Saxon math over MIF for struggling math student?

[Momto4inSoCal]

I'm on my second year of homeschooling and am having a really hard time finding the right math program for my 4th grade daughter. She went to public school before homeschooling and they did Saxon. She's never been really good at math so I thought maybe it would help to switch her curriculum. She's a visual learner so I tried MUS. She hated the video's and still struggled.I also didn't realize MUS doesn't follow state standards and we have to take the state test every year since we are in a charter.This year after a lot of research I decided to trying MIF. She is struggling even more this year. She seems to understand it but it is taking 2 hours a day to do the lesson. She keeps asking if she can to go back to saxon and says that program was easier for her. I was looking at saxon 5/4 and the work looks way easier and behind MIF. I don't know if I want to push her back but I feel like she is shutting down with so much math work. I'm using MM for my 3rd grade daughter and I bought the 1-6 download so I could also use that but it seems like an accelerated program also. 

[MiMi 4under3]

I would do Saxon 5/4 with her. It's a solid program and she's asking for it.  :)

 

ETA: I have no experience with MIF, just Saxon.

[Farrar]

I'm not much of an advocate for Saxon, but it's a solid program and if she's asking to go back to it, let her.

 

However, I'll add a couple of thoughts about how you've been working... I wouldn't spend two hours on math every day no matter what the program, or, at least, I wouldn't spend two hours straight on a single math program. I would cap it at 45 mins to an hour and call it done regardless of whether you "finish" or not. Go by time, not "lesson" and let her progress mostly at her own pace. Also, while MUS didn't turn out to be right for other reasons, I wouldn't overworry about those state required tests. Most states don't require that you get an exceptionally high score. If you know you took a different path, then you know not to take a lower score as a sign that she's not learning. In other words, don't let that get in the way of taking the long view and doing whatever turns out to be right for her in terms of math.

 

And one more thought - if you go back to Saxon and are worried about the lack of conceptual focus or the dull drill focus, you can always supplement with something a little more fun: games like Muggins or Zeus on the Loose (or many others), living math books (there are good lists at livingmath.net), math projects, more interesting word problems books like the Ed Zaccaro books, etc.

[kiana]

If she's begging to go back to Saxon, let her. 2 hours a day on math is too much except for a kid who really likes math and WANTS to do that much a day. 

 

I would consider supplementation as Farrar said but not until she's gotten back into her groove. 

 

ETA: Doing Saxon 5/4 in 4th grade will put her (assuming she completes exactly one grade per year) doing pre-algebra in 7th grade, which is fine. If she struggles with that she can re-do pre-algebra with Algebra 1/2 in 8th grade and still be on track to do algebra in 9th grade, which is fine. 

[Momto4inSoCal]

Ok, I think I will let her go back. The 2 hours a day was partially my fault for pushing her to complete what the teachers manual said she needed to complete but part of it was her going super slow because she didn't like it. Math has always been hard for her so I keep trying to find something that helps it click better. I'm starting to think no matter what math is just not going to be her strong suit. It's hard for her also because her sister in 3rd grade excels at math and is starting to pass her up. 

[Beebug123]

We switched ODD from Saxon to MIF this year. She did 6/5 last year in Saxon and is doing Year 1 in MIF (gr 6). One of the things I picked up in the teacher's guide is that you shouldn't expect to complete an entire lesson section in a day. Some of the sections are quite long and I don't see how you could cover all of the problems, while others are much shorter with less practice problems. This year we have just been working for an hour and then putting it away.

[Momto4inSoCal]

I don't mean a lesson like lesson 1 in the book mon, lesson 2 in the book tues. I was doing the pages the teachers manual had laid out. One day it would be pretest and a page of guided practice, another day more guided practice and some workbook pages. We are on our third week and I think we just started lesson 3. Yesterday in 1 hour she only finished 9 problems. 

[Farrar]

I don't mean a lesson like lesson 1 in the book mon, lesson 2 in the book tues. I was doing the pages the teachers manual had laid out. One day it would be pretest and a page of guided practice, another day more guided practice and some workbook pages. We are on our third week and I think we just started lesson 3. Yesterday in 1 hour she only finished 9 problems. 

 

I see what you're saying, but I still wouldn't let the TM rule me for deciding how much a child needs to do in a day. Sometimes ds gets a concept and we'll skip some problems and move on. Sometimes he's stuck and moving slowly and that's completely okay. I'm not going to punish his struggling to get it by making him work two or three times as long because the struggle is the learning. This is the best benefit of homeschooling - customizing learning to your child's needs. Use the TM, don't let the TM use you, whether you're doing MiF or Saxon or something else.