ProudGrandma Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 if your child knows the content, do you skip the first few chapters of math...or do you make them do it anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I would recommend testing through with chapter tests rather than skipping entirely to uncover unsuspected holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiMi 4under3 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Since we don't take a long summer break and we might finish a math book mid-year, I sometimes do the first 5-10 Saxon chapters orally. Starting with Pre-Algebra, I don't skip a thing, even if it's easy review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly1730 Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I would recommend testing through with chapter tests rather than skipping entirely to uncover unsuspected holes. This is what we do; typically they can test out of the first 2-3 chapters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I consider it a confidence builder/review. My perfectionist will often tell me how easy a book is at the beginning and that he isn't going to have any trouble with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 Since we school year round and start the next book whenever we finish the last one, I've often had to skip some things in the beginning. For example, by Singapore 5, my son really didn't need a lesson on place value. He demonstrated thorough knowledge of it on a daily basis and never got any place value related problems wrong, so we skipped the chapter on place value. Yes, they introduced the next thing that year (billions, maybe?), but DS had been using billions, and beyond, for a few years at that point. When we used Math Mammoth, I let him do chapter tests to skip a chapter. I don't expect to skip anything in Prealgebra or higher, of course. But elementary math, yes, I'm fine with skipping things that are clearly already automatic for the child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 In Saxon, they often review AND add new material--usually a different presentation. I like boscopup's idea of looking for automaticity, and also like strawberrymama's confidence-builder idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 11, 2014 Share Posted June 11, 2014 I tend to overestimate what a student has retained, so no, I don't skip. With Saxon–a double, triple "No!" There is new content ingeniously hidden in problems that I cannot see. The program is designed around review. Review is the main goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted June 11, 2014 Author Share Posted June 11, 2014 we are using Rod and Staff....if that makes a difference. I think I might do the chapter tests and if they do really well...I will skip...and if not, then I willknow what to work on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasons Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 We usually finish up our math program at the end of May. Then we start next years program in June using it a few days a week all summer as a review. By the time September rolls around we are on lesson 41 and new material is starting to be introduced. We use R&S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 We do the whole book. I don't see why everything has to be a challenge for my kids. Sometimes it's good for them to see that they're good at something and that it's "easy". If they're constantly at their limit - pushing and being challenged - I think that can be pretty demotivating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 No, we don't skip but we do tend to fly through it. Quickly going over a concept verbally then doing a couple problems to make sure they understand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 You might do only the odds or only the evens, then take the chapter tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 We do the whole book. I don't see why everything has to be a challenge for my kids. Sometimes it's good for them to see that they're good at something and that it's "easy". If they're constantly at their limit - pushing and being challenged - I think that can be pretty demotivating. This is a good point, but it does depend on the psychology of your kids. Consider this, OP. Is your kid going to enjoy having math be easy, or are they going to start balking because it's easy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 This is a good point, but it does depend on the psychology of your kids. Consider this, OP. Is your kid going to enjoy having math be easy, or are they going to start balking because it's easy? Yea, my kids all ask "Why do we have to do this....we already ready know it?" they don't like to both with stuff they already know...that is not just in math...but in all subjects...this is why I am asking this question... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 No, but if it's that easy, sometimes I'll double up on lessons. Review is important! Just because a book is below your child's reading level, doesn't mean they will not get benefit from reading it. Or if your child is learning a tricky Chopin piece on the piano, doesn't mean they shouldn't occasionally play some Bach sonata they learned a few years before. There's always work to be done on improving accuracy or speed or fluency of an already learned skill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Yea, my kids all ask "Why do we have to do this....we already ready know it?" they don't like to both with stuff they already know...that is not just in math...but in all subjects...this is why I am asking this question... Yeah, with kids like that I'd let them test out. My personal opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 We do the whole book. I don't see why everything has to be a challenge for my kids. Sometimes it's good for them to see that they're good at something and that it's "easy". If they're constantly at their limit - pushing and being challenged - I think that can be pretty demotivating. I certainly have times when I have my kids do something easy just so it's not all hard. In fact, my oldest has done CLE 500 alongside AoPS Prealgebra all last year. The CLE was all review and very easy, but it was short and quick and he got beefier problems later in the day. That said, when he was earlier in elementary math, spending a while chapter on a basic topic he fully understood drove him nuts and bored him to tears. So skipping was the right thing at that point in time. He was automatic in those topics, and by testing out, he was getting review (the test contains those problems!). Know your kid. I agree that not everything should be challenging, but if you have a mathy kid, often the new stuff isn't that challenging either, so it's a good idea in that case to do a few problems for review and move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyGF Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 The first few chapters are designed to review what the child forgot during the summer. If you don't take 8 weeks off for summer, skip them. :-) I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Yea, my kids all ask "Why do we have to do this....we already ready know it?" they don't like to both with stuff they already know...that is not just in math...but in all subjects...this is why I am asking this question... We test out for all subjects. If my boys know it, they have to prove it. We just do the chapter tests. That doesn't take that long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3girls Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 We don't skip. Refreshers do a world of good, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 Depends on the age of the child. For my bright child who loves math but was not yet brain-mature enough for the abstract thinking of Algebra, we did all of the lessons in the lower math books- needed SOMETHING to fill the time until the brain was ready. If we switched math books/curriculum/programs, we always did the beginning just to get a feel for how the book "works" and that was easier to do with stuff they already knew. But Saxon, with the first lessons about "What is a number?" :ack2: Never did those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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