tell my about MEP math program

[bttrflyvld]

I see it mentioned occasionally as a math supplement. Tell me how it. Do you use it as a stand alone math or a supplement?

 

[momma2three]

It's meant to be a complete math program, but it's free so I think lots of people use it as a supplement. It has its own order and internal logic though, so I'd think it would be hard to use as a true supplement because it would be impossible to make it line up with another program (at least in the early years, which is all I'm familiar with).

 

All that said, we use it and I really love it. It's a very tight spiral, which i dislike in a school environment where all the kids are at different level, but one on one I think it works really well. Parts are deceptively simple. For example, the Reception year only deals with the numbers 1-5, and Year 1 only goes up to 10 I think. But there are soooo many math concepts you can do with those limited numbers, and MEP does 'em all. IMO it really leads to a much deeper understanding of the concepts.

 

FWIW, we also do Math Mammoth. I kind of like MEP better, but it is more teacher intensive and it can be hard to fit in. MM, on the other hand, I can set her to work with a page while I put the other kids to bed. It's kind of a polar opposite of MEP in many ways, but I think it's also a strong program.

[travelgirlut]

I switched from Singapore to MEP with my puzzle solving, logic loving son, and he LOVES it. He begs to do more everyday. He just started Year 2, and it already had him doing multiplication, though of course they don't call it that. It's just manipulating numbers in such a way that they get multiplication without letting on that's what they're learning. It's amazing the concepts that get covered at such low levels. I love this program and will continue to use it.

 

You can see the scope and sequence here to get an idea of what is covered each year, though honestly it doesn't begin to scratch the surface in showing the depth that these topics are covered.

[ummibee]

I remember looking at this a month or so ago and was kind of intrigued because it seems to teach math so differently than other curriculum I have seen. Do you guys print out the pages or work from the computer? I have only really looked at the reception level. I decided not to use it because my 6yr old was using singapore grade 1 and loving it, as well as classroom textbook i randomly found at my moms house (shes a former teacher and often has boxes of school supplies:) Anywho, how do you guys implement MEP?

[travelgirlut]

I print the practice book and use the lesson plans on my tablet. Then there's those random copymasters that are needed every now and then, and I just print them as they come up in the lessons and only if I can't just draw it on the white board easier. I find it very open and go.

[BoZeeCo's Mom]

We love MEP here. As other commenters have said, it exposes my kids to very complicated concepts in a very easy to digest way. I use it as a stand alone curriculum, and can say that it is my absolute favorite out of all of my curriculums. I highly recommend it.

[junepep]

I remember looking at this a month or so ago and was kind of intrigued because it seems to teach math so differently than other curriculum I have seen. Do you guys print out the pages or work from the computer? I have only really looked at the reception level. I decided not to use it because my 6yr old was using singapore grade 1 and loving it, as well as classroom textbook i randomly found at my moms house (shes a former teacher and often has boxes of school supplies:) Anywho, how do you guys implement MEP?

 

I print out all of the practice book and lesson plan pages, I also print out the enlarged copywork pages (but not all of them, only the ones that I think that we'll need).

 

OP -- MEP is definitely a stand alone program. It doesn't need a supplement, but since it's free I've been able to use my math budget to actually buy tons of supplemental math books (*cough* or entire programs <.<). At the moment we're supplementing MEP with Miquon (3xper week) and Beast Academy (2x per week).

 

To keep in mind -- Kit's used MEP, with various supplements, since Reception (we're ~1/2 done with yr 2 now), it might be difficult to jump into at first coming from other programs -- the sequence is also different than other programs (ie it doesn't really get around to manipulating numbers over 100 until year 3).

[momma2three]

I printed out the practice books and had them spiral bound at Office Max. I also printed out the teacher's guide, with the idea that I'd take notes in it about things I wanted to remember when I teach my younger 2, but really the scripts are so comprehensive I don't think I've taken a single note. I probably won't bother printing out the teacher's guide next year, though I do kind of prefer working from it than working from a screen.

[suz.shu]

I am using MEP 1 with my 2nd grade daughter. We finally went to it when everything else was failing. Singapore was a disaster and MUS was only okay for a while. MEP has lasted the longest where she is learning but not getting stuck or bored. I supplement with Life of Fred and Math Mammoth on days when I need her to be independent and this helps her get some alternate views on how to solve problems.

 

We don't actually print anything out anymore. I printed the first section of the workbook and teacher manual but have found doing it on tablets the easiest. I do the lesson from my computer (someday we'll get another tablet) and my daughter does her work on the tablet. (We use the notability app to load it). She loves doing it on the tablet because she can erase mistakes quickly and she can use whatever color she likes for her writing.