math and your 6th grader...question

[ProudGrandma]

what kind of math is your 6th grader doing right now. I mean, I fear my dd is way behind in math becasue we were doing MUS and it left some BIG gaps (we got as far as the fractions before everything just fell apart) and then I realized that her geometry, fractions, money, measuring skills were really lacking and that she forgot much of the place value, long division, harder multiplication skills.

 

I started using MM with my kids and she is more behind than my sons. Right now we are working through the 4th grade level...skipping the things she knows, but at this rate (even doing math this summer, which is my plan), we won't make it through 6th grade by next fall. To be honest, I would be happy if we got to the end of 5th grade by then. She will be 13 in September...and I just feel like such a failure.

 

So, I was just sort of curious, if you have a 6th grader, what type of math are they doing. Hoping to find that we are more in the average, and not dropping to the bottom of the range.

[lewelma]

It is not about comparisons. You need to meet your child where she is at -- that is the beauty of homeschooling. If your 12 yo is doing 4th and 5th grade work, then, yes, she is 'behind.' So, I would look to remediate by asking yourself some questions. Is she spending at least 45 minutes 5 days per week on math? Can she focus that long, and if not are you breaking it into 2 different chunks? Is the curriculum you are using a good match for her learning style? Does she need additional review? Are there any learning disabilities? And if so, how can you adjust the program?

 

I have 2 children that are behind in spelling, but it does not help me to compare to all their friends who can spell well. All I can do is just keep plugging away at the level they are at. And if it takes them until 16 to learn to spell, well then so be it. I just make sure that I am absolutely consistent and do not let it slip -- EVER.

 

Good Luck,

 

Ruth in NZ

[boscopup]

When you get done with MM6, you can move into prealgebra. I don't think you need to compare to other kids. You need to meet her where she is and move forward. You could probably compact some of MM by doing parts of 4, 5, and 6 at the same time, getting the basic instruction in a topic as well as the extension of that topic. Some things are repeated each grade level, so you may be able to start at the higher grade level if the topic is reviewed from the beginning as it often is.

 

A good foundation in elementary arithmetic will serve her better than rushing to algebra in a particular grade just because "the other kids are doing it". If she ends up with algebra in 10th, you could always do geometry and algebra 2 the same year, then precalc in 12th.

[ProudGrandma]

I think that if we had used MM from the get go, we wouldn't be behind. I totally get that one of the wonderful things about homeschooling is that you can meet your child where they are, however, I think I would be not as conciencous of a parent if I wasn't a little concerned that she is doing 4th grade math, not because she is not able to do 6th grade math, but rather because the curriculum I chose for her left all of the gaps it did.

 

I have no intention of making her feel badly about this...in fact I am making sure she has NO idea that she is behind...but I just don't know how to make up for lost time.

[boscopup]

There is so much overlap in those last few grades that I doubt you'll be that behind in the long run. If you did just ONE grade of MM per year, you'd hit algebra in 10th (I'm assuming she's 7th grade in the fall this year). Most likely, you'll hit algebra in 9th or maybe partway through 8th. Both of those are completely normal.

 

Making yourself feel guilty won't help you get ahead, kwim? Things happen. Sometimes kids have to catch up. Thankfully, they're pretty resilient. :)

[boscopup]

I just reread your OP... you think she'll finish MM5 by fall, so that would put her in MM6 in 7th grade? That's not bad at all! Then you're easily on track for algebra in 9th. And again, with the repetition between those grades, you might be able to compact even more (IF she's feeling confident with the math she's doing).

[ProudGrandma]

ok...thank you very much. I guess, I am not doing as bad as I thought...I didn't really think about it that way. My dd is not super mathy....she is not struggling, but I highly doubt that she will be chomping at the bit to reach algebra by 8th grade anyway...

 

I just hate it that I might have caused this...but it is what it is now, huh???

 

thanks...we will just keep plugging along.

[lewelma]

but I just don't know how to make up for lost time.

 

 

I would school year round in math. Kids loose a lot over the summer. I would also have 2 math sessions per day -- 30 minutes each (set a buzzer so she knows what is expected). I think she just needs to put in more hours to play catch up. Kids who are behind here go to an after school program 2x per week for an hour each time where they are also given 30 minutes of homework for an additional 4 days. So they are upping the number of hours on math by 4 hours per week! This is in addition to the math at school and its related homework. If you school math year round, you won't need to put in quite so many hours, but you do need to up the time with pencil in hand. To give her this extra time, you need to drop back on something else, or it will not be maintainable for the 2 years it will take her to catch up.

 

Ruth in NZ

[lewelma]

I just hate it that I might have caused this.

 

 

No. Do NOT beat yourself up. We as homeschoolers take on full responsibility for our children's education and it is a big burden. We can so easily second guess ourselves. You have recognized the problem and are working to fix it. This is all anyone can expect.

[Crimson Wife]

One option to consider is finishing up whatever level MM you're using now and then switching to Lial's Basic College Math. BCM pretty much covers all of middle school math in one book. Take BCM at whatever speed your DD needs, and don't worry about completing it in a single year. Many students can go from BCM directly into algebra 1.

[coralloyd]

I don't understand how your daughter has huge gaps. If she hasn't done Epsilon, or Zeta yet of course she hasn't done fractions or decimals. It doesn't mean she has gaps. It jut means she has been following a different scope and sequence. I also don't get how she has forgotten place value, long division, and harder multiplication skills. They are constantly reviewed and a huge part of moving to the next step. Are you not doing the review pages? Things like money and measurement are easy to do in everyday life. They are in MUS though. Measurement especially is covered very thoroughly. Again are you doing the review pages?

[Chrysalis Academy]

You've gotten good advice here. I also want to share my experience w/ MM - we started homeschooling in November of dd's 4th grade year, using MM, and the first chapter especially took us *forever* to get through - all the mental math stuff was new. So I was really worried that we'd be way behind. But after slogging through MM4, filling all the gaps, we actually breezed through MM5 in less than a year, finishing up in the middle of May (having used a bunch of other supplements, too).

 

I also think you save a lot of time spent on review if you keep going, at least with math, over the summer! The whole first chapter of each level is review, which won't be necessary (or won't take more than a week) if you haven't had a long break to forget things. Our plan (which dd is on board with, now that she realizes it will save her time in the long run) is to keep doing math at least 3 days a week all summer long. If we were needing to catch up, that would get us through a big chunk of whatever we felt "behind" on.

[Tita Gidge]

I use MUS, and we do it year-round. We schedule one lesson per week, taking more or less as needed.

 

FWIW, every one of mine struggled towards the end of Gamma up through Epsilon. I'm a big believer in consistency in curriculum, so I try to tweak a current program before abandoning it for a new one. It was also attitude more than ability, so I stuck with MUS.

 

We take roughly 6-7 months to complete a level/book. Then we break for a bit. During those breaks we use the Key To ... series. This is a great, low-pressure refresher for some topics (fractions, decimals) and a more thorough review of other topics (measurement, metric measurement). And then we begin the next MUS level.

 

We don't do Alpha/1st, Beta/2nd, Gamma/3rd, etc. Instead we just keep moving through the levels on a year-round format. This kept us all from comparing apples to oranges against the schooled kids we know. This was important since MUS doesn't follow a tradtional scope and sequence.

 

My 6th graders wrapped up MUS/Pre-Algebra in April. They've been doing Key To ... metric measurement in the weeks since, and will wrap that up in another week.

 

You're not a failure; failure is giving up. You're not doing that. This is a definite bump in the road, though, but all that means is that you're being slowed down. Ignore grade levels, math levels, and just power through each lesson and concept from now until she's done homeschooling. Ignore thoughts of "ahead" or "behind" and just teach the material.

[AK_Mom4]

The "Key To ...." series (I think someone mentioned them above) is a great way to review specific math topics. The little booklets sell here for about $4 each. We used Key To Fractions, Decimals, and Percents one summer when DD12 *forgot* how those three worked. The explanations are clear with lots of review problems.

 

BTW - I don't think you are a failure either! MUS isn't for everyone and what you really have is a "scope and sequence" problem. I would recommend nailing down the fractions and decimals with "Key To" or something similar while you continue to work through MM4 and 5. I agree with the other posters too - finishing MM6 in 7th grade puts her in a good place to do pre-algebra as an 8th grader or you can go with something like the Lial's that compresses middle school math to one book.

 

hang in there! Middle school math is where it really pays off to get the math solid before moving on. My experience is that the students that do the best in Algebra and beyond are the ones who have their operations, fractions, and decimals solidly mastered. Take the time now - it is easy enough to double up in the high school math if she needs to get more math in before she graduates.

[JanetC]

I don't understand how your daughter has huge gaps. If she hasn't done Epsilon, or Zeta yet of course she hasn't done fractions or decimals. It doesn't mean she has gaps. It jut means she has been following a different scope and sequence.

 

Yes, when you switch math curricula you can get caught because different vendors use a different scope and sequence. There is a difference between "We missed a unit on X because we switched curricula" and "My kid hasn't been learning things I have been trying to teach her."

[ProudGrandma]

thanks for all of the advice...you have given me lots to think about