Saxon Math K help please!

[Hillcrest Academy]

We just got our Saxon Math K today, and we're very excited to start. However, I was just wondering what would be the most efficient way to progress in the Calendar, since they start in September, and we're obviously in November :blushing:

 

We have tried MFW math, MUS, Singapore and Rightstart. My dd is in 1st grade reading on a 5th grade level, and at K level for Math. It's my fault because we've had such a hard time finding a program that we like and we want to be sure to pick the right thing now so we don't have to switch at a later stage and have to deal with filling in holes.

 

The Saxon K is the first one I've opened up and not been confused on the first page (can you tell I'm not a math major!?) I am very excited to start because I've read quite far into the TM and it looks perfect :) So hence the rather mundane, but important to us, question.

 

Thank you!

[Ancora_Imparo]

Just start the calendar in November and ignore September and October. It has been a few years since we did the lower levels (we skipped K, now that I think about it) but I think most of the calendar exercises are adaptable to any month.

 

Tracy

[Tammyla]

It's been so many years here, but unless Saxon changed the format it wont matter. Just start with the current date and don't stress it.

[Mama Anna]

Dd and I went through Saxon K last year, beginning in the middle of October. We just wrote the number of the lesson we were on in the correct arrow on whatever month's page it fell on, and then did the coloring of calendar squares in the current month. It meant turning to two different months for "meeting time," but it seemed to work.

 

HTH!

 

Mama Anna!

[Hillcrest Academy]

Thanks for the answers :)

 

So I'll find the correct lesson for the beginning of November and do that one, coloring in squares etc on November, but using the first arrow on Septermber's page to fill in lesson 1.

 

I think ;)

 

Thanks again!

[Mama Anna]

You'd want to begin on lesson 1 due to the spiral approach, right? Many of the lessons (not to mention the assessments) are quick and easy enough that it wasn't difficult for us to double up on lessons for a while until we caught up to where the calendar said we should be - we'd simply do a meeting time, it's lesson, and then skip on to the next lesson, not worrying about it's meeting time. I would write in the extra lesson numbers on the arrows when I'd fill in the in-between dates on the calendar and my dd never seemed to notice!

 

Enjoy! :):)

 

Mama Anna

[Chris in VA]

First off, please start Saxon at the beginning, no matter what month you start in. It's an incremental program, so you get the most out of it by doing the lessons in order and not skipping--and yes, you can double up a little in the beginning (but don't feel the need to rush--it's supposed to be gentle).

 

We didn't use the meeting book for K. Here's an idea for you instead--Use index cards to write the number of the day (Lesson 1 is day 1, so write 1 on the card), then place them around the top of the wall next to the ceiling, making a number line. For the calendar, get a piece of poster board and make a large calendar. Only do the grid on the poster, and use a sentence strip for the month (or get a calendar w/o dates from the teacher store or a catty--very pretty, and it will come with the months separately). Use an erasable sentence strip and write out the date every day after going thru the calendar. You can forgo the meeting book that way for the next 2 years of Saxon. I also use sentence strips to draw the patterns--I cut them in half length-wise and put them on a notebook ring. Then we can review them at other times. I just hang the ring beside the calendar. If you have the wall space, it's a nice way to decorate, too.

 

I'm not saying don't do the meeting, I just mean you don't need the book.

[Aloha2U]

First off, please start Saxon at the beginning, no matter what month you start in. It's an incremental program, so you get the most out of it by doing the lessons in order and not skipping--and yes, you can double up a little in the beginning...

 

:iagree:

 

Math K suggests doing 3 lessons a week and then reviewing on the 4th day, if necessary. It just so happens that we are using Saxon Math K this year and we started our lessons exactly on Monday, September 1st - couldn't of asked for a better start date, right?! However, I quickly began to see that as gentle as the lessons are in Math K, we could easily do 4 lessons a week (following our current 4 day school schedule) and be just fine - no review necessary at this time. Unfortunately, with our accelerated pace it means that our calendar and lessons don't exactly match up, but that the lessons are in fact ahead of where we are on the calendar. That said, it is definitely still doable as we just finished up lesson 38 today (we are in week 11, but took a break for week 10). BTW, my little man loves doing the meeting book and can easily do 4 lessons a week - no problem.

 

This scenario would actually work great in your situation, so I offer this for you to consider... Start with lesson 1 and easily do 4-5 lessons a week (or more if your dd wants to), reviewing the meeting book's calendar patterns and such for the two previous months, until you've caught up to match the current month in your lessons. Then you can decide if you want to continue at that pace or slow down. (I hope that makes sense.) I guess the question for this scenario would be... How many days a week do you want to do math?

 

BTW and for future reference, I know that Saxon Math 1, 2 and 3 suggest doing lessons 4 days a week with 1 day of review, if necessary.

 

I hope you find a way to tweak it and make it work for you and your dd... it is fun!

Edited November 9, 2008 by CMama