Accelerating Math Mammoth? How do YOU do it?

[scbusf]

Tell me your method for accelerating MM, please!  Do you have your student do the Review pages and then move on if they get them correct?  Or do you still go through each topic, but just move quickly?

 

I'm asking because I'm realizing that DS is painfully bored.  He is almost 8 years old, and just finished MM 3A, although he still needs to practice memorizing his times tables.  I have Beast Academy 3A on the way, so I'm hoping that will help us to have a change of pace.

 

Thank you!

 

Sherry

[zoobie]

Yes, I went through the chapter reviews and/or tests (mostly tests for DD who strangely loves taking tests, mostly reviews for DS who gets a little stressed by them), then I looked at what they needed to know based on how it was handled the next level. I wound up skipping MM2 entirely with DS and starting with MM3. I don't think I would skip MM3 entirely. Part B introduces geometry, measurement, fractions, and division. Those subjects in MM4 do a very, very brief review and move on to more topics within those headings (ex: geometry is mostly angles in 4 I believe, whereas 3 focuses on perimeter, area, and shapes). DD skipped most of 3A but needed 3B. We were transitioning out of a Montessori school, so they had an interesting math background! :)

[fourisenough]

Well, I didn't set out to accelerate it, but that's what happened. My 9 year old daughter is finishing 5A currently. She has done almost every question on every page, but I guess we work faster than it is meant to be done (she usually does 3-4 pages per day). We've also managed to finish BA through 4A and CWP through 4. I guess my recommendation would be to just plug along until you'ready to switch over, or just do both BA & MM.

[Chrysalis Academy]

There are two main ways I've done it: for "new" topics that I really want to make sure the child is learning solidly, I will assign half the problems on each page - note this means half of the lettered problems for each number, not top half vs. bottom half, because typically each numbered question type is different.  If they do half the problems without trouble, move on.  I also sometimes skipped the incremental steps if it was clear the student didn't need this - I'm thinking of multi-digit multiplication and long division, for sure, I think in MM4.  We did this with MM4 & MM5, and got through both books easily in one school year with tons and tons of supplements - I chose to supplement heavily instead of accelerate.

 

The second way, the way I used in MM6, where many chapters review topics already introduced, is two-pronged.  First, I give the chapter review.  I note if she missed any, and have her do those lessons for sure.  I also look through the chapter and pull out any lessons that I think are important, but might not have been well represented in the chapter review.  I'm thinking of unit conversions in the decimals chapter, ratio problem solving, stuff like that.  I had her do those.  If I had her do a lot of the chapter, I definitely give the test at the end, but if it was just one or two lessons, she just did them and moved on.  Doing it this way compacted MM6 into about 4 months, and then we moved on to Pre Algebra.

[Elfknitter.#]

Subbing. :)

[reign]

We skip problems if they understand the concept and do not need the practice. There is a lot of practice so if they get something right away I just assign half the problems. Sometimes they need all the problems, sometimes they don't need many at all.

[MEmama]

Like others, we just move through quickly if it's coming easily. He usually picks out the hardest problems on a page to do first, and if it's fine we just move on. He got through 1.5 years worth that way in his fourth grade year, and he still finished early. He's set to finish a month or two early this year, too, so I'm trying to figure what's next (just jump into algebra or do something fin like JA that might not take too long?).