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How do YOU use Math U See?


Sweepy
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Just wanted to get some feedback from the other MUS users. I have a K'er who just finished Primer and a 2nd who just finished Alpha. Since their both moving on to a new book and new level, I was just evaluating our plan of attack.

 

The student work has 2 books... The Student Text which has 3 page of Lesson review (A-C) followed by 3 pages of Sytemic Review (D-F). The Test and Activity Book has 1 to a few pages of "fun" math activities for each lesson number as well as a test page for each lesson. Previously, I was showing the lesson video and then giving my children 1 of the lesson review and 1 of the systemic review pages per day. If both pages were accomplished well, we moved on to the next lesson the next day. I'm wondering if I'm going too fast or if I'm missing the benefit of some of the sheets since I'm not using so many of them.

 

What sequence of worksheets do you use per day, i.e. do you you use 1 or 2 or more pages and which one(s)?

 

Do you use the tests? If so, do you look for a certain % score before moving on?

 

When or do you use the Activity and/or Test pages?

 

Thanks in advance!

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We just finished Alpha. Depending on the lesson we usually just did one worksheet the day of the lesson, the next day we'd do a review sheet or test. We reviewed previous concepts via flash cards at the beginning of every lesson. My guys were blazing through and I suspect a little bored. Mr Demme really makes things simple!

 

I'm currently reevaluating our approach to Math. I'm intrigued by Crewton Ramon's approach to Math. He was trained by Mortensen I.e. the same man that trained Steve Demme. I think my guys would enjoy Math more is they had the variety of a Crewton Ramon approach. Check out his web page, it's rough around the edges but the content is good.

 

http://www.crewtonramoneshouseofmath.com/

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We've used MUS from the start...about the only curriculum we've stuck with:) What works for us is we watch the video together. Then I work w/them on a few problems of A. They finish A and B by themselves. Next day is C and D, next day is E and F, next day is test. Just me, but I do this all the way through Delta to give them practice w/their facts by doing all the pages. After Delta, I often let them skip B and C if they get 95% or better on A. I do like them to do all the review pages, but if a kid really has the concepts I could see maybe skipping one of them (I don't because sometimes my kids struggle w/story problems and I want them to have the practice).

 

MUS doesn't take long to do each day, so unless they are really struggling w/a concept (which has been rare) doing 2 pages a day hasn't been burdensome. Just what we do:) Blessings, Gina

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We just finished MUS Pre-Algebra. It was our first year using it. This is how it worked for us..

 

Monday -

"Lecture" I teach the new topics to dd with the white board and maniplutatives (I watch the teacher videos before then to know how he presents the material)

She does the worksheets on the topic

 

Wednesday -

Systematic Review Worksheet or two. Depending how much well she does on the first one we review anything if needed and she may or may not have to do another.

 

Friday -

Honors Lesson and Test

 

We use Life of Fred and/or other supplements on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

 

You don't have to do all the worksheets. The teacher even says that if the topic is mastered you don't have to do them all. If she ever got less then a 75% on a test we wouldn't move on to the next lesson. Hope that helps! :)

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2 worksheets per day (sometimes 3 with extra activities pages)

 

Typical week would be:

 

Mon. Watch new lesson do A&B

Tues. Do C&D

Wed. Do E&F

Thurs. Take test

 

We have been doing co-op on Friday's so we haven't been doing any work at home but now that it's over for the year we will be doing Math. So we'll probably just continue and do a new lesson Fri.

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My middle daughter is using Alpha; we watch the video together then she does the A page to practice the new concept and D, for review. If she seems to have the concepts mastered she does the activity sheet and the test the next day. If not, she does pages B and E the next day, then the following day she tests. If necessary she does pages C and F; I think one time I even had to use the worksheet generator on the MUS website for a fourth day's practice before she was solid enough on the material to take the test.

 

My youngest is also in Alpha (along with SM 1A); we usually watch the video and then he takes the test...he already has his fact memorized and understands the concepts; I am just using it so he can practice visualizing it with the MUS blocks.

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DD is in Delta and we're sticking with one lesson per week, which takes 3-4 days. She moved through the earlier levels more quickly, but I'm supplementing more on Thursdays and Fridays now to keep her at a comfortable pace.

 

Day 1: I teach the lesson, we do some examples together, then she does worksheet A.

Day 2: She teaches the lesson back to me and does worksheets B and D.

Day 3: Either worksheets C and E, or the test.

*If for some reason she didn't do well on the test, we would go back over the material, she would do worksheets C and E, then F as a make-up test.

Day 4: Test.

 

I hang on to the worksheets she doesn't use and sometimes stick them in her "homework folder" for her to work on in the car or at DS's music lessons.

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In Primer my son has wanted to do every single sheet, even if he mastered it. Usually he would sit and do them all at once. We always watch the video first and work on some lessons. My other son is in alpha and isn't as mathy and has dyslexia. Therefore one sheet is all he can do and we have so far gone through every sheet before moving on. WIth my younger son once he's in alpha I plan on letting him do 2 lesson a day and at least working through D before taking the test. I just want that extra practice :) Maybe if we had another math program I would change that. I am debating starting him in Singapore because he is more mathy :)

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I tended to just make sure that Button could easily do the review pages; if not, or if I knew he needed practice, we did A, B, and/or C. That said, there were some conceptual jumps he struggled with -- regrouping in addition; also multi-digit multiplication: at those stages, we basically hopped off MUS for a bit and worked carefully for about 10 or so minutes each day on the new skill 'till he had it down, then moved back in (but, because of how he learns, when we picked MUS up again we were usually several lessons further in terms of skills).

 

But Button is odd, and accelerated. I think the main thing is to be sure to do some review for each lesson, which will make sure you catch trouble spots before they go too far. I didn't test at that level.

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In Primer my son has wanted to do every single sheet, even if he mastered it. Usually he would sit and do them all at once. We always watch the video first and work on some lessons. My other son is in alpha and isn't as mathy and has dyslexia. Therefore one sheet is all he can do and we have so far gone through every sheet before moving on. WIth my younger son once he's in alpha I plan on letting him do 2 lesson a day and at least working through D before taking the test. I just want that extra practice :) Maybe if we had another math program I would change that. I am debating starting him in Singapore because he is more mathy :)

 

 

If you have the time to teach it (not easy with four little ones!) I'd strongly suggest MEP for a mathy child. I think the second half of year 2 sometimes bogs folks down in number bonds, but otherwise it is stellar.

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We've used Primer, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. What worked best for us was to work four days a week. The first three days included a review page from last week and a new lesson page from this week. The fourth day was the test. So, it looked like this:

 

Monday: 21D & 22A

Tuesday: 21E & 22B

Wednesday: 21F & 22C

Thursday: 22 Test

 

This gave us Friday for catch-up, remedial work, or fun math. We never used the videos. I found it easier to just teach it myself.

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We're on Beta:

On Monday we watch the video together, and do the first two pages, then proceed doing two pages per day until we're done with the Unit on Thursday. On Friday we do the test, and any fun extra activities they provide. I like the consistency and the ease of our week with this. Typically, if my kid struggles in the beginning, he has the whole thing down by Friday.

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I have a 4th grader in Delta, a 2nd grader in Gamma, and an almost-5yo in Primer. We've used MUS exclusively so far, except I supplement with xtramath or Calculadder for drill and fact review.

 

When we start a lesson, they watch the lesson (with me, if I haven't seen it yet), then do a lesson practice page. If they breezed through that, got 100%, and want to, they can do a systematic review or test page, too. If they get 100%, then they can do the next lesson the next day.

 

If they didn't breeze through the first day (only happens about 1/4 of the time), then the next day they do a lesson practice if they didn't get 100% on the last one or a systematic review if they did. On the second day, if they can do 2 systematic reviews at 100%, they can move on.

 

We continue with doing a page (or extras printed from online) until they get 100% on the first attempt, unaided by blocks or myself.

 

So, our pace really varies, depending on the lesson and the kids. Sometimes they cruise through at 2-3 lessons a week and sometimes they spend 2-3 weeks in one lesson.

 

I really like this mastery approach MUS encourages. When I was homeschooled with Saxon, I just plugged away at my one lesson per day, regardless of how well I understood it or how many I got wrong (I self-corrected -- not a good plan). I ended up halfway through Algebra 2 and suddenly realized I had no clue what they were talking about, how to do anything, and my basic math was not strong. So I don't let my kids move on until I know they understand what they are doing, and I love the way MUS makes that clear. Plus, daily they review their math facts, so they can tackle the higher concepts without struggling with the computation part.

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I have a 6th grader in Zeta, a 3rd grader in Gamma, and a K/1st grader in Alpha, and we go at their own pace. There is no set way we go through the worksheets. Sometimes we end up doing only 2 of the lesson and 1 or 2 of the review. Sometimes, if a lesson is easy, we do 1 new lesson sheet, and 1 review sheet from the previous lesson. Sometimes we do 1-2 lessons per week and sometimes we take a week and a half to do 1 lesson. It depends on the lesson, the child, and our schedule for the week.

That probably sounds chaotic, but my reasoning is to give them enough time if they need it, yet not dwell on something that's super easy for them. Such as, my 3rd grader in Gamma, I often have him do a couple of addition and subtraction problems with regrouping in addition to his regular Gamma lessons. He knows how to do it but often "forgets", so he needs that extra little bit of constant practice so he doesn't lose the skill. One of these days it will be firmly implanted in his brain and boring so we'll be able to move on from that.

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What works for us is we watch the video together. Then I work w/them on a few problems of A. They finish A and B by themselves. Next day is C and D, next day is E and F, next day is test. Just me, but I do this all the way through Delta to give them practice w/their facts by doing all the pages....

 

 

Same here. Day 5 we play some math games and do a quick facts review.

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