2ndGenHomeschooler Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 I thought I had posted about this before but I can't find it so I'll just ask again... I have been using SM with my DC and really like it. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be the best fit for my 5th grade DD. She finished 4A but the information didn't stick so we're reviewing with the EP book. When we initially cover a new topic it takes a while for her to understand it but eventually it clicks. I think she might need something more incremental. Our second problem is that she forgets new stuff pretty quickly when we move on to a new topic. It takes a few rounds of review before she can remember it long term. We need something with more review. The other thing I've noticed is that the bigger reviews that cover many topics really confuse her. She gets stuck on even the things she had been solid on. So, I'm looking for a math program that is more incremental than SM and with more review but not reviewing too many topics at once. Does such a thing exist? I've looked at Saxon but I think the lessons would be too long and jump between too many topics each day. (Plus she found the size of the book to be extremely overwhelming - I did too if I'm honest) I've considered just staying with SM and building in the review myself but my 4th grader is less than 2 weeks from finishing 4A and I think it'd be better for morale to not have them in the same program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birchbark Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 Strayer-Upton, second book (brown one). The first half of the book is 5th grade, second half is 6th grade. These books are old reprints so some of the examples are quaint, but the math is solid and presented very clearly and incrementally. There are lots of story problems. When we get to a large practice bank, we do just one row unless more practice is needed. They are cheap and non-consumable, and have the answers in the back. If you need to, you can back up to the first book (3rd/4th grade level) without too much demoralizing because there are no grade levels marked in the books. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chellesnead Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 I moved my 4th grade daughter from BJU math to CLE math this year. It has been a game changer for her! The new topics are taught in very small chunks that are easy for her to grasp, and the old topics get lots of review. There's also speed drills and flash card review every day. When she'd get to cumulative reviews last year in BJU math, she struggled. When an old topic came back around 4 units later, she had forgotten everything from 4 units before. But now, she is remember and understanding so much better. It has been perfect for my non-mathy daughter! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FawnsFunnyFarm Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 My DD who was a math struggler/hater became a math doer/lover when we finally went to Teaching Textbooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 We also switched to CLE for my struggling learner. The built in math drill, frequent review, and slow introduction of topics has been a wonderfully HUGE change for my child. We skip forward through sections occasionally, but usually the amount of review is just right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emba Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 My DD has done well with Rod and Staff math. It is very incremental, with lots of practice and lots of review. I usually don't assign all the problems. It's mastery based, so she gets a real handle on things before going to completely new topics, but the review ( both in daily oral review sessions, and in the written assignments) also means she doesn't forget what she's done before. I know some people use it as a self-teaching curriculum, but I think its better to follow the teachers manual and use those daily reviews and speed drills. It also has the advantage of not being terribly expensive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountains27 Posted March 22, 2017 Share Posted March 22, 2017 The only math we have ever used is Math Mammoth and Beast Academy together and apart. Now both kids use it together and it's been great. My daughter who is doing MM5 and BA4 is mathy-ish but doesn't always love math...loves BA. she has used it since 2nd grade and it is by far her favorite thing about homeschooling. My son struggles with math but these 2 programs together seem to work for him, we take it slow and go at his pace. He too loves BA and can't wait to read the chapters when it is time! I think MM has lots of review in it and makes sure kids are caught up before moving on, that's why I like it. But you can also skip problems if it gets too review-y. My daughter complains sometimes about repetition in this program so as soon as I see she understands something we move on. For my son it is a great feature and he usually does all the problems because he needs the extra practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2ndGenHomeschooler Posted March 22, 2017 Author Share Posted March 22, 2017 Thank you so much! CLE and Rod and Staff are two that I've been considering. We've tried BA and none of my kids liked it. :-( I ordered MM 7 for my older DD and it came today. I noticed that it has a lot of suggestions at the beginning of each chapter for online games and practice. Do the other levels have this too? I'm going to look into this more. I hadn't heard of Stayer-Upton. I'll look at those too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountains27 Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Yes they do, I have the PDF versions for 1-3 and 5th grades and they all have links at the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tawlas Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Another vote for CLE. Two of my kids, one especially, needed more incremental, way more review. CLE has it all, it's been so great for him! As a bonus, now, after two years of CLE, he can complete the entire 'review' section of the daily lessons on his own and it has really boosted his confidence. I adore CLE Math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emba Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 I will say, we tried Math Mammoth before Rod and Staff, and it didn't have enough review for DD. There were a lot of things I liked about it, but for us it wasn't a good fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmarthur Posted March 23, 2017 Share Posted March 23, 2017 We were in a similar situation while in Singapore 5A. I bought CLE level 5. It did help with retaining because it is a constant spiraling review with each lesson. However, I struggled with how little it provided in instruction compared to Singapore. It introduced a topic and then dropped it. There was a little practice but not much for the new topic. We went back to using Singapore as our daily lesson, completing the short workbook exercise during the lesson, and assigning a CLE We Remember section for practice each day. It is working well and has improved her retention. I don't want to knock CLE because I know a lot of people like it, but for us it lacked the depth I felt was needed for the daily teaching. It has been wonderful as daily practice. I do cross out some of the problems each day so it isn't too much. It isn't too expensive and saves me the time of creating a spiraling review sheet each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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