Beast Academy and Math Mammoth

[Hwin]

If you have used both, where were you in MM when you decided to start BA? Did it work well? What would you recommend?

[momma2three]

I asked this a little while back, and the consensus seemed to be after MM Level 3. Posters said that BA expects students to have their multiplication facts down.

[TracyP]

BA teaches multiplication, there is no reason to have your facts down first.

 

MM 2 to BA should be a fine transition.

[TracyP]

I had to run out on the last post...

 

I had a really hard time finding a good fit in math with 7yo ds. We went through most of CLE 2, some of MEP 2, and some of MM 2 before starting BA. We are in BA 3B and he has been doing extremely well. I am pulling some MM 3 sheets to help ds get his multiplication facts down, but we are doing that alongside BA.

 

BA is a different type of math program, but it is still a 3rd grade program. There should be no reason to complete another 3rd grade program first unless you want to use BA as a supplement behind your regular math program. (My odd is using it this way.)

[Hwin]

Interesting, thanks so much! I had read some of the other threads but was still on the fence re: our own situation.

 

He is working on MM 3A right now and doesn't have his multiplication facts memorized, but he can figure out the answers mentally. He really enjoys multiplying. Some math concepts, he just trudges along, but other areas he can do the whole unit in a day. Maybe I will have him do the placement test and see how easily it comes to him.

[ByGrace3]

I remember looking at BA not too long ago and coming away thinking my dd who is happily doing MM 3A did not have all the pre requisite skills BA said you needed.

[wapiti]

From the pre-test:

 

Before beginning Beast Academy 3A, a student should be comfortable adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers and must have a solid understanding of place value.

[Stef03]

After MM3 in my experience. We tried BA after MM2B, it didn't work out great. DS was learning the new concepts from the Guide book fine however the Practice book brought on too much frustration. He's now finishing MM3B and I think he'll be fine with BA now - we'll see in a couple weeks!

[lillysmom216]

We did Beast this year while dd was doing SM4 and MM4. We switch between the two for our spine. I remember reading years ago to do CWP a yr behind too. It has worked well for us and we will probably continue this next year as well.

[FairProspects]

We did it after MM 2B, but ds was rock solid on place value and larger numbers.

[Hwin]

Hmmm, I think we'll wait a bit. He can do the work involved in adding and subtracting large numbers, and understands place value, but he is very reliant on everything being set up vertically and going from ones to tens to hundred. 99 plus 99 isn't 100+100-2 the way I think most of it do it. He also makes a lot of mistakes due to sloppy handwriting and rushing (which I suppose will be an issue with any math program).

[IrishMum]

We started Beast Academy after MM3, it wasn't quiet the review I expected, it introduced topics he hadn't learnt before. I love MM but my DS9 doesn't. He loves Beast Academy, and the lack of hundreds of questions. He wants to stick with Beast Academy.

[stripe]

BA teaches multiplication, there is no reason to have your facts down first.

 

MM 2 to BA should be a fine transition.

 

Yes. I agree with you. My son had done multiplication in MEP but we did BA to solidify the times tables, which he was weak on or had forgotten. However, it starts assuming the student knows nothing. It is a complete intro to multiplication. Tons of practice of simple multiplication.

 

BA 3A begins with a topic I think almost no child at that level has seen before, and it is pretty challenging and neat. I didn't find the rest of BA quite so clever, but it is definitely a different program from most other elem math ones.