Hand holding math?

[fshinkevich]

Hello,

 

 I am currently using (or plan to) Saxon K-3 with my younger kids.  I know some people are irritated by the heavy scripting/drill, but that is exactly why I love it. I am terrible at math, and feel much better having everything very clearly spelled out for me, and the repetition is helpful as well . I also find time to mix in fun things like Miquon workbooks, board/card games, computer games, etc. which is more in tune with my homeschooling methods for other subjects, but I feel more confident having the math scripted.

 

My daughter will be finishing up Saxon 3 this year, and I need to choose a curriculum for 4th grade. I am currently trying to decide between moving on with Saxon 5/4 and getting the Saxon Teacher discs vs. Teaching Textbooks 4, but I was wondering if there were any other curriculum's out there for the upper grades that are similar to Saxon K-3 in the way they "hold the hand" of the teacher? Or, if you have an opinion on the Saxon 5/4 vs. TT4, I'll take that too  :D

 

Thanks for the help!

[OneStepAtATime]

CLE is very independent and I love this system but I would give your student the placement test.  Go back a few levels and work forward to make sure there are no gaps since it has a bit different scope and sequence.  Easy to implement, though, especially if the child is neurotypical.  

 

But very different from Saxon.  If Saxon is working for your student and for you, you might want to stick with that instead of hopping.  

 

I would recommend if you switch to TT that you give an independent assessment periodically to make sure your child is retaining the information.  Also, make sure they can do the work on paper, not just on the computer.  And keep a weather eye.  It isn't that hard to "cheat" the system which makes the grades less reliable.  Not that your child would deliberately cheat but they may be able to get answers without truly understanding what they are doing.  Still, it is a program that really is a great fit for many kids.

[Meadowlark]

How about BJU? It is also very scripted. See samples online.

[Ellie]

Math 54 and up doesn't need hand-holding. The textbooks are *very* different from the primary levels. My advice would be to continue with 54, and not even worry about the DVDs.

[kiwik]

Or Math Mammoth which is written to the student anyway.

[boscopup]

Whatever you choose, make sure you give a placement test before switching math programs (unless you stay with Saxon... you'd go straight to 5/4 after 3). Different curricula have different scope and sequence. You could end up placing in TT 5, Saxon 5/4, and CLE 3. I'm not saying that that's necessarily the case, but that it's possible, so use the placement tests. :)

 

All 3 of the above choices should be fine for a non-mathy mom. Saxon doesn't require a DVD, as the teaching is in the student text. CLE also has the teaching in the student text. I have no experience whatsoever with TT, so won't comment on that beyond the recommendation to use the placement test. ;)

[fshinkevich]

Thank you, everyone! Once I settle on a math program I have next school year all planned. Woohoo! :)

[OneStepAtATime]

:hurray: