Unexpected life changes...need math advice asap

[kmom]

My dd is 10 yrs old...fourth grade this year. Without going into any detail this past year has been extremely challenging due to family issues...honestly not sure at this point how things will end up. I am relying on God's strength and guidance otherwise I think I'd really lose it😞

All that said I've been slowly accepting that no matter what happens in my personal life I need to go back to work. We have a university model school here that is pretty standard...use mainly abeka and bob jone for elementary. NOT saying anything wrong with these choices but they will be a distinct change for her on top of attending school for the first time ever. I have applied for a teaching job at the same school (I'm a certified teacher...hoping that helps). Just in case you don't know about these schools elementary age attends Tuesday/Thursday and 6th up attend classes m/w/f...all complete the extra work assigned on their days at home.

My biggest worry is mathðŸ˜. This school uses Abeka and we have been using Singapore standards. Amongst all the stress and chaos in the past year I feel my child that excelled with math is quickly falling behind....the school allows the parents to choose which classes the child takes so I can opt out of their math.

Please give me some thoughts on math...I'm not feeling the love for Singapore like I did as mastery based she is forgetting concepts so I'm really considering what would still introduce the concepts well and provide practice with review. We are STILL slugging through 3b!!

 

 

Here are my thoughts...1. Push forward with Singapore through 5b

2. Move into Saxon with Dive CDs....will have her take placement text. My concern is the amount of copying all the problems on top of the amount of work in other classes. 3. Get Abeka 4 now and start it as soon as we finish 3b...hopefully she will eventually catch up to take the class with her age group...if not we will do math completely on out own.

 

Please give me advice!! I need very clear laid out instructions...math is not my strongest subject so to has to be good or have a CDROM like the Dive CD's.

[PentecostalMom]

Have you considered Teaching Textbooks? It would teach directly to her, taking a load off of you, and you could add something like xtramath.org for facts practice if you think she needs it. Just be certain to use the placement tests to give an accurate placement.

[boscopup]

If she will be using A Beka next year, I'd go ahead and switch her over now. Do they have a placement test? You might find her to be at grade level in A Beka. Singapore has a different scope & sequence.

 

I don't see the point in switching to Saxon or some other program if you're just going to switch again next year.

[lmrich]

If time and schedule is a problem, I would have her use Teaching Textbooks. She will get it done independently. I would supplement with Singapore for word problems and maybe throw in some timed tests just for practice. 

[mumto2]

Imo there are many similarities between Saxon and Abeka math. Saxon has Dive cd's which I have no experience with but otherwise similar format with abeka being more colourful. Both my kids loved Abeka because of the colour and writein books. We also did Singapore math so they are somewhat complementary. I would shift over to Abeka when you finish 3b. The first 50 pages or so will be review so your dd will be able to see how familar concepts look in Abeka compared to Singapore.

[OneStepAtATime]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:

 

So you are saying you don't intend for her to use their math program in ABeka at all?  Just want to clarify.  Have you looked at the Abeka math program?  I don't know anything about it personally but I have a friend that used it for her entire homeschool program and both of her boys got into good colleges and are doing well.

 

If you don't want ABeka, then I agree that Teaching Textbooks (give the placement test) along with some Singapore word problems might be a good option.  If you were going to do this, I would probably start now, at least as a supplement to see if it is a good fit.  TT would grade it all for you.  Just have her do some things on paper in front of you periodically, along with possibly some tests done on paper.  Some kids do great with TT.  It can really turn math woes around.  Others end up passing tests with great scores but not retaining much.  Better to know early on that this program needs some supplementing or is a poor fit than to realize that a few years down the road.  Schedule in some periodic review with you to make certain she is truly learning.

 

Another option might be switching her to CLE (but please give a placement test first - they are free online) since the material is written directly to the student. If she has been struggling to retain concepts with a mastery based program then CLE might turn that around.  DS does CLE along with some Math in Focus material.  CLE is a complete program.  He just likes the color of MiF and the word problems for MiF are better (similar to Singapore).  But he does SOOOO much better using CLE as the spine since it has a lot of review.  Nothing is forgotten.  And it is easy to accelerate the program by skipping some of the review questions for areas he has already mastered.  He usually does two lessons a day, mostly independently.  We just cross out some of the review.  

 

You could just buy a couple of light units to try her out on it and see how she does.  That way the financial investment wouldn't be that big if it doesn't work out.  Get the flashcards, though, if you commit to the program, along with their reference charts.  CLE has a targeted way of working on math facts that is far superior to just standard flash card drill, IMHO.  

 

Whatever you decide, I wish you and your child the very best.   :grouphug:

[OneStepAtATime]

Or have you looked at Khan Academy?  Free and it teaches to the child, tracks their progress, etc.  Check out some of the Khan Academy threads.  Some use it as their spine.

[kmom]

Thank you for the replies. I should have clarified in my original post that yes she will attend the school in the fall but as a parent I have the choice to not place her in their math. Then I could continue math of our choice. During the time the students do math in the class the children that opt out attend a study hall where they can work on whatever material they have brought from home etc...

[almondbutterandjelly]

I sympathize with Singapore.  We reached level 3 and hated it.  Put it aside for a year or so and did other math, then came back to it.  Good for you for slogging through it!

 

I agree with pps.  Take a placement test for Abeka and get her started now.  It's spiral and colorful.  It may very well provide the review she needs.  It's a very solid program, and now that your dd has been through some Singapore, I think she has a good foundation to get started with Abeka.

 

Best of luck!

[wapiti]

My thinking would be to:

 

(1) stay with Singapore (or something Singapore-like, such as MM, which might offer somewhat easier logistics in that it is more open-and-go/less juggling) at home, *or*

 

(2) switch to Abeka now and then continue it at school.  

 

I would not be inclined to switch to something at home that offers the same or less than Abeka would at school. (I don't really know Abeka though I've seen bits, but if it offers the same or more rigor than some program X, it would not make sense to do program X at home.)

[Lori D.]

Agreeing with giving Abeka a test drive this year to see how it fits. It would be an extra help for her if DD clicks with Abeka, as she will have the school's teaching support each week through the class -- teacher presentations, working with the math in class, and ability to ask questions for clarification, in addition to you at home. Elementary grades of math are really quite straight forward, so you won't have any troubles keeping up at home with 4th grade math. ;)

 

That also provides more support for YOU, by removing some of the burden of having to full-on teach all of the math. You are going to be VERY busy next year preparing at home for teaching classes, so handing off a little of the work would really be a help to you, esp. for your first year as you transition into working and teaching.

 

And… you don't have to stick with the Abeka after that first year, if it's not working for you and for DD. She's still quite young, and you have lots of time ahead of you for fine tuning the math. :)

 

A note about Singapore: 3A/B is where the program starts introducing word problems and using the visual "bar method" for solving, which can be really challenging for students who are not quite "there" yet in brain development. In addition to the increase in math thinking and problem-solving, Singapore moves at almost a brisk pace, and because it is mastery-based, students who need more time to absorb the concepts and work with the concepts can quickly start to struggle, not having enough time to master the concept before the program moves on.

 

This was the case for DS#2 here. We were able to use another math as the spine, and then work down a level using Singapore as supplement. Example: using 3A/B as supplement when in 4th grade; 4A/B as supplement in 5th grade. That works well as a review from a very different angle for the student, AND introduces the kinds of word problems that are more closely linked to when the student is ready for that type of problem solving.

 

:grouphug: Hugs and sympathy for the unexpected life changes, and best wishes for the move into the university model school in the fall. That sounds ideal: extra teaching support, and minimal "ripples" added to your schooling. Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

PS

I just did a quick comparison from sample pages of Abeka 3 and Singapore 3A/B. They cover similar topics, so you could get Abeka 3 now and finish out the year with it. Start from the beginning, To start with, just do every 3rd or 4th page until you start hitting topics you want to review and spend more time on. Using Abeka 3 now will get both of you "up to speed" for using Abeka 4 next year. My guess is that your DD is not behind at all -- just starting to get a little lost from the pace/mastery style of Singapore. :) Again, wishing you all the best! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[sbgrace]

I would do a placement test and begin Abeka with her now. You might find that it's a great fit. Hopefully she'll be able to join in at grade level in the fall.

If it fails, consider CLE with Singapore Process Skills and Problem solving word problems books to supplement.

[kmom]

Thank you all for the responses😊. I am going to transition to Abeka as soon as we finish 3b....she definitely needs the repetition at this point. Praying that she will transition well in the fall into this school. It was certainly not in my plans but it really is the best option so I don't have to put her in school full-time at this point.