math my daughter has from using it full-time that one year.

If you are not sure about pacing, you can look at RightStart's website and see the tables of contents for the yearly books and the evaluation checklists for each year. Those will give you some idea of what to teach each grade. Also, the back of the Games book lists the games played each year in the full curriculum. With those, you could make a map of what you want to cover each year if you feel the need to plan it all out. (some do and some don't - not meaning to judge anyone's methods) You can also just jump in, present the first concept, work with that over a few days, and move on when your kid gets it. The younger your child is when you start, the easier the "just jump in" method is, in my opinion. HTH!

[sbgrace]

I used RS A and B. I tried hard to use the Activities for the ALAbacus to put together a program to avoid RS C purchase. I didn't feel able to do it even with that base knowledge, a table of contents list for C, other math programs, etc. I just couldn't figure out an order of introduction/pacing/review system that felt certain to me.

 

It may have just been a lack of confidence on my part. I'm looking at it now and wondering what my problem was. I really just wanted RS subtraction so I should have been able to do it!

 

You would have to work in review and probably think of the program as more of a mastery approach in terms of presentation anyway. Some of the strength (to me) of RS is the blending of topics to reinforce each other and careful progression of skils. The child fully masters a set of similar concepts, sometimes with a lot of time to gel or seemingly unrelated topics to reinforce, before moving on to the "next up" concept. That would be beyond what I personally could do myself with Activities for the ALAbacus. That doesn't mean, though, it couldn't still work well. I would add in the games if you don't already own those.

 

I think if RS full wasn't a possibility and this is for the 6 year old I might consider doing another conceptual program (Singapore, Miquon, MEP, etc.) with c-rods. I really love RS A and B. I prefer it to the other programs for young ages. I don't think, though, you could replicate it to be superior to some cheaper conceptual options using just the Abacus book and games. And those cheaper options are still very good.

[Kathleen.]

This is a very easy book to use. I use it along with Miquon and Singapore math. We're not going through the book from start to finish, but working up to a comfortable point in addition and subtraction with my first grader. She is not ready to tackle three digit numbers with carrying. The book suggests completing the addition section before moving on to make subtraction simpler. We also play the RS games which are great. The games cover time and money.

 

I don't use this as a main math program, but with the other two mentioned programs because my youngest really loves math - so do I. The variety makes it more fun. This book also keeps our math moving forward at a pace my youngest enjoys. Sometimes I feel like Singapore math goes a little slow. You could use this as a main program since it's very thorough with the concepts it covers and has that RS feel. You can always check your state's curriculum guidelines to cover any gaps or to ease you mind, or go to IXL.com which lists nicely all the concepts.

 

[Bokons]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts and suggestions! I like the idea of getting the checklists and lists of games used each year. Yes, this is for my 6 year old.

 

I do plan on supplementing with another program, and will be looking into that next.

 

Thanks :001_smile: !