Halcyon Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 My (gifted) younger dislikes Math Mammoth...but I have stuck with it because, after having switched from SM to BA to MM...well, enough is enough. We add in other stuff that he likes, such as CWP and Real World Algebra. But MM has been our core for a couple of years. And to be honest, he "gets" things very fast, but forgets them. So I need something that revisits topics once in a while.....so spiral is needed I wonder if there's a way to teach him math without a curriculum, just using MM as a guide and then giving him just a few problems, doing a variety of approaches to learning the material,..Is there a way to do this without killing myself? (I work p/t and don't want to die LOL) or can you recommend a challenging math program that spirals back a little to review past problems? ETA: I looked again at MEP Maybe that would be a fit? He is almost finished with MM4b, so I was thinking, if I used MEP, I would start him midway through MEP 4B? Any "MEP-ers" out there want to offer advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Back in the 90s, I used a library copy of the now OOP Arithmetic Made Simple with my gifted little guy, and some random cheap workbooks that were just pages of problem sets grouped by topic. http://www.amazon.com/Arithmetic-Made-Simple-Robert-Belge/dp/0385239386/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1402533033&sr=1-1&keywords=9780385239387 He successfully started Saxon Algebra 1 after this at 10 years old. I don't know how much of that was just because he was that gifted, or if it's a good book. It definitely wasn't my teaching skills. :lol: I was so green back then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 Or maybe Horizons? Haven't looked at that in yeeeeaaars.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diviya Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Agreeing with Sparkly Unicorn. Can you just go faster through MM? I wouldn't necessarily worry about him forgetting. Mine do that too. We just go over it again when it comes up. MM may actually have too much repetition for him. Get it done, and then move on to the fun stuff. He sounds like someone who would benefit from AOPS pre algebra. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskra Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Not helpful, but out of curiosity, you guys switched out of BA? Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 How about getting yourself Lial's Basic College Math and pulling problems from there to make your own worksheets. It would be a good checklist to make sure you've covered everything and it's got lots of problems to choose from. If you'd like pre-made worksheets, check out pizzazz math: http://lcms.dadeschools.net/math/Pizzazz%20Books/Pizzazz%20Book%20A.pdf That's the link to the pdf of book A. There are elementary books through E more plus pre-algebra and algebra. If you can't find them by googling, pm me I have them down-loaded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 There was a post on the Logic Board where these daily review problems were posted. They're spiral: https://www.aea267.k12.ia.us/math/resources/daily-routines If you used something like that or just rearranged the MM problems to do a little from all over alongside piles of other resources I feel like you'd be able to wing it. One of my ds9 is finishing Beast Academy... I've been withholding 4B to make it last... and I've had him doing a complete hodgepodge of stuff. A cheapie Spectrum test prep thing, some of the Key to Math books, some Zaccaro books, some Hands on Equations... Mostly we're just trying to barrel into being ready to do Jousting Armadillos next spring since there won't be any more Beast books for us. :crying: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 I essentially did that with my son after SM 5B before Algebra 1. We used various things, but nothing from cover to cover or in order. I focused mostly on which things he needed to have down before Algebra. Wish I had written that down to share, but I really just winged. It worked fine. Another option is to simply not have him do all problems. Let him do a few..test out...etc. He only does 1/2 the problems, but still hates it. But the only thing he has never complained about is RWA and CWP. He likes fewer problems on a page, so that would be a problem with MEP. And the fact that each semester has SO. MANY. PAGES. ugh. I am thinking about Horizons--fewer math problems on each page, and a variety of topics on each page. THoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 Not helpful, but out of curiosity, you guys switched out of BA? Why? Is this post directed at me? If so, younger (amazingly, surprisingly, weirdly) didn't get into it. at. all. I don't know why. He is good at math but impatient and prefers to "get it done". At the same time, he likes challenges (like CWP and Real World Algebra). He's tough to figure out. You can see the variety of math we use in our siggie. Just because I like to make my life difficult. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 Agreeing with Sparkly Unicorn. Can you just go faster through MM? I wouldn't necessarily worry about him forgetting. Mine do that too. We just go over it again when it comes up. MM may actually have too much repetition for him. Get it done, and then move on to the fun stuff. He sounds like someone who would benefit from AOPS pre algebra. We try to skip, but really, there are things he NEEDS to learn. and then he forgets them a week later. I mean, REALLY forgets them. And he only gets frustrated with Real World Algebra when he "gets' how to do the problem but is weak on the fundamentals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 How about getting yourself Lial's Basic College Math and pulling problems from there to make your own worksheets. It would be a good checklist to make sure you've covered everything and it's got lots of problems to choose from. If you'd like pre-made worksheets, check out pizzazz math: http://lcms.dadeschools.net/math/Pizzazz%20Books/Pizzazz%20Book%20A.pdf That's the link to the pdf of book A. There are elementary books through E more plus pre-algebra and algebra. If you can't find them by googling, pm me I have them down-loaded. Oh, I like that idea. And I own Lial's BCM (of course, because what kind of homeschool mom would i BE if didn't own at least 12 different math books).......Hmmmmmm...thinking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivey Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Does he like the Key to books? I dragged my 9yo through a combination of MUS, SM and MM until he finished the old MM 4b, then had him try a few Key to books and he loves them. He literally brings his math books to the grocery store and sits in the cart doing math while I shop. The pages aren't as overwhelming as MM, the thin books are less intimidating than SM, and there's nothing hard that would cause him to get stuck and melt down. If you're using CWP and RWA to work on problem solving and persistence, maybe the Key to series would be enough to cover the mechanics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebunny Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 When I homeschooled my DD (a year ago), I separated math into different strands such as 'conceptual, problem solving, computation'. I used curricula which addressed those strands. For eg- I picked and chose problems from MEP, Singapore Math and something called Sunshine Math (worksheets) for conceptual and problem solving. I used Math Mammoth and some other free sites for computation. The time intensive part was to figure out suitable curricula for each strand. And once that was determined, it was just open and go. FWIW, My DD enjoyed switching between different curricula and different styles. Maybe something like this will help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted June 12, 2014 Author Share Posted June 12, 2014 Thanks all--lots of food for thought here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deee Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 MEP. My son sounds similar to yours - gets it quickly but needs review. MEP is slick: he won't know he's doing revision until he's already done it and moved on. Start in year 5. Back track to the relevant lessons in yr 4 if you hit something you've never seen before and it looks like you should know it already. Don't forget that MEP 7 and 8 are mostly review, so you can do them quickly as consolidation or move straight from year 6 to year 9, and only backtrack if you need to. Buy him a cheap exercise book to work in. Only print out the student pages and read the lesson plans on an ipad or laptop or whatever. Be prepared to spend 45mins actively teaching the lesson. Enjoy the ride: it's very cool to watch your kid start thinking like a mathematician! D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollyhock Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 He could probably already do some of MEP 7 and all the lessons are online as interactive lessons. You could pick and choose topics and it might be a fun break for him to do some online. Just for reference, my oldest completed MM 5, went straight to MEP 7, and some of it (maybe even half) was review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 How about Math on the Level? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 I essentially did that with my son after SM 5B before Algebra 1. We used various things, but nothing from cover to cover or in order. I focused mostly on which things he needed to have down before Algebra. Wish I had written that down to share, but I really just winged. It worked fine. This is what I did with my younger. He finished SM5B and we meandered our way over 2 years through: MEP 8 (just 5 units, the fun ones) AoPS pre-A (just first 3 chapters) Jacobs Mathematics a Human Endeavour (just 3 chapters that looked fun) Saxon 8/7 for drill (just stuff here and there) Pizzazz PreA game sheets (maybe 1 full sheet every other week) SM6 Intensive practice (still working through this now) LoF fractions (did actually finish this one) I know!!! :huh: Crazy hun?!?! But my kid does still love math, so I think I did well. :001_smile: I did really wing it, but I had some organization. Each day always contained 10 minutes of working with fractions and negative numbers and other calculation type stuff. Then, we always ran 2 different units at a time, like geometry and statistics. So M, W, F would be angle work, and T, TH would be drawing graphs. Each unit would keep to one resource, so angle work was only in SM IP, but statistics would be in MEP. We would try to complete a unit before moving on. The 10 minutes of number work every day came from Saxon and Pizzazz or I would just write some in his book. This approach kept 2 years of PreA interesting and fun, and forced him to see things in different ways. He needed (and still needs) a LOT of review. So I just make sure that we do it. We are now working directly through SM Discovering Math 7A with workbook (which increases the difficulty). At this point, when I find a hole, I just get a page to work on either right then, or for the next day. Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 This thread makes me feel tons better about my raggle-taggle approach. My thinking.... My oldest could probably do Pre-alg this year, but I want him to be more solid in arithmetic first. I'm going to have him do a mix of CWP, Strayer-Upton, and khan & AOPS videos. I'm doing the same for my 2 other school-agers, just at their level. I might use MM where I can. S-U just takes more time than MM b/c I don't just hand them the book and check their work. I either copy out problems or work together on the board. I have to consider time, unfortunately. Otherwise, I think I'd just put them all in MEP. The time it takes to do it completely and right is just a luxury I cannot afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted June 16, 2014 Author Share Posted June 16, 2014 I don't know much about Math on the Level--anyone care to share their experiences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I looked into MOTL years ago. It's a ton of $$$, and that's why I never tried it. I was inspired by the approach though. This thread spurred me on to solidify some plans. I am going to do MEP with my oldest, one last year before we start the sequence to and through high school math. It *does* take a lot of teacher time, but he needs it. My 4th grader will be utilizing Khan to its fullest, and CWP with me. 3rd grader will do a mix of S-U, Miquon, and CWP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallingjan Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 We really liked Math on the Level. It's got a bit of a learning curve and it's pricy up front, but it's a great way to create your own without leaving gaps. That said, we did finally switch back to Saxon because I didn't have the time to plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eviesmomma Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I use MOTL right now with my rising 6th and 1st. We really enjoy the simplicity and the fact that it is totally at our own pace. It is a lot up front but when you factor in that you can use it for all the kiddos from pre k to pre algebra it is cost effective. That being said I got mine used for $150. Totally worth it. Let me know if you have specific questions. :) There is a MOTL FB group as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in VA Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I am using MOTL with my rising 6th grader. We are new with it but I am very happy for the first time every with math for this child. It is work in planning and teaching. There is no way around that but it's also an approach fully tailored to what your child is ready for and what they need, whether that be accelerated or slow and steady. The automated spreadsheet took me a few hours of playing with to completely understand but now that I do it's my favorite thing. It makes it completely doable. Like eviesmomma, I purchased mine used for $150 and the bought the support package from the company for $29 which includes the spreadsheet since that is not transferable. Best money I've spend on math maybe ever. And for this child I've spent a LOT of money on math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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