Math Advice Needed

[happynurse]

I am needing some input from all you folks with a lot more experience than me! I have a 5 1/2 year old kindergartner who started schooling 'officially' this year. He is quite advanced in some areas. He's reading Arnold Loebel Frog & Toad style books fluently with great ease and his geography skills surpass anything I knew graduating high school. But. Math.

 

I did some Rightstart A with him  last year in Pre-k, but very informally and just whenever we both felt like it. We didn't finish that book, but what we got though he did great with. I started Rightstart B with him this year (from the beginning). We are still toward the very beginning (lesson 6 or 7 maybe), and partitioning 10 is causing him to shut down. He can use tally sticks, tiles, abacus, etc. without a problem, but for some reason ever since we started partitioning them to 10 he clams up. Like, his mood shifts, he gets irritable and now won't even start a lesson.

 

SO...I also have Singapore Essentials that we've been working through. Thus far that is a cake walk for him and he completes 5-7 pages a day. I have a baby and toddler and got Essentials for those days when I can't bring out all the choking hazards...erm, manipulatives. ;)

 

All that is to say that he never has really clicked with Rightstart. Even last year when he was 'getting it', he didn't like it and grumbled a lot when doing it. However, I think he likes Essentials because he isn't really being challenged (at least not yet).

 

Do I keep with RS? Do I just switch over completely to Essentials so he doesn't end up hating math? I guess I'm just needing some advice from people who are more seasoned at this than myself. Thank you!!

[HomeAgain]

I don't think there is a right answer here, nor is there an either/or you have to make. :) 

In your shoes, what I would do is continue with Essentials for a while, then switch back to RS A. Give him more time being successful with concepts he does well while modeling the lessons he is getting hung up on in your daily life while you can.  Start RS B again later in the year or next year, when he's had time to just play with math for a while and grow a bit.

[CadenceSophia]

Are you talking about partitioning 10 on the abacus? I remember my son not liking that at that age.. Possibly because I over did it, or possibly it was a little abstract, or too easy. I can't remember. What I did do though was make him do it once a day out at least watch me do it and answer questions. I was very matter of fact about it and after a while he decided it was faster to do it himself.

He hated all the manipulatives in RS so I was selective, but partitioning 10 is important. You could switch to playing go to the dump for at least some of the practice, but revisiting the abacus is important eventually.

 

RS advances quickly. Don't be afraid to hang out, play other games, and wait for those pieces to click.

[countrymum]

I did a lot of right start a with my 5 year old boy last year. He understood it but he never really liked it. He wanted a workbook. We switched to Abeka arithmetic 1 this year and he likes it much better. I loosely follow the manual and teach my own way if I don't like Abeka's presentation. 1 thing to know about Abeka is that ALL the teaching is in the manual. The workbook is supposed to be easy review and reinforcement.

Other well liked solid trititional workbook math would be Rod and Staff, Horizons, or Christian Light.

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

So it sounds like there are a couple possibilities.

 

1. Just because a child is advanced in one area doesn't mean he is in all areas. Could just be a maturity gap. If you really want to stick with RS, maybe shelve it for a bit and let his maturity catch up. He is already "ahead." Either stick with Singapore Essentials or do some living math with manipulative or play games.

 

2. It could be a bad curriculum fit. I feel like it is a little early to tell, but he may prefer a more straightforward or traditional presentation or just enjoy the workbook of Singapore. One of my children hates it when I make him do a bunch of singing or reciting things. He just wants to do it, and a workbook format fit his needs better for most things. Even still, I sometimes have to gently nudge this child to do things he doesn't like because school isn't always just the things we like. However, I don't suggest too much of this in kindergarten until you are more aware of his learning style and where to nudge.

 

Either way, I wouldn't stress out over this too much. Maybe you can use some other ways to parse out ten and then he sees how easy the abacus is. There are sums of gen songs, go to the dump, cuisenaire rods, etc.

[kiwik]

I think you should go back and finish RSA before moving on to B.

[rebbyribs]

I would stick with the Singapore Essentials if it's working well for him.  It's certainly nice to use a pictorial workbook approach when you are schooling with a mobile baby or toddler about. And it's a fine kindergarten program for a kid whose fine motor skills and math skills are in sync. 

 

I think you're right about him preferring Essentials because he isn't being challenged, but I wouldn't worry about that too much right now.  My kids have gotten to the point of being able to work through frustration and puzzle through challenging schoolwork more around age 7-8 (and there are still occasional meltdowns over schoolwork).  I feel like with a 5 or 6 year old, it's important to be in the habit of doing schoolwork on a regular basis. If you bump up against something that seems "too hard" to the kid and is triggering frustration meltdowns, I'd recommend backing off and working around it until that next thing is just a baby step and not a big leap.  What I think might happen with the Essentials is that he will have some good school days that are mostly review, and then when he gets to the number bonds for 10, he'll be ready to do them.

[blue plaid]

I would back off Rightstart for now.  I don't know anything about Singapore Essentials, but if he likes it, and he is 5, sounds good.  I really like RightStart, but had one child whose eyes would well up with tears when it came time to pull out the manipulatives and do it.  Not worth it to me.  He was very happy to do Math Mammoth instead, which is philosophically quite similar, but more of a workbook approach.

[CadenceSophia]

I think you should go back and finish RSA before moving on to B.

Gosh I didn't catch that! YES. You can't only do part of A and then expect to do B with a 5 year old unless you have previously taught RS and you know how to read your child, stretch the concepts and practice. The review lessons are supposed to be for a kid who came from a different program. A kid who had RSA should have everything on the review lessons automatic already.

[fralala]

I ditched RS with my first and wasn't sad to see those choking hazards-- er, manipulatives-- go.

 

We moved on to Singapore. All that stuff that isn't challenging for your son right now is helping make the future stuff not be too challenging, too. That's my firm belief. A child who is practicing is a child who is improving. You don't always need to be mastering new material. Finding something that a child is willing to practice in order to become better is an amazing gift that I cannot overemphasize. No, life should not always be coasting, but why do we have the tendency to think only a child who is struggling is learning? An occasional challenge is essential, but as with learning to read, it's great if the majority of the time the child enjoys the material enough and feels confident enough to do it. To become rock solid! It's awesome that your little guy loves math and I hope neither of you takes his dislike of RS as a sign that he can't love math or be great at it.

[happynurse]

Thank you all! I hadn't even thought about revisiting RS A. I think I read enough posts that said 'Eh, B is fine for a kindergartner' that I just assumed I could jump right in. We made it to lesson 70 something last year, I believe.  I appreciate all of your insight. I knew you all would have some great suggestions. Again, thank you!