RightStart Mathematics

[mathmarm]

The search box and I are not on speaking terms as of late, so I apologize for making the 10 billionth inquiry into this topic.

 

Can someone give the rundown of levels A/B/C/D?

I seem to recall reading that level C introduces subtraction, but can't find the post where I read that. I watched the RS YouTube videos a while back and recall still not getting what each level is about.

 

 

Is each letter a semester or a year long? If C is where subtraction is introduced then what is in A and B? If addition is in A and B, then is subtraction in C and D?

 

Is this a mastery type math program? I watched an unboxing and there is A LOT of things in the box (A level I think)and so I'm confused.

 

Does each level cover one operation but with a variety of topics? Like counting through ten with objects, money, time, fractions, and such?

[sunshineslp]

RS A is preschool or kindergarten, it introduces counting, place value, and gets into addition. It also introduces other things such as time, money, calendar... RS B further delves into these topics at a more advanced pace and also begins subtraction but not much. It also introduces multiplication, division, fractions, geometry. I think it's more spiral. It seems to jump around a bit to me. I've done A and B and I'm not doing C, we switch to Singapore or math mammoth. It's a great program and my kids have done well with it. Hope that helps!

 

 

Homeschooling mama of 4... Preschool 3, preschool 4, 1st, and 2nd:)

[Kiara.I]

Each level is a year long.  And each year covers a variety of topics, as well as covering one topic in a variety of ways.  It's not like Math-U-See where each level is ONE topic.  Level C does subtraction.  But it was introduced and the foundation laid in Level B.  RS does a lot of that, introducing a topic as related to another topic, and letting it simmer for a bit, and then expanding on it.  It's not a "spiral program" though, in the sense that's usually meant.

 

Now, I have Level A 1st edition and the others are all 2nd edition, but Level A ought to be pretty similar in what it covers across the editions.

 

Level A:  Number sense.  Evens, odds, counting by 2s, 5s, 10s.  Money: penny, nickel, dime.  Place value to hundreds.  Addition with addends to 10.  Subtraction as missing addends.  Geometry: parallel/perpendicular, continuing patterns.  Time: days, months, time to the hour and half hour.  Measuring with non-standard measures. Fractions: halves, fourths.

 

Level B:  Number recognition to 100, identifying even/odd. Place value to thousands. Addition to 18, adding 2-digit numbers mentally, and 4-digit on paper.  Subtraction as missing addends and partitioning, subtraction facts to 10.  Geometry: symmetry, composing shapes from existing shapes, names of quadrilaterals.  Measurement: centimeters, inches, perimeter. Fractions: unit fractions up to tenths, solving problems with halves and quarters.  Time: tell time to five-minute intervals.  Money: can find value of three coins, know quarter.  Calculator: add and subtract on calculator.  (This is only about 2 lessons total, they don't use the calculator the rest of the time.

 

I'll post now and come back and edit to add C and D.

 

Level C:  Numbers: Numbers to 9999, Roman numerals to 1000.  Practice of addition.  Subtracting 2-digit numbers mentally, 4-digit on paper.  Multiplication as arrays, facts to 5x5.  Time to the minute, find value of five coins, making change. Measuring inches, feet, centimeters and meters.  Perimeter in metric and inches. Reading a ruler to halves. Geometry, basic 2D and 3D shapes, can determine angles, sides and faces in shapes.  Fractions: understand them as a type of division.  Data: gather and make line plots and interpret results.  Calculator: can add, subtract and multiply, solve 2-step problems

 

Level D:  Numbers: rounding, and comparing numbers to the millions. Practice adding, practice subtracting. Multiplication facts to 10x10, associative, commutative, distributive properties.  Multiplies 4-digit by 1-digit.  Division as finding missing factor, knows division facts.  Problem solving with two-step problems involving four operations.  Elapsed time problems, adding/subtracting with dollars and cents.  Measurement of area, measuring in grams, kg and litres. Fractions as a/b, understanding as 1/b x a, understanding mixed fractions, comparing fractions.  Data: gather and interpret with charts and graphs.  Geometry: angles 30, 45, 60, 90, 180, 360.  Partition shapes into fractions, construct triangles and other shapes with drawing tools.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Kiara.I

[Jackie]

To add to the above, I found that RightStart covers one idea/operation thoroughly during each level, introduces the next one, and reviews the prior one. Plus a myriad of other typical elementary topics are thrown in (time, money, measurement, etc). The brief summary of the main topics:

 

A: focus on introduction to numbers, intro to number manipulation

B: focus on addition, review/strengthen place value, introduce subtraction

C: focus on subtraction, review addition, introduce multiplication

D: focus on multiplication, review subtraction, introduce division

 

I assume E will focus on division, review multiplication, and introduce parts of a whole (decimals, fractions, percents)

I assume F will focus on parts of a whole, review division, and maybe introduce variables?

 

Each level is meant to take one year and has about 140 lessons, including reviews and assessments, with each lesson meant to be one day. I will note that there are a lot of review lessons in some levels. Because we rarely needed the review, and also combined some lessons, no level (A-C) took us nearly 140 school days.

 

The unboxing for the first level you buy is impressive. RightStart now sells all of the manipulatives for all of the levels in one big box. What you were seeing was six years worth of manipulatives. I really, really wish they didn't do it this way. We jumped ship after level C, which means we have several completely untouched manipulatives. I preferred their old system of having a starter kit and then add-on kits for each year.

[krsmom]

Each level is a year long.  And each year covers a variety of topics, as well as covering one topic in a variety of ways.  It's not like Math-U-See where each level is ONE topic.  Level C does subtraction.  But it was introduced and the foundation laid in Level B.  RS does a lot of that, introducing a topic as related to another topic, and letting it simmer for a bit, and then expanding on it.  It's not a "spiral program" though, in the sense that's usually meant.

 

 

Edited to include my response :)

 

Actually, most find that level C takes closer to a year and a half when using the 1st edition.

Edited February 9, 2016 by krsmom

[Jackie]

Edited to include my response :)

 

Actually, most find that level C takes closer to a year and a half when using the 1st edition.

Reminding me to point out that there are enough differences between levels that you really have to specify when seeking answers regarding this curriculum. Second edition Level C took us 3-4 months.

[Cake and Pi]

Yes, there're some pretty significant differences between the 1st  and 2nd editions.  

 

I've used 1st edition A-E and 2nd edition A-C.  1st edition A and 2nd edition A are very different.  B is pretty similar between the editions.  Level C is very very different from 1st to 2nd edition and really where the two tracks split.  Kiara and Jackie really did a good job summarizing 2nd edition, so here's my super brief synopsis of the other:

 

2nd ed. A is like a short course in 2nd ed. B.  IMO, if a child is ready for 2nd ed. A, they could really just be in B.  1st ed. A is much more gentle, much less academic.

 

1st ed. B is similar to 2nd ed. B, except that there's a lot less subtraction (and it's all in the last few lessons) and it doesn't touch on multiplication or division at all.

 

1st ed. C focuses on both subtraction (single through 4-digit) AND multiplication (expecting mastery through 10x10), reviews addition, introduces fractions, and also spends quite a bit of time on area and perimeter (mostly area, to go along with multiplication)

 

1st ed. D focuses on multiplication (up to 3-digit by 2-digit), reviews single-digit multiplication (esp. as repeated addition) and fractions, and introduces division

 

1st ed. E squished a lot into one level.  Focus on division (the facts and also short division and long division), not much review, and extensively introduces percents, decimals, rounding, areas of triangles and shapes that can be made with triangles, probability, graphing, orthographic views, begins variables, and multiplying fractions.  Okay on simplifying fractions, but weak on comparing fractions and adding fractions of different denominators.

 

There is no 1st ed. F.  After E you move to G.

 

Other differences between the editions are that 1st edition spends much longer working with the child in the "math" number naming convention (e.g. 1-ten one vs eleven for 11) and that 1st edition has MANY fewer days devoted to assessments and pre-assessment review.  Each lesson in 2nd ed is supposed to take one day and each level has the same (ish?) number of lessons, whereas there are many lessons in 1st edition that are meant to take 2-3 days (and every lesson in 1st ed. A is supposed to be worked on over two or more days) and the number in each level varies.  Also the formatting is different, with 2nd edition being much nicer to look at and easier to follow.  Another notable difference is that you have to buy all the manipulatives up front with 2nd edition, but in 1st edition you buy only the manipulatives you need for each level.