If your child is using Saxon 5/4 how long does a lesson usually take them?

[nukeswife]

I hate to say it but my ds is driving me crazy with how long math is taking him. We tried TT 5 last year at the end of his 3rd grade year (this is where he placed on their test) and it was ok but he asked to go back to saxon which we'd used for him in 2nd (He never did saxon 3 we used horizons instead)

 

I don't want to switch again I know that but it's taking him almost an hour to do the fact practice, mental math, read the new lesson, do the few new concept problems and then either odds or evens of the mixed practice. This seems like too long if he's only having to do half of the mixed problems. I know part of this is dawdling on his part which we're working on, but he also hates being left alone to work on things lately. He wants me in the room with him or wants me teaching his younger sister or brother during this time. I wouldn't mind this but when I'm doing work with the youngers he's spending more time watching us than his own work.

 

Oh by the way he's about 9.5 years old.

 

Do your kids do Saxon 5/4 independently or do you teach them the lesson and then they work the problems independently?

[arcara]

My 8-year-old is doing Saxon 65 this year. A whole lesson - fact practice, mental math, word problem, DIVE, and mixed practice (ALL!) - takes her about 1.5 hours. I only require an hour per day. I require 3 lessons per week or 2 lessons + test and investigation per week. Math is a subject that I require year around, so I don't care that this pace will take longer than 9 months to complete the book. She can finish this in 1 hour/day, 4 days/week. On the 5th day each week, she does Singapore's CWP. Sometimes, she has to finish up something on Saturday if she's been particularly slow that week. She does work alone, except for any mental math that I need to hear her do aloud. I hope this made sense!

[Melanie]

It took my kids about an hour (sometimes an hour and a half if they were feeling pokey) to complete a full lesson in Saxon 5/4. My son was in 3rd grade when he started; my daughter was in 2nd. They've always done math independently.

[Pam in MA]

My daughter had just come out of ps and it was evident through our work in Saxon 54 all the holes she had in her math education! At least an hour and a half for a lesson, although I insisted on all the problems being done. Having said that, though, for the following four years she continued with Saxon, doing almost all of it independently and usually in under an hour. This year we're using Foerster's Algebra and so far she needs a bit more help from me, but it's going along fine.

 

I would stick with it. I think Saxon helps students develop good math habits and a very solid foundation for high school math.

[nukeswife]

thanks for the info ladies. I am definitely going to be sticking with Saxon for him. I think part of our problem was all the switching we did last year. He enjoys the lessons even though it takes him so long. I guess maybe what he needs at the moment is a bit of "hand holding from mom" I also think I'm going to start making him do all of the mixed practice because I think in the long run it will help. I mean after all there must be a reason for all of them to be in there right?

[5Youngs]

My 8yo son is taking 40 minutes to do the practice and even problems every day.

We do have the DIVE cd, which adds on another 5-10 minutes of instruction time.

He was crying every day bc it was taking him an hour and a half to do all of the problems, and he just can't stay focused for that long.

As long as he makes 100% or at most, misses one, he doesn't have to do the odds.

That is his extra practice if he misses more than one problem.

That cuts down on the rushing, and he takes the time to ask me if he did the problems correctly~:)

 

My oldest is a different personality than his brother.

He did fine with every problem, and it took him an hour.

He is now on 76, and he went to evens this year, bc it was taking him an hour and a half to do it.

He has the same penalty for missing more than one......

They are much happier and much more focused doing it this way.

And I am much happier, since I don't have to deal with the crying every day!!!:D

[Mandy in TN]

I hate to say it but my ds is driving me crazy with how long math is taking him. We tried TT 5 last year at the end of his 3rd grade year (this is where he placed on their test) and it was ok but he asked to go back to saxon which we'd used for him in 2nd (He never did saxon 3 we used horizons instead)

 

I don't want to switch again I know that but it's taking him almost an hour to do the fact practice, mental math, read the new lesson, do the few new concept problems and then either odds or evens of the mixed practice. This seems like too long if he's only having to do half of the mixed problems. I know part of this is dawdling on his part which we're working on, but he also hates being left alone to work on things lately. He wants me in the room with him or wants me teaching his younger sister or brother during this time. I wouldn't mind this but when I'm doing work with the youngers he's spending more time watching us than his own work.

 

Oh by the way he's about 9.5 years old.

 

Do your kids do Saxon 5/4 independently or do you teach them the lesson and then they work the problems independently?

 

If he isn't complaining, then I sure wouldn't worry about it. An hour really isn't too long for a 9.5 year old to spend on math. If it feels too long for you, then break it up. Do the fact practice, mental math, read the new lesson, and do the few new concept problems first thing in the morning and assign the mixed review as homework for the afternoon.:tongue_smilie:

 

Oh, I teach the mental math, read the new lesson, and do the new concept problems orally with ds. Then, ds does the mixed review independently. I have him do all the problems.

 

Ds skips the fact practice, because he does fact practice with flashcards orally and with Kumon.

 

All of my boys spend over an hour a day on math. As long as they aren't complaining, I figure that it is time well spent.:D

 

HTH-

Mandy

[nukeswife]

Mandy,

Thanks so much. Those are excellent ideas. I love the suggestion to do the mental math and practice problems orally and only write out the mixed practice. I think we'll give that a try over the next few weeks. My son does the fact practice by his choice. I know he knows his addition and subtraction problems but he finds the timed tests fun.

 

Thanks again for your ideas I really appreciate you putting it out there for me, and you're right if he's not complaining about how long maybe I just need to find a good book to read so I'm in the room with him like he wants but won't end up bored out of my mind :tongue_smilie:

[Lisawa]

When my kids were in 54 or any Saxon book... they could choose odd or even problems... if they missed more than 2 in what was accomplished, the next day they did the other problems in that same lesson. My kids rarely missed anything...

 

I bought d.i.v.e. for 65 and 76 but we never used them. They would spend about 30 + minutes in math at the 54 level. Although my middle child has always struggled in math.... so she did take a bit longer... she always needs more practice...