Remedial curriculum - 9 and 12yo

[fostermom]

I have 2 new kids at home who need help catching up academically. They've been through a lot and asked me to not go back to school and do online school. I am not comfortable just signing them up for their grade level because they both need to catch up. Since I homeschool my 5 year old they really want to do that instead.

9yo reads at about first to second grade level. Does not like to read on her own but loves being read to. Understands addiction and subtraction but does not have the facts down at all.

I am thinking about using the AIM program by Math U See with her. Does anyone have experience with that? As far as reading goes, I have done Logic of English with my 5yo but I am afraid that foundations will be too babyish for her, and essentials is too advanced. I am kind of at a loss regarding ELA for her.

12 yo reads well for her age. She loves Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and wants to study ancient history and mythology. Likes to do creative writing on her own. By playing board games together I have noticed she also does not have math facts memorized and takes a while doing mental math for even basic addiction.

Should I also do the Aim program with her or would that be overkill? My other option would be to start with the Math Mammoth blue series on division and work from that. She understands the 4 operations but does not remember how to do long division and specifically told me she does not understand fractions. If I do that then I could possibly work on math facts with her on the side. Addiction facts that stick or some sort of app? How would you help an older child with math facts?

I really like the look of Killgallon's Grammar for Middle School which works on sentence composing as well but have no experience with it. Other ideas would be welcomed. I'd like her to have a really solid grasp on sentence and paragraph writing before putting her on a writing curriculum like Writing with Ease.

My 5 yo does Logic of English and Singapore Math so that is really all I have experience with. I am mostly just looking for ideas and shared experiences. They are both so eager to learn. What would you use in this case?

[EKS]

I don't know what the AIM program is.

I do know that using Math U See to fill gaps works really well.  You can move quickly through what they already know and then slow down when necessary.  I used Beta-Zeta over the course of about 6 months with my older son after a Saxon disaster.  It's an expensive option, but very effective.  Also there are no grade levels on the materials, which helps when a kid is behind.

For grammar, I like the combination of Michael Clay Thompson followed by Hake/Saxon.  MCT gives a great big picture view and Hake nails down the details.

[HomeAgain]

I haven't used AIM.  It came out later.  I know the price is a bit steep for what it is, so I think you should compare against these:

Kate Snow's Facts That Stick series

Ronit Bird's ebooks

Math For Love's Tiny Polka Dot

These authors below have created materials also based on the Mortensen method, which is what MUS spun from.  They're both on Amazon for $10-25 per book.

Mortensen Math Complete Method by Geoff White. 

Crewton Ramone's Kindergarten Compendium and Divinely Dandy Division ebooks (Mortensen)

 

 

I've worked with 9yos who struggled with facts.  The best thing for them was to make sure manipulatives were available ALL the time, as well as teaching specific strategies like Make 10.   17+6 would be 17+3+3, making the ten first and then adding the rest. 

We do a lot of work with place value, composing and decomposing numbers so that there are never any "tricks" to learn, only moving over one square on the mat.

 

[chiguirre]

I recommend making flashcards for practicing math facts. You'll need addition, subtraction, multiplication and division for all the facts. It's easier to make your own because the commercial ones often aren't complete, especially for subtraction through 18 (they often stop at 10) and division. I'd also do "Make a Hundred" cards. These are numbers 1-50 on one side and the number that will make 100 on the back: so 1-99, 35-65, 78-22, etc. Once you've drilled enough to make them fluent with their math facts, you can assess what gaps they need to fill. Having their facts down will make learning any new skills much less painful and they'll catch up quicker.

For reading, I'd get a phonics based reading program and go through that with the 9yo before you do anything else. Something like Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons or The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading will help you fill in any phonics gaps and get them decoding confidently.

I've just been through a similar process getting my English Language Learner nephew up to speed. The math flash cards worked like a charm and we're about 3/4 of the way through Singapore PM 3. He was a good decoder because Spanish is completely phonetic, but we used flash cards for the unfamiliar English sounds (short vowels, r-controlled vowels, sh vs. ch, th). We play "What the heck is the gringa saying?" and "Talk like a gringo!" regularly and it's noticeably improved his pronunciation and spelling of English words. This might also help with decoding. I made cards with words that start with B and end with D and have as many vowel sounds as I could think of: bad, bed, bid, bod, bud, bade, bead, bide, bode, booed, bard, beard, bird, bored. I say the word and dn has to hand me the correct card. 

I wouldn't worry about doing a formal science or history program until their skills are solid. You can just pick books on a particular topic they find interesting and maybe add in a few art, cooking, experiments or field trips to round out their learning and make things fun.

[fostermom]

The AIM program is newer so I don't know anyone who has used it. What I like about it is that it seems more focused on teaching those strategies (like rounding up to 10) then just straight up memorization. I'd like them to know both the strategies as well as do memory work if possible. I'll get some flashcards for sure. I'm thinking we'll just have a math fact boothcamp for both this summer and make it as fun as possible. We've been loving playing board games together and I know the "facts that stick" have games so that will probably be a hit. We actually have a game that is all about making 100s, it's called "Clumsy Thief". Right now it's slow but they like it so we will keep playing. Cover your assets is another one but you need to make a million.

After we work on math facts I'll probably have them both take the Math U See placement test. Or right start math. I'm leaning towards something with manipulatives for extra help. Decisions!

Something like Teach your child to read in 100 lessons sounds like a good idea for the 9yo to solidify things. I think that would be faster to complete than programs like AAR or Logic of English with all the bells and whistles. I have looked into MCT and it looks great but I'm afraid the writing part of the curriculum may be too young for the girls with the story component. I'm not sure if the grammar is story based as well. But it will be phonics for 9yo and introduction to grammar and writing for 12yo just to make sure there are no gaps. I'm not too worried with spelling and reading with the 12yo as she does great.

I'm not doing any science or history besides reading books they're interested in. We'll just focus on the basics. Would love to get the 12yo ready for pre algebra in 8th grade and 9yo to read fluently and be able to write a good paragraph and have the 4 operations down for 5th. I'm not sure these are attainable goals but we'll see how it goes. The most important thing this year is therapy and settling down.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, it has helped me narrow down on what I need to focus on with the girls this year.

[Nm.]

I love xtramath.org.  You could skip flash cards and just use that… it helps you keep track of what’s mastered and what’s not.  My children know number strategies too but this has helped 4 of mine so far.  I have the app (5$), or it’s free online.

lalilo.com filled in lots of gaps for 2 of my struggling readers.  After a month both could read easy chapters.  New teaching has been mostly a breeze afterwards. 

[countrymum]

AAR does have a placement test so you could skip to the level you need. 100 easy lessons is not  as strong phonics I don't think. But I've never used it so ask around. You might look into the ordinary parents guide to teaching reading too.

I think I'd look for an Orton Gillingham based program since she is struggling in case you have some kind of dyslexia going on.

I love RightStart math but the scope and sequence is different than many and it can be a bit hard to jump into. It has been great for my dyslexic child though. It is the only thing that has clicked for him. It is very hands on and visual even in the middle school books. Let me know if you want to know more about it. I've used A- most of G new edition so far. Many levels I've used twice now;)

RightStart has a game book that you might find useful as well as some tutoring sets for arithmetic, fractions ect that may be more helpful than a full program. They have excellent customer service so you could call with questions.

Kate snow's 3rd grade book is out now you could look at it too. It might be just what you need.

[Zoo Keeper]

I have used Phonics Pathways and Alpha Phonics (or you can print Alpha Phonics from this link) with older students who were struggling.  Not at all "babyish" in presentation.  Don Potter's site (which the above Alpha Phonics link is from) also has more free things (flashcards, etc.) to go along with Alpha Phonics. http://donpotter.net/reading_clinic.html

Elizabeth B's materials at The Phonics Page were also very helpful. https://www.thephonicspage.org/

[Green Bean]

AAS or AAR would be good choices for both girls. If you already have LOE, use it. She might appreciate the whimsy.

Math: Math Mammoth has topical books that you could use for holes. Using MUS AIM would be $$$. I like the suggestion of Kate Snow's Math facts That Stick books. Not expensive, effective, and fun. All 3 kids could do the games together!

I would grab SOTW and D'Aulaire's Greek Myths for the 12 yr old. Both books are typically easy to find used. MP has a guide for D'Aulaire's. I would suggest just using the TM for discussion ideas.

Science is easy. There is soo much out there at the library and online. Just let them browse. Bill Nye, while old vids, are fun. Magic Schoolbus, of course, and Wild Kratts are just a few ideas. Hit the library's dvd section.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Green Bean

[Tanager]

I second using LOE some, although it’d really depend on the kid. I’d keep her nearby as you did it with the youngest, working on something where she could kinda listen in if she needed a refresher on the LOE topic of the day. She could benefit and be a big help with playing all the games. I also highly recommend alphaphonics - I’m a huge fan of it. It’s simple, fast and efficient and you can blend it a little with LOE when needed. I would also keep an eye out for any dyslexic type issues and teach her to sound out as many “sight” words as you can, even if she’s already reading them, make sure she has the sounding out skills for them.

We also ended up making our own flash cards for math facts so they would go up higher, I’d highly recommend it. I’d try different math books from the library for fun. Skip counting is great practice - forwards and backwards to 100 or more. It’s fun with a ball, on a walk, in the car. Classical conversations has some skip counting songs that are great if you can sing - I can’t so my daughter learned them off of YouTube.

I would get a fractions kit so she can play around with all the sizes and have her label them and find equivalents. Do greater and less then problems with them. Then work on adding them. Fractions can be super simple, but I’d have the math facts down before attempting to add or subtract with different denominators or simplify them since she already finds them confusing.