Tired of doing 2 math curriculums! Which math has it all??

[tomandlorih]

We've been doing Math U See AND Teaching Textbooks for three years now.  I like the mastery approach and yet we test each year so I started TT for all those little topics MUS doesn't get to or doesn't get to in time.  I also supplement even those with word problems and mental math from Scholastic workbooks (keep me away from those $1 sales! lol)

Anyway, adding in another child cuts back on the time I have to teach and also.. I don' really want to repeat this mega math with another child!!  I would really like 1 program (or at the most 2  :lol: ) that is thorough and rigorous and covers it all.  Does it even exist?  

I have considered the possibility that I just need to pick one and convince myself that it is enough and my child will be fine.  lol 

What curriculum are you using that you feel covers it all??  And can you say a little bit about why you feel that way?  

TIA

[SkateLeft]

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[Kathryn]

Singapore. We do use Life of Fred, but only because we started it when using Math-U-See and DS is addicted to it. He just does it on his own on Fridays.

[twoxcell]

We use Singapore alone also. ;) With 4 kids there is no way I would have time to do more than one per child. :svengo:

[texasmama]

Singapore here in the elementary years, also.  We did some LOF and other programs in the summer to cement concepts/practice/stay fresh, but SM is a stand alone math program.

[AimeeM]

CLE if you do not want the Singapore route (I know it's the go-to here, but it didn't work for us). CLE is solid, rigorous, and definitely "enough". It is not, however, mastery.

[MotherOfBoys]

I had that problem a couple months ago. I did Saxon Math and Math Mammoth. I am so glad I listened to the hive and dropped Saxon. We've picked up the pace with less work. The house is happier for it. I will never but two complete curriculums of math together again (well till at least high school :) ) . With all the math supplements out there like Challenge Math by Zaccaro, Borac, and Hard math. Even LoF and math apps can fill the gaps of one curriculum better. Worst of all I made my son to every problem of both curriculums. :laugh: Poor Kid.

[PentecostalMom]

I tried that and failed as well.  I did just buy LOF for my 7yo to read, but not to use as curriculum.  She uses Horizons and does well with it.  I am planning to try Singapore with the next two because they think differently than the 7yo.  I think they will do better with that. 

[Guest]

CLE rocks!

 

If you like a more colorful, don't have to teach it route, BJU Math with the DVDs is worth the money. 

[My3girls]

All 3 girls use Math Mammoth as their primary math curriculum.  We do LoF on Fridays as our "fun math".  It seems to be working for us so far.

[Joyful_Journey]

I also used to run two math curriculum until I dropped MUS and just stuck with MM.  I sometimes still pull out my MUS blocks to illustrate a concept, but the scope, sequence, and problems are all MM now.  We are happy with it!

 

 

[AimeeM]

CLE rocks!

 

If you like a more colorful, don't have to teach it route, BJU Math with the DVDs is worth the money. 

 

Agreed. I used it with DD12. I have it for DS4, but I've been reading the hive too much, and am now convinced it isn't enough. *le sigh*

[dereksurfs]

While some families find a 'one size fits all' math program I don't think that's always the case as children can learn so differently.  In our family it certainly wasn't though we tried initially with MUS.  We used MUS exclusively with DS12.  However I don't think that was optimal because I had to remediate certain skills prior to going into AoPS. Although 'simple' using only one program in his case it wasn't the best lacking in both challenge and rigor.  With our DDs we are combining CLE & MM pretty easily.  We just use MM ~ 1/2 grade behind to add in conceptual development and more challenge. Neither dds liked MUS and weren't retaining things with it.  MM is the most challenging, but not as easily tolerated.  If both could do MM exclusively we would switch them.  Just recently dd8 said she likes MM more.  Since she is ahead in CLE we've moved her into MM and are hopeful she will be ok with only MM going forward.  

 

While it doesn't hurt to try for one program I recommend being open to change if it becomes apparent something is just not working.  Listen to your child and tailor toward their learning bent if need be.  Its worth the extra effort when it comes to math.

[smudge]

I have been using MM, and then I have my two working out of a red and and orange Miquon. They do it first, and I call it math warms-ups. My 8yr old is actually using the orange book, good reviews and it helps kill some time until her Concerta kicks in....

[tomandlorih]

Thank you all for your input and experiences!.  I've had a long day so I'll have to re-read these all tomorrow when my brain is clear. :)

[OneStepAtATime]

There have been a lot of good suggestions on here.  I thought I would toss in another idea, too.  First, I need to ask a question.  Is the issue that MUS is too teacher intense?  TT teaches for you and tracks the grades so when you are using two different programs, is it just MUS that is the real issue?  

 

Why not stay with TT, if it is working, but switch to something less teacher intense with the older as a supplement?  not doing ALL of it, or even every day, but maybe supplement certain areas that you want to beef up or give extra practice on, only doing odd problems and just a couple of days a week?  MM would be useful in that way, and it has support videos on line so there is instructional support for the parent.  You can just print out the pages for the area you would like the older to review and have them do half the problems, not all.  You can even have them grade the papers themselves then have them analyze why they got something wrong and correct it themselves.  Just issue the tests at the end of the MM sections periodically and grade it yourself to confirm they are understanding the math....The youngers could use strictly MM until they reached the TT level (since you already own TT), then use TT as the primary and MM as the supplement whenever you think they need extra practice or a different approach or just extra review.  Homeschool Buyer's Co-op has sales all the time on the entire MM program for comparatively little cost...

 

Or Khan academy, since it is free and has all the videos...

 

 

[Susie in MS]

Now take this with a grain of salt cuz we have only just started using Modern Curriculum Press. I work full time and needed a math that required very little of me yet won't send my dd into shock like CLP (she cannot handle that amt of work even if cut in half as it makes her shut down) that introduces too many new concepts too fast. We had been using R&S and the wall would be there. Just row after row after row of facts would shut dd down. Then we were using Mastering Mathematics and she loved the games and would do well. Same with the online supplements I downloaded. They were great, but required more of me than I had left at the end of the day. After much searching and a VERY WONDERFUL GLOWING thread here about MCP and looking at samples I decided to give it a whirl. The older version has a kaleidoscope on the front, but the inside is nice.  I read that the newer versions took out a lot of the graphics (not good in my opinion or my dd's). So we went with the old, and so far we both love it. It is mastery and  covers everything. I have dd use free Monster Multiplication self checking fact wheels and flash cards on the side to have more time teaching facts. The TM is set up so nicely and not overwhelming that it is easy to pick and choose which one on one time activity to use and which to skip. This cuts my time considerably. Now MCP only goes up to 6th grade and I have no idea the age of your students. My dd finds MCP visually appealing,yet not to the point of distraction.

 

 

[Mommyfaithe]

Ok...never thought I would say this, but I just switched my 2 boys into Saxon....

Yep, I said it!

 

 

Reason: I needed to reteach EVERYTHING! From DAY 1! Saxon was the only book I could find that reviewed ( spiral approach alright! ) everything in both kiddies grades...therefore, they do not feel as if I started them off with baby stuff!!

 

They love it. It gets done! I am still using bar diagrams and all I learned in teaching Singapore, but using the Saxon books for problems....

 

So far, so good!

[8filltheheart]

All of my older kids used nothing but Horizons.

[stripe]

What curriculum are you using that you feel covers it all??

I like MEP a lot, but I don't feel it covers everything. I add stuff in all the time. But I feel confident that it is helping my children develop logical thinking and a clear understanding of elementary math, and other supplements are enriching in different ways.

[alisoncooks]

I think there are going to be as many answers to this as there are responders, LOL.

We personally quite like BJU Math... we skip the religious aspects and just do the math.

[FriedClams]

We used Horizons for 1-6 and Saxon Algebra 1/2 and up after that. I've never supplemented for anything more than a random topic a kid didn't "get" right away. My kids are rock solid in math - including thinking skills.

[angelmama1209]

mm all the way. it is mastery with a spiral. i only make them do half the problems unless they miss some, then they correct the incorrect ones and do one additional for each until they've got it.

[boscopup]

I think almost every program on the market will work if it fits your kids. Pick which one your kids seem to learn the most from (and retain it), and that you don't mind teaching.

 

(says the person using two math curricula for two of her children right now, but one child is working completely independently in both and one of the curricula is being used as complete review, so it takes very little time... plus he's working well ahead of grade level, so it's ok to not finish the book in a year... other child is using a traditional curriculum as his main curriculum, then doing the more difficult curriculum at a slower pace for fun in the afternoon)

 

I think MUS and RS are the only ones that really have weird scope and sequences that could affect standardized testing adversely. Pick any program with a traditional scope and sequence, and you'll be fine.

[SilverMoon]

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Edited May 29 by SilverMoon

[mama27]

^{Saxon. I actually do have my kids use LOF along side Saxon but mostly that's to give ME a break from checking math! lol}

[Crimson Wife]

I would love to see Singapore come out with a thing similar to Evan-Moor's "Teacher File Box" where the parent could have access to all the components and print out the pages that suit the child's needs best. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

[ondreeuh]

Ok...never thought I would say this, but I just switched my 2 boys into Saxon....

Yep, I said it!

 

 

Reason: I needed to reteach EVERYTHING! From DAY 1! Saxon was the only book I could find that reviewed ( spiral approach alright! ) everything in both kiddies grades...therefore, they do not feel as if I started them off with baby stuff!!

 

 

Why are you needing to reteach everything from day 1? Had your kids always used CLE? Was the problem the curriculum or the implementation?

 

(FWIW - we used CLE for 3 years, had to try Saxon for a year and I was shocked at how much my son had NOT mastered at all in CLE, despite doing well within the program.)

[EKS]

Singapore Math.  You can always use the MUS approach to particular topics if your child needs it.

[ondreeuh]

For elementary math, it seems most programs are either too far on the ends of the spectrum (incremental or mastery) for many kids. BJU is one that gets mentioned as nicely being in the middle, but it's expensive and non-secular, so it's not for everyone.

 

I combine Singapore (MiF) 1 and Horizons K/1. MiF teaches the operational concepts very deeply but saves calendar, time and money to the last chapters. Money is literally chapter 19 out of 19. Horizons covers the operations very lightly (lots of reliance on a number line - counting up & down instead of any conceptual strategies), but it teaches time, money, geometry, fractions, etc. from the beginning. I feel like Horizons alone is too light (for my needs - works for other people) and MiF alone is too topical. By combining them, I  have a wonderful program that covers the operations deeply with lots of mental math, and also builds knowledge of everyday math.

 

I do not do both programs every day in full, though; I usually do only one. MiF actually handles this REALLY well because there are fewer, longer lessons than a typical program (not 1 lesson/day). So we can do a chapter intensely in a week and then take a week or two off. If there is a concept (like regrouping) that I want to sit on, we will just use Horizons for a little while and practice regrouping instead of using their number line for the add/subtract problems. Sometimes I have him do selected problems from 4 lessons of Horizons as his math lesson. Yesterday we did a whole cumulative review in MiF (50ish problems) and didn't touch Horizons. We are moving forward in both programs - actually we finished Horizons K already this year and will finish MiF 1 before the year ends in May, so this approach hasn't slowed us down.

[konglish]

I like MEP a lot, but I don't feel it covers everything. I add stuff in all the time. But I feel confident that it is helping my children develop logical thinking and a clear understanding of elementary math, and other supplements are enriching in different ways.

Ack!  In your opinion, what doesn't it cover?  (I'm not actually freaking out, but I am curious.)

[Coco_Clark]

I use Singapore alone(ish). We supplement with LOF but only because its fun.

[lorisuewho]

Ack!  In your opinion, what doesn't it cover?  (I'm not actually freaking out, but I am curious.)

I'll jump in with an opinion.

We have used mep 1a through mep 3b completely. I love MEP. It is our spine. But I don't feel it covers word problems as well as it could. We add in word problems. Also one of my children needs a lot more fact practice than MEP provides (although I do think for most children there is probably enough practice built in).

[stripe]

Ack!  In your opinion, what doesn't it cover?  (I'm not actually freaking out, but I am curious.)

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that using MEP would result in a child with horrendous gaps, but rather that there is just no way it can cover every possible topic of interest or importance. It doesn't teach non-metric measurement, and all the monetary units are Â£ and p, which some non-UK users, particularly US users, find annoying. India's NCERT Math Magic program, in contrast, has a huge emphasis on cultural applications, so, for example, studying the patterns of traditional textiles through a mathematical lens, or understanding other ways that math is important in children's daily lives. Some of the vintage books have a lot more material that is applicable to shopkeeping, farming, or banking calculations, as well, and I think most of the contemporary programs don't see that as important in elementary school.

 

I think there is a substantial amount of daily practice built in to the lesson plans, rather than the student's practice book, but it is easy to add in a 5 min practice/drill to every day's math lesson with material from somewhere else. I sometimes feel there is an overwhelming amount of practice there (or at least one of my kids often feels overwhelmed), most of the time, but I think in a classroom setting it wouldn't all fall on one child, which is what happens in my house. 

[konglish]

Thanks lorisuewho and stripe for your feedback on MEP.  Your comments were helpful.