mskelly Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 My DS is in 5th grade. We are using book 4D right now and he could really use some extra practice with the probability section. Where can I find extra practice that is similar to the problems in the book. The worksheets I find online are so much easier than the Beast problems. Quote
Porridge Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 There are no extra practice problems available through Beast. You might need to look in another program, such as Singapore Intensive Practice (you would have to figure out which level to buy) or a probability unit from Math Mammoth. The questions won't be the same style, but if it's the basic concept that needs practice, you should be able to find practice through Singapore or MM. Quote
sweetpea3829 Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 My DS is in 5th grade. We are using book 4D right now and he could really use some extra practice with the probability section. Where can I find extra practice that is similar to the problems in the book. The worksheets I find online are so much easier than the Beast problems. This, imo, is one of Beast's biggest "weaknesses". The style of math they teach, while great at expanding a student's knowledge and forcing them to think outside the box, is very difficult to review and practice after the fact. I never was able to find good practice problems to review the perfect squares chapter in Grade 3, and as a result, DS has completely forgotten that method. So as for finding Beast-specific practice, I can't help with that. But...you can find ways of practicing the actual concepts in plenty of places. Our current favorite is through Prodigy Math (linked in my Siggie). Because you can set assignments from a huge list of math concepts, you can often find something similar enough to what they are learning in Beast. The best part of Prodigy, though, is that it is an engaging, interactive role-playing game that hooks kids to the point where, they don't even care that they are required to answer math questions in order to play. My kids are as hooked on Prodigy, as they have been with Minecraft and that's really saying something. And...it is free! There IS a paid membership, but it's not necessary (though your kids will bug you for it...my advice is to play the free version while you wait for a group buy and buy a year's membership for $12...it's worth it). Prodigy offers math concepts from a few different math "curricula" including CC, Ontario, TEKS, and MAFS. I think I would fall over in happiness if they linked up with Beast Academy and offered a curricula option that included some of their work. 1 Quote
Targhee Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 My DS is in 5th grade. We are using book 4D right now and he could really use some extra practice with the probability section. Where can I find extra practice that is similar to the problems in the book. The worksheets I find online are so much easier than the Beast problems. I agree that there really isn't another bank of problems set up quite the same way. But I think that's part of the idea of BA - for those who think mathematically and need a deeper exploration without the repetition of other programs. I do have DreamBox subscriptions for my kids, and they use that for general practice an application, but it isn't targeted to parallel what they're doing in BA. If the lack of repetition is hurting the learning, what about covering the material in a different program (Singapore?) and then coming to BA for enrichment? Or if the learning is OK and they just need more skills practice then add something to BA - DreamBox, Singapore IP or CWP, a MM topic book, etc. Quote
mskelly Posted March 22, 2016 Author Posted March 22, 2016 Thank you. He generally does fine with the problems, it was just that one section that was giving him a little trouble. He got all of the problems correct today though so maybe it was just a bad day yesterday. Quote
Dmmetler Posted March 22, 2016 Posted March 22, 2016 MOEMS or Continental Math League or Math Kangaroo practice at a similar grade level will have some of the same feel, but not necessarily be easy to align. Quote
greyseal Posted March 23, 2016 Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) I have my daughter doing review with Math Mammoth, and she uses Prodigy Math and Dreambox. The MM review is indeed easier than what she's encountered in BA. For example, she's reviewing area problems in MM, after finishing area problems in Beast a month or two ago. The area problems in MM are quite a bit easier than she had in BA, but the concepts (A = l x w, P=sum of side lengths) themselves aren't really different. I don't know that I need the reviews to be as hard as they could be with Beast; if she's coming away with the concept intact (she demonstrates she can find area and perimeter, in this case), I am OK. Alternately, you can just pull your own review problems from completed chapters, as I've done for some BA topics (I'm looking at you, perfect squares chapter). My 8yo isn't blessed with a photographic memory, so I can throw a problem she solved 2 months ago at her and it will seem fresh challenge to her, even if it's vaguely familiar. Edited March 23, 2016 by greyseal Quote
FairProspects Posted March 23, 2016 Posted March 23, 2016 I'm another one who wishes there were additional books or practice problems for BA. In reality what ends up happening is that we jump between BA, Singapore, Prodigy, and Keys to books to cover areas that need more practice. It would be so much simpler if there was additional practice provided by AoPS, but there is not. I learned with the first kid that I definitely need to supplement BA in procedural areas so it is what it is. Quote
deerforest Posted March 23, 2016 Posted March 23, 2016 DD liked the probability section so I recently bought this book from Prufrock for extra practice, but I haven't done anything with it yet. So, I can't really yet make a clear recommendation for this yet or not. http://www.prufrock.com/Chances-Are-Making-Probability-and-Statistics-Fun-to-Learn-and-Easy-to-Teach-P86.aspx Quote
mskelly Posted April 7, 2016 Author Posted April 7, 2016 Thank you for the Prodigy suggestion! My kids are loving this!!! 1 Quote
sweetpea3829 Posted April 14, 2016 Posted April 14, 2016 We've been on vacation and haven't played all week, but mine are rearing to get back into it, lol. Quote
Porridge Posted April 14, 2016 Posted April 14, 2016 Singapore Challenging Word Problems at the same level would be worth a look. The style of question will be different from Beast, but it provides practice that is more challenging than your standard drill / curriculum. Quote
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