I have no idea what to do (math)

[plain jane]

I have a rising 7th grader who is a very strong student, except when it comes to math. I have posted several times about her. We did SM from K through the end of 4th. When we started 5th, I found that it was simply too hard for her and she didn't really think that way. Every lesson was a struggle. So, I switched her to Saxon 6/5. It was a better fit because it had more review. She did really well with the mastery of SM but when it would come time for a review page after covering a different topic for 4 weeks, she would forget how to do the first topic she had covered, even though she had done excellent with it previously. It was frustrating. She did well with the constant spiral of Saxon... for the first year.

 

Then we did 7/6 this year. It began well enough but around lesson 50 she started to bomb. Many, many, many careless mistakes began to emerge, as well as what I took as a clear lack of understanding. We talked about it some and discovered that she wasn't really understanding math, just simply doing what she needed to do. She actually asked to go back to SM because she said she felt like she at least understood why she was doing things with SM. I also noticed a billion careless mistakes. This child has not been officially diagnosed, but I very strongly suspect that she has some form of ADHD. Attention is something she struggles with (especially in math) and I think the constant changing of topics and questions in each Saxon lesson was too much for her. Her brain wasn't able to switch back and forth between all the different kinds of problems as quickly as it needed to and not only were the lessons taking forever, but she was making very careless mistakes.

 

So, I gave her placement tests and, not surprisingly, she passed SM 5a but not SM 5b. I figured this would be the case because there are a few topics that SM covers in depth that Saxon doesn't even touch. I decided to go back and do some of SM 5a (the volume sections and other parts that she hadn't learned in Saxon, but weren't enough questions in the placement test to affect placement score) and we are now working through 5b. She should be finished that soon.

 

My plan is to work through 6a and 6b through the summer and early fall.

 

I have not been following any of the math threads here and middle school has sort of snuck up on me WRT math. I don't know where to go from SM 6b. She is not a strong student. She has told me she likes being back with SM as she is understanding what she is doing, but I won't lie- it is hard for her. She has to think really hard to get through it. I am also seeing a recurrence of careless mistakes as she tunes out simply tries to "get it done". This is something I need to work at with her, but that is not the point of my post.

 

I also have to do another thorough review of fractions with her. She can't seem to keep fractions straight in her mind. She gets confused when she needs a common denominator vs. when she just multiplies/divides them out. It is very frustrating. She often adds fractions without finding a common denominator and forget about remembering to ever reduce. I can remind her every time but somehow she just doesn't. She knows how to reduce. Or, she will reduce by subtracting- take away 3 from the numerator and denominator, for example, instead of dividing. She also has a hard time changing a fraction in a decimal, although she does fine going from decimal to fraction. We spent 2 months last year doing the entire Key to Fractions series of books. She scored 90% or higher on everything and yet, still doesn't remember how to work with fractions. :banghead: I feel like it is very 2 steps forward and 3 steps back with this child. This part drives me a bit insane. We have gone over and over and over fractions. Aaaaah.

 

Where do I go from here with her? I need to start ordering my books for the fall and have no idea what to get for 7th. She's very strong in science but, of course, is being held back by her weakness in math. Next year we will do an entire year of chemistry, as recommended in TWTM.

 

I thought about adding in the LOF books along with SM this summer? She is very willing to work on math this summer and realizes that she has catching up to do. The plan is to spend about an hour per day on math.

 

I've considered going back to Saxon 1/2 Algebra but I'm concerned that the constant spiral of Saxon will bring back more problems. The careless mistakes have gotten better since we switched to SM but are definitely still an issue. TT isn't going to work well as I think I will lose any and all of her attention span going from computer to work page.

 

Help.

[kiana]

I wouldn't go back to Saxon -- it already didn't work once, why try again?

 

If she prefers SM, why not look into their Discovering Math series?

[plain jane]

I wouldn't go back to Saxon -- it already didn't work once, why try again?

 

If she prefers SM, why not look into their Discovering Math series?

 

 

Is that a good program? I have not heard anything about it. It also can't be way over her head. LOL I find she does best with SM when it is a half year behind, for example, doing the B level of the grade before in the fall. (5b in the fall of 6th grade). It's a tad advanced for her but she is a fall birthday so I figure it's ok. :)

 

Thank you. I will try to do some research on the Discovering Math.

[TarynB]

Have you ever considered trying Math Mammoth, especially in regards to needing a solid review/remediation of fractions and decimals? I haven't used Singapore Math, but what I hear is that Math Mammoth is similar to Singapore Math in teaching concepts (teaching why, rather than plug and chug) but MM does so more slowly and in smaller steps than SM. MM is written to the student - the teaching and the problems are all in one worktext. MM has the regular "light blue" curriculum organized by grade level, but there is also an MM "blue" series of worktexts which is just the "light blue" series split into worktexts on specific topics. There is a "blue" series just for fractions and decimals. It is affordable too.

 

The other thing I would have recommended is the Key To series, but you've already done that. It's great for review, but I found it doesn't have as much explicit teaching.

 

We use Math Minutes to add in a spiral review component that MM is lacking. I like the way MM teaches concepts, especially fractions, but my DS needs a little constant review. Math Minutes is 10 quick problems a day. Any problem that happens to fall outside the S&S of our regular coverage, I just cross out.

 

Hope you get more ideas. :grouphug:

 

ETA - You mentioned algebra at the end of your post. I wouldn't even touch algebra until fractions and decimals are rock solid. But I think you feel that way too, since you posted. One thing at a time. Don't panic. :grouphug:

[SilverMoon]

My kid with ADHD has done well with Dolciani prealgebra this spring. We both especially like the oral review section before he digs into doing exercises himself. That gives him a comprehension check before he starts the seatwork portion. The lessons are calm and plain in appearance, and the only time he has to change gears is when he gets to the review portion at the end of the lesson.

 

LOF as supplementary review worked for him, but he wasn't able to break into new concepts with it. There isn't a lot of practice in them.

[Crimson Wife]

I really like DM but would not recommend it for a struggling student as it is pretty challenging. There also is not any mixed reviews like the PM books have.

 

Horizons has good spiral reviews built in to each lesson but again an advanced S&S for pre-algebra.

 

Dolciani is supposed to be good as is Lial's. Tablet Class and Derek Owens also have gotten good reviews if you'd be interested in an online format.

[truebluexf]

I think we have the same child, except mine is a rising 6th grader. I'm actually thinking about stopping everything but basic kill and drill for the remainder of the year, bc he can't keep anything straight anymore. My best solution for us to switch to TT next year, and do level 6 instead of 7 like most recommend. I don't see any advantage to getting him into algebra early at this point. 5th grade is killing him. Which is probably around when I started bombing at math. Actually that was 6th grade, but given what MM covers, they were probably the same. My son does have ADHD.

 

Also considering some Rightstart math games again. We started math with RS long ago, and he really thrived. That probably means something about how he learns, I just don't know how to apply it to now!

[WishboneDawn]

Key to Fractions. It teaches the concepts and has enough work to to cement the concepts. It's not fancy but it's cheap and effective. It has been great for my unfocused boy.

[ktgrok]

The cure for careless mistakes for us was Teaching Textbooks. It is self grading, so if he makes a silly mistake he gets told right away. This gives him a heads up and I've found he is then much more careful with the next problem. This has been so much better than with regular math worksheets where he'd get all the way through, then I'd grade it and he'd be overwhelmed by all the mistakes all at once.

 

I think it also helps him to hear the problem and see it at the same time, and to have just one problem in front of him at a time. I'd really give it a try.

 

Oh, and it has CONSTANT review. He complains a bit, but admits it really helps. Before, with Math Mammoth, he'd learn something, do well, then totally forget it. With TT he has problems every day on all different things. If he has forgotten how to do it it has the lesson number right there, showing which lesson it came from, so he can go back and check out how to do it.

[crazyforlatin]

I like the way MM teaches fractions and decimals, so I would recommend just buying the blue series for now. I like your plan of using SM 6 to solidify and review previous concepts (from what I've read, that's what SM 6 does). Mid-way in SM 6, you can reassess her math skills/concepts and the figure out which Pre-A to use.

 

I like Dolciani because I tend to gravitate towards texts that have a lot of white space with a clean layout. It's also a straightforward Pre-A book in which you can assign as many or as few problems per lesson. I tend to go with multi-strand approach to math (review past concepts if necessary, new concepts, and more in-depth problems of past concepts). You could use Dolciani to explore some of the elementary concepts in SM 5 or 6 at a more challenging level. That way, there is a steady progression towards higher mathematics, rather than a feeling that you are just reviewing.

[plain jane]

Could someone please link the Dolciani books that I would need for after SM6. Are there different editions I need to be concerned about?

 

A "buy this book": [insert link] would be very helpful to me at this point. :)

 

TIA

 

And thank you for all the responses. I do also have MM light blue series (if that's the one that goes by grade) so I will take a closer loom at that. Dd did do some if it for 3 but got overwhelmed by all the type and lack if white space.

[crazyforlatin]

I'm not sure what the differences are among the Pre-A editions, and doubt whether it matters, but this is what I have (1988 edition):

 

http://dealoz.com/prod.pl?cat_id=&op=buy&op2=&lang=en-us&search_country=us&shipto=us&cur=usd&zip=&nw=y&class=&pqcs=&pkcs=&quantity=&shipping_type=&sort=&catby=&query=&ean=9780395430507&mpn=&asin=&rcount=2

 

Algebra editions do matter, however, according to Dolciani afficionados.

[wapiti]

Could someone please link the Dolciani books that I would need for after SM6. Are there different editions I need to be concerned about?

 

A "buy this book": [insert link] would be very helpful to me at this point. :)

 

 

I would get either the 1985 one or the 1988 one (they are the same). Answers to the odds are in the back.

[MomatHWTK]

Free this summer:

 

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/yourteacher-freebie/?source=Home-Page