Help me to supplement MUS

[EngOZ]

Over the years we've tried many different maths program, the ones I like and works well for us is Miquon Math, Singapore and quite recently, MUS. I plan on using MUS as our main program for this year, and Miquon and Singapore as our supplementary material. 

 

Questions:

My dd finds the problems quite easy in MUS (currently on Delta), and she can master the lessons after the first lesson, so I wanted to challenge her - particularly with word problems.

 

1. My question is, how can I use other math programs to supplement with MUS?

All of the other math programs are written with different topics and they don't work on a linear scale like MUS which focuses on learning division facts only?

 

2. I feel that 9dd would be better off focusing on word problems, as she easily gets bored of formulas once she masters them. Should I just supplement with word problems or both word & formulas from Singapore and Miquon? 

 

3. I'm not sure how to pull all the supplementary material together, and how often you should do it. i.e.every other day?

 

 

Note I afterschool so I don't get the luxury of time like homeschoolers. The most i can make do each day is 30 min for maths.

Edited April 5, 2016 by EngOZ

[HomeAgain]

Have you thought abut something like Sideways Math, Anno's Math Games II, or I Hate Mathematics?  Anno is out of print, but the other two are nothing but word problems. 

We used to make one day a week 'fun math'.  Games, extra books, etc. would be pulled out and the regular math put away.

[RKWAcademy]

One of mine, does better with MUS, also.  I first tried her on Singapore which didn't fit her at all.  Now, we're doing Math Mammoth.  It works for her now (although I tried it before MUS and she hated it.  Again, MUS is the only thing she didn't whine and complain about).  So I had her complete the entire level of MUS first.  Then, I came back with that same level of MM and cherry-picked what I had her do, so not all of the pages.  If she demonstrated she was comfortable with an area already, I just skipped that whole chapter (or had her do only the chapter test).  It's working right now, although she is being challenged a bit by MM because MUS just isn't as strong a program or perhaps because its scope and sequence is different.  Mine is younger, so she's only completed Alpha and MM1A/B.  She's about to start MUS Beta.  Then, she'll do MM 2A/B.

 

Neither program takes very long. 

[sweetpea3829]

If you're going to use MUS as an introductory...you might consider working through the entire MUS text and then looping back and following up with the more in-depth programs such as Singapore/MM/etc.  

 

If you simply want to supplement MUS, you could use Singapore's CWP books combined with their Process Skills in Problem Solving book.  Go through the workbooks and choose the topics you've already covered.  

 

Also...MM does have the topical workbooks, which you could use to follow up the topical style of MUS.  

 

 

 

Personally, MUS is not my favorite choice for main curriculum, unless there are learning issues.  But it does make a good introduction.  

[MyLittleBears]

Singapore Math has a Challenging word problems book that can be used to supplement any program. We use it one grade level below and do about one to two pages a day. There are usually no more than 2 or 3 problems per page and they increase in difficulty as you go along.