If you've used Miquon with your 5,6, or 7 year old...

[jkl]

Could you please share exactly how you began implementing it.  Did you use the First Grade Diary as lesson plans?  Did you read through the Diary and the Annotations and then just let your child loose with the rods and worksheets?  I tried using this with ds when he was this age, and it felt so scattered and he ended up disliking it.  I think it would be perfect for my 6 year old dd and my advanced almost-4 year old.  I'd love some guidance!  

[Rosie_0801]

I read the diary, then used the sheets, working (where needed) from the Lab Annotations book. If dd understood the sheet, there was no need to repeat it. If she didn't, I sometimes repeat the following day, and will usually put it away to use again later. I use bits and pieces of other curriculums too. It didn't feel scattered, because maths is maths, no matter which book I'm working from or if I'm working from no book at all. The Mastery approach doesn't work with mine. Maybe someone who prefers Mastery would find Miquon scattered though. We spiral. We'll dwell on something if we're getting somewhere, if we're not, we'll spiral away to something else for a while.

 

My friend after schools with Miquon. She teaches a page using the Lab Annotations, then puts it in a box for her dd to re-use at will, finally putting them away when her dd has done them to death and asks for new ones.

[Miss Tick]

I don't have the diary. I use the Annotations for ideas about introducing sections or particular pages. We have some mathy games we intersperse, also. We also have MM and she does bits and pieces from those, but they more rote by comparison and not as popular.

[BooksandBoys]

I purchased the First Grade Diary and read it for my own edification, but I did not use it formally. I did use a huge set of wooden rods and the Annotations so that I would understand all of the pages.

 

At age 5, we used Orange and Red, mostly in the order printed, with me working side by side with him. At 6, we took a break to do Singapore 2A. When he was ready for Singapore 2B, I pulled out Miquon Blue as well. He does 1-2 pages of Blue daily, but now he chooses the pages, doing them in no particular order. I make sure he knows how to complete his chosen lab sheets and usually turn him loose to work independently. I plan to continue this pairing of Singapore and Miquon until he completes Miquon.

 

Disclaimer: my son is not yet 7, so you will likely find better advice from someone with older children. :-)

[73349]

I skimmed the diary and lab sheet annotations when I bought them.

 

Then I gave him one page and sat with him to help him figure out what he was being asked to do. We talked about everything. If there was any writing, he usually had me do that. I gave him the front and back of one page each day, however long or short that was.

 

We alternate between Singapore and Miquon. He likes both.

[TKDmom]

I opened to page one of the first workbook, opened the lab sheet annotations, read the directions and told DS what to do. The first few pages were baffling without the intructions. After that we just went through in order, with me giving instruction on what to do anytime ds didn't know what to do. He adored worksheets, so I'd just let him do as many pages in a sitting as he wanted. Some days that was 5 pages, some days just 1. When he hit a wall (multiplication) I skipped that section to come back to later.

 

I have the first grade diary and notes to teachers, but the ideas in there seemed too teacher-intensive, and I promptly forgot whatever they contained.

[CardinalAlt]

I read the annotations as needed, sometimes you can get it just by looking at it... and sometimes I think that, and regret it later :). I also found watching related Education Unboxed videos helpful in learning how to talk math better! Depending on your child's math understanding coming in, you might need or be tempted to skip a little, but that takes careful looking at the pages - lots of interesting things are snuck in early on, that you build later! We did a little skipping, more of me scribing, and also would work in several places in the book at once to keep it interesting and fun until we got past the review point...

[Farrar]

Ds used Miquon all the way through, starting mostly at age 6 and finishing at age 8.

 

I read through much of the FGD, but did not implement it like lesson plans. It was more useful for seeing one picture of Miquon at work. Though I have to admit... I had had some training in the rods already and it wasn't an a-ha moment for me. It was just okay.

 

At first I didn't use the Annotations much. It wasn't until we got into the last half of the program that I found them useful. If I was to go back in time I would have used them more from the get go. I feel like it wasn't until Blue or so that I really understood fully Miquon's structure. Education Unboxed wasn't around until we were nearly done with Miquon so I didn't get to make use of it much. I think if I was starting now, I'd use it a lot.

 

At our best, our method was to use the tips in the Annotations to introduce a topic. And then to use some lab pages to solidify it a little. And to do that maybe once or twice a week. The other days, I would ask ds to do a page I picked and pick a page himself. The pages he picked couldn't be on a thread we hadn't yet started in that book. We jumped around a huge amount. Also, I made lab pages for him as needed, but I wish I had done that more. It's really part of Miquon to do that.

 

It *is* all over the place. But it's also incredibly organized. You have to trust as you're jumping all around that it's okay. For ds, it was incredibly useful because he could leave a topic that was frustrating at any time and pick up a different one. 

[dsbrack]

I read through the FGD as well but really only use the Annotations in my lessons.  If my son gets stuck on something, I might go back to the FGD to see if she included any games or board work we could use to help with the concept.  I rarely let me son loose with the rods on something we haven't covered yet.  I spend a day or two working with the rods on a new concept and then we attack the worksheets.  He can usually complete them on his own after that  but the rods are always out and I'm always available if he gets stuck.

[Rosie_0801]

I'll often repeat lessons using an abacus instead of rods too, so I can tell if dd is memorising the formula of the rods without understanding anything else. Since she has dyscalculia, this is very likely!

[El...]

We love Miquon; Dd calls it "the fun math".  I taught her numerals before we started using 3x5 cards with dots on them and M&Ms.  That really caught her attention.  :laugh: Then we played a few cuisinaire rod games, but not as many as I thought we might have to; she caught on quickly. 

 

We did a page or two a day, and the hardest thing for me has been to hand her the page and then NOT explain it to her.  It seems to be the key.

 

There was a point in the third workbook when she hit a wall.  At that point we added Singapore Standards.  When she got out of her depth in one, we'd switch for a few weeks to the other.  Switching was usually a step backward in content, which helped her become confident again.

 

At this point she does two worksheets of Miquon a day, then some of Singapore.  She calls it "interesting", and still likes it.  She works hard.  We are working through the pages in order. 

 

I own and have read the First Grade Diary; I did not use it to plan lessons.  I use the Annotations when a page is not intuitive, and to make sure we're using the right terminology.  I read ahead I the Annotations regularly. 

 

All that said, Ds will start his "learning time" soon, so we'll see how this goes for kid #2! 

 

 

[chiguirre]

We alternated with Singapore Math, so I didn't do much demonstration. apart from the red book, almost all of the sheets were self-explanatory. I let T pick the worksheet she wanted to do (I think she often picked by the print color) and she did it. I let her color in the blocks on the grid of topics as she finished them. That was very motivating for her.

[Ellie]

Could you please share exactly how you began implementing it.  Did you use the First Grade Diary as lesson plans?  Did you read through the Diary and the Annotations and then just let your child loose with the rods and worksheets?  I tried using this with ds when he was this age, and it felt so scattered and he ended up disliking it.  I think it would be perfect for my 6 year old dd and my advanced almost-4 year old.  I'd love some guidance!  

 

I skimmed through the Diary. I read through the Lab Annotations. Per the Annotations, I sat with the dc and helped them discover...whatever it was they were supposed to discover. I did not let the dc loose. :-)

 

Before using the Lab Notations, I took it to Kinko's and had the spine cut off, then drilled with three holes so it would fit in a three-ring notebook. I put tabs on all the sections so that it would be easy to turn to the section we were working on in the student books.

 

But before I did Miquon, I went through Mathematics Made Meaningful. Miquon assumes the children are already familiar with the rods, and that's what MMM did.

[Grover]

DS worked all the way through, and DD is in Blue.  I have the FGD but only skimmed it - it wasn't useful to me as I already had some training and extensive reading in similar methodologies.  I just give them the book and they work through in order, as much or as little as they need to each day.  If they need help I guide the through and then have them try alone, and I refer to the labsheet annotations if I need clarification on what's expected.  Once they finish Orange they get to start Life of Fred alongside it, and sometime about then they also get a one year subscription to dreambox math.  DD is just coming to the end of dreambox and has completed through to mid grade 3, DS completed all available content in the same time span (to the end of grade 4 at that point).  DS flew through the series in a little more than two years, DD is looking like taking more like three. 

[FO4UR]

I let ds play with the rods while I studied the teacher's books.

 

I began lessons very slowly, very gradually.  One day I took 5min to lead some rod play...and it went from there.  Keeping the discovery aspect is key to both the child's enjoyment and learning through Miquon.

[blondeviolin]

We start it in K. My oldest worked through the first four books. My Kathy kid hated using manipulatives and was chomping at the bit to do Singapore. My current 5yo picks a page or two three times a week as an introduction to math ideas. But I'm a bit more relaxed with her because she is not ready for more math instruction at this point.

[jkl]

Thanks so much everyone!

[MotherOfBoys]

Thanks for starting this thread. I bought miquon a few months ago but it isn't taking off like I'd hoped it would. Mainly because it's so different then what my oldest used. I read the annotations. I'm just afraid I'm using it wrong.

[Farrar]

Thanks for starting this thread. I bought miquon a few months ago but it isn't taking off like I'd hoped it would. Mainly because it's so different then what my oldest used. I read the annotations. I'm just afraid I'm using it wrong.

You can't use it wrong! It is so flexible and part of the philosophy is discovery based so discovering your own path through those threads is a totally great way to use it. Which is not to say it's right for every kid and teacher, but don't let the unusual organization and sequence scare you off. Definitely try playing around with it in new ways.

[Peregrine]

My 7 yo is in 1st grade and just started Blue book. We look over the lab pages together and he asks any questions, then I let him loose. I read the annotations beforehand and make sure I understand the "point" of each set of pages. I never bought the 1st grade diary. He is a bit of a natural mathematical thinker though, and I often have to require him to use the rods if I think it is important to the understanding of a page. 

 

My 4yo is much more tactile (at least for the moment) and when we start Miquon (in the fall, when he is 5 and in K) I think he will use the rods more.

[mamamindy]

Ds used Miquon all the way through, starting mostly at age 6 and finishing at age 8.

 

I read through much of the FGD, but did not implement it like lesson plans. It was more useful for seeing one picture of Miquon at work. Though I have to admit... I had had some training in the rods already and it wasn't an a-ha moment for me. It was just okay.

 

At first I didn't use the Annotations much. It wasn't until we got into the last half of the program that I found them useful. If I was to go back in time I would have used them more from the get go. I feel like it wasn't until Blue or so that I really understood fully Miquon's structure. Education Unboxed wasn't around until we were nearly done with Miquon so I didn't get to make use of it much. I think if I was starting now, I'd use it a lot.

 

At our best, our method was to use the tips in the Annotations to introduce a topic. And then to use some lab pages to solidify it a little. And to do that maybe once or twice a week. The other days, I would ask ds to do a page I picked and pick a page himself. The pages he picked couldn't be on a thread we hadn't yet started in that book. We jumped around a huge amount. Also, I made lab pages for him as needed, but I wish I had done that more. It's really part of Miquon to do that.

 

It *is* all over the place. But it's also incredibly organized. You have to trust as you're jumping all around that it's okay. For ds, it was incredibly useful because he could leave a topic that was frustrating at any time and pick up a different one. 

Hoping it's okay for me jump in here.  I'm going to start Miquon with my DS also.

 

Farrar, what do you mean by the bolded?  Did you have a folder of random pages you'd pulled out of the WB?  I'm trying to decided how to best organize *myself* but stay flexible at the same ykwim?  I have to be prepared, or I'm likely to drop it when it gets harried here.

 

Thank you for sharing how you use this program!

[AimeeM]

I had a love-hate with Miquon for what seems like ages. It FINALLY clicked for me about a month ago - after watching a couple of the Education Unboxed videos, lol. Once I understood the rods, Miquon immediately made much more sense.

It is our primary math. Actually, it's our only math now. I have CLE 1 on hand as well, but this kiddo doesn't need such a tight spiral and the review in CLE bores him and makes him pretty resistant to math in general. Miquon, however, is fun.

 

I have the Annotations and I have the Diary. I read through the diary here and there, but do not use it as a lesson manual - yet; I may need to later, I'm not sure. I do grab the Annotations occasionally, if it isn't clear what the sheet wants from us.

 

DS5 does two sheets a day, usually - sometimes more, sometimes less. The only supplementing I do right now is that I do use CLE's flash cards for memorization.

[Farrar]

Hoping it's okay for me jump in here.  I'm going to start Miquon with my DS also.

 

Farrar, what do you mean by the bolded?  Did you have a folder of random pages you'd pulled out of the WB?  I'm trying to decided how to best organize *myself* but stay flexible at the same ykwim?  I have to be prepared, or I'm likely to drop it when it gets harried here.

 

Thank you for sharing how you use this program!

 

No, I mean, I made my own lab sheets ("lab sheet" being Miquon speak for worksheet) for topics that he needed more practice with or which needed more of a structured introduction after an initial more playing around one with the rods didn't quite do it. For example, I remember making a lot more fractions of a group pages where I doodled little snowmen and trees and faces and so forth. Both the Annotations and the FGD encourage this sort of thing, but I think it's a left out piece for a lot of people.

 

I had the physical lab books and just let him work through them willy nilly, skipping around, as I said in my post. I generally didn't pull the pages out.

[mamamindy]

No, I mean, I made my own lab sheets ("lab sheet" being Miquon speak for worksheet) for topics that he needed more practice with or which needed more of a structured introduction after an initial more playing around one with the rods didn't quite do it. For example, I remember making a lot more fractions of a group pages where I doodled little snowmen and trees and faces and so forth. Both the Annotations and the FGD encourage this sort of thing, but I think it's a left out piece for a lot of people.

 

I had the physical lab books and just let him work through them willy nilly, skipping around, as I said in my post. I generally didn't pull the pages out.

Ahh, that's right.  I remember that being suggested.  It's been a while since I'd used any Miquon with my olders.

 

I only have one physical book, the rest are pdf.  I thought that would be most economical with multiple children.  Maybe I should have a WB bound for DS.  I had previously just printed out (1-3 sheets) of what I wanted my girls to do...but quickly realized that if it's not already done for us, I'll grab something that is. ;)

[mamamindy]

I skimmed through the Diary. I read through the Lab Annotations. Per the Annotations, I sat with the dc and helped them discover...whatever it was they were supposed to discover. I did not let the dc loose. :-)

 

Before using the Lab Notations, I took it to Kinko's and had the spine cut off, then drilled with three holes so it would fit in a three-ring notebook. I put tabs on all the sections so that it would be easy to turn to the section we were working on in the student books.

 

But before I did Miquon, I went through Mathematics Made Meaningful. Miquon assumes the children are already familiar with the rods, and that's what MMM did.

Brilliant.  Thanks, Ellie.

[Coco_Clark]

This thread is inspiring me to let my 5 yo jump around a bit more in Miquon. He has a really unbalanced understanding of math. As in, he will struggle and struggle with something simple like subtraction in numbers under 10, but then pick up on something more advanced like fractions immediately. I'm not sure if its the way his brain just works, or maybe it's related to how much he was eavesdropping on his brothers math when we covered those things or....? Anyways, we've marched through orange in order and maybe I'll just hand him red and let him go at it (introducing new sections as he chooses them). He would LOVE that.

 

I also need to start implementing education unboxed more. I've seen it. I've used it when we've hit road blocks. But I don't have a great way of regularly including it. Maybe I need to stick sticky notes in the annotations book whenever there's a related EU video or something.

[Kathy in Richmond]

I love, love, love Miquon!! Both my son who was in public school for the elementary years and my homeschooled daughter did all of the Miquon books during their first few years of schooling. I bought and read the First Grade Diary for my own benefit, in order to gain insight into Lori Rasmussen's classroom methods with her students. I don't think it's meant to be copied or used as a syllabus in any way. She shows how she adapted the curriculum to her students' needs, making it flexible.

 

The strength of Miquon IMHO is that you can creatively take the worksheets and go in many different directions with them. The Lab Annotations book is wonderful and gives many helpful ideas if you get stuck. Let your kids improvise and play with the sheets, approaching math as a fun exercise and exploration.

 

As for the rods, I demonstrated their use in the beginning, but never required them. Sometimes the kids preferred to do the work in their heads. That's OK in my book.

 

We used one Miquon book at a time, but within that book, I let the kids pick the sheets that they wanted to work on. As others have already said, they can then move from a topic they're tired of/stuck on/ bored with...on to a new & refreshing topic.

[kirstenhill]

I am using Miquon with my K'er who turns six in a few weeks.  We started in late November.  I bought the 1st grade diary and the "notes to teachers" with high hopes of reading them, but haven't done it yet (whoops!).  I pull out the annotations occasionally, but so far haven't needed them a lot.  I feel like I kind of "get" what Miquon is getting at with a lot of the basic stuff in the Orange book due to having watched a lot of Education Unboxed videos. 

 

I too decided to let DS skip around.  He got bored of page after page of addition/subtraction practice.  He doesn't have his facts memorized much at all and still needs the rods for most single digit adding problems (so all those pages are good practice), but conceptually he is curious about adding multi-digit numbers and doing multiplication and measuring...so I have him do a "warm up" in the adding or subtracting sections, and then we work on something else that he finds more "interesting".   :-)

[Btervet]

We just finished up Miquon Orange, and are moving in Red. For a good year before we ever started, he just played with the rods. Mostly made spaceships and jedi battles, but it was amazing for familiarizing him with the sizes. When we started, I just gave DS a worksheet a day, just one side most days, sometimes both sides if he was having fun. We go in order of the book, because it is easy to do so.  I don't have the FGD, but do have the Annotations. I use the annotations when a page baffles me, which happens occasionally. Otherwise, I might skim it everyone couple of weeks to see if there is some interesting idea that wasn't obvious from the worksheet. I do not use it on a daily basis. 

 

I find that while the rods are great for some concepts, they are not the best manipulative for others. We use the abacus a lot instead of the rods if it's what DS prefers or I feel it demonstrates the concepts better. I like to mix manipulatives so that he understands that the things we are learning are true principles, no matter the material. It's not just that the purple 4 and green 6 make and orange 10, but that 4 and 6 make 10. I feel letting him use various manipulatives to see this is very helpful.

[CardinalAlt]

The freedom to skip around and to play with concepts before things are memorized are some of the best things we've picked up about learning math from Miquon! Learning multiplication facts seems much easier, much more motivating, for a kid who already knows how useful they can be for solving complicated, interesting problems...

[jkl]

This thread is inspiring me to let my 5 yo jump around a bit more in Miquon. He has a really unbalanced understanding of math. As in, he will struggle and struggle with something simple like subtraction in numbers under 10, but then pick up on something more advanced like fractions immediately. I'm not sure if its the way his brain just works, or maybe it's related to how much he was eavesdropping on his brothers math when we covered those things or....? Anyways, we've marched through orange in order and maybe I'll just hand him red and let him go at it (introducing new sections as he chooses them). He would LOVE that.

 

I also need to start implementing education unboxed more. I've seen it. I've used it when we've hit road blocks. But I don't have a great way of regularly including it. Maybe I need to stick sticky notes in the annotations book whenever there's a related EU video or something.

     This is a fantastic idea!