lamolina Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 My dd is a rising 7th grader. She just completed Saxon Course 1 (I think this is the school version, she would then do Course 2 and then Course 3 and then algebra). I thought Saxon was good for her because she is a weak math student and needs review. But I have noticed that by test time she has all the concepts muddled together and can't separate what to do and when. Not on all topics, but I have expecially noticed it on anything algebraic and often with fractions. I am wondering if maybe there is a better math program out there for her. She attends a hybrid school that uses Saxon, prior to that she used Math Mammoth. Just looking for ideas to consider before we struggle through another year of Saxon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 It sounds like she might be struggling with certain concepts. I'd get someone else to sit down and pick through her math abilities and then take it from there. It is not to her benefit to "struggle" through another year of math if she isn't solid on the foundational concepts. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 How long has she been using Saxon and at what level in MM did she leave off? If her confusion comes from combining a lot of concepts together, review each of those concepts individually as maybe something's not solid. Consider spending some time this summer reviewing fractions, not just the procedures but the concepts, so that she can go back to the concepts when the procedures get muddled in her mind. If you have MM already, consider giving her the end of 5th grade test or some other test to identify where she is getting confused with fractions and then go through the relevant lessons. For example, if she has difficulty remembering why we divide by multiplying by the reciprocal, the question MM asks is how many times does the divisor fit into the dividend. Then I like to remember an easy example like this: dividing by 1/2 is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal 2/1, as that will tell us how many one-halves fit. Or an algebraic example, if there are proportions involving cross-multiplication that are tripping her up, I'd try to get away from that short-cut procedure and go to the idea that we can "get rid" of a denominator by multiplying both sides of the equation by that denominator. Once you have a better idea of what her issues are and what she needs to address them, then it may be easier to decide what program(s!) would work best for her going forward. For example, could it be that she needs a bit more time spent on a new concept than Saxon provides but more review than a mastery program typically provides. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamolina Posted June 9, 2016 Author Share Posted June 9, 2016 (edited) How long has she been using Saxon and at what level in MM did she leave off? If her confusion comes from combining a lot of concepts together, review each of those concepts individually as maybe something's not solid. Consider spending some time this summer reviewing fractions, not just the procedures but the concepts, so that she can go back to the concepts when the procedures get muddled in her mind. If you have MM already, consider giving her the end of 5th grade test or some other test to identify where she is getting confused with fractions and then go through the relevant lessons. For example, if she has difficulty remembering why we divide by multiplying by the reciprocal, the question MM asks is how many times does the divisor fit into the dividend. Then I like to remember an easy example like this: dividing by 1/2 is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal 2/1, as that will tell us how many one-halves fit. Or an algebraic example, if there are proportions involving cross-multiplication that are tripping her up, I'd try to get away from that short-cut procedure and go to the idea that we can "get rid" of a denominator by multiplying both sides of the equation by that denominator. Once you have a better idea of what her issues are and what she needs to address them, then it may be easier to decide what program(s!) would work best for her going forward. For example, could it be that she needs a bit more time spent on a new concept than Saxon provides but more review than a mastery program typically provides. I think this is exactly it! (the last sentence of your post) Which math programs do you recommend for a student like this? She did Math Mammoth 3-4, then Saxon for 2 years. I don't really know how to figure out exactly which topics are causing her problems. With fractions, I do know she can not remember when she can leave the denominator as is and when she needs to make them the same. Edited June 9, 2016 by lamolina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 FWIW, if she is trying to add fractions with different denominators, I'd go back to the start with fraction concept instruction. What to use is another question. I tend to think it's easier to add review to a mastery program than to add concept instruction to a spiral program, but I don't know all the programs out there. I'm not sure there's a perfect one, but there's nothing wrong with putting together the pieces your student needs from multiple sources. Was there a problem with MM 4? Was it that she needs more review or was there something else about it that didn't go well? If the instruction otherwise worked for her, since you have it I'd think about going through the fraction chapters in MM5 and 6 to really nail down those concepts. You could add review from MM reviews or even the chapter reviews from some other program alongside. Maybe a program of random weekly review or short daily review would be an option. If it were just a drill issue, I might consider Key to Fractions, though I'm not keen on the concept instruction in Key-to and with a student experiencing some confusion over procedures, I'd want to focus on concepts that will help her remember the procedures when she forgets them. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamolina Posted June 10, 2016 Author Share Posted June 10, 2016 Thanks! No, we didn't have a problem with MM (that I know of!), we just moved and started in a hybrid program that uses Saxon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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