Remedial Math

[bethben]

I'm posting here as my daughter is in 11th grade and has just been diagnosed with dyscalculia.  She really needs basic mental math skills.  She can't subtract 100-45 in her head or add 45+35 for example.  I want her to be able to figure out life skill math - be able to double a recipe, calculate how much a shirt would be if it was 30% off, be able to know if she got the correct change---I need a program of some sort.  I am not great with follow through on "just cook with her!", "just have her count money!".  I can't do random - I know myself.  She needs a LOT of repetition for math to solidify and has quite a few gaps.  She was insistent upon doing Algebra this year because "that is what I'm supposed to be doing" and I went with it until I knew it wouldn't work and got her tested again.  

[Clarita]

With just someone who isn't good at math facts, I'd look at the Math Facts that Stick series. She might be too old to enjoy the games in there but just look at their explanations and do the practice sheets. I know technically the books say the don't go past a certain point but (at least with the addition and subtraction) being able to add and subtract to 20 solidly means you would be able to do it to any other digit. (https://beastacademy.com/resources/planning) The Chapter Overview on BA2 will talk about how this works (I think it's also in BA1 but I think BA2 is more complete on addition and subtraction beyond two digit numbers).

In terms of the dyscalculia piece, @PeterPan I know has some good resources for people with learning disabilities, because that may require more work and breaking down of skills than a neurotypical person who just "isn't good at math" would. 

[mathmarm]

Have you looked at Math U See Beta? It covers Multidigit Addition/Subtraction and the tangible manipulatives might click for her and give her something to visualize if you work the program by the book and then add in drill from Secrets of Mental Math or some other mental math book.

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, bethben said:

 She needs a LOT of repetition for math to solidify and has quite a few gaps.  

Excessive need for repetition is the EF/WM issues. Not having the number sense is the SLD.

2 hours ago, bethben said:

She was insistent upon doing Algebra this year because "that is what I'm supposed to be doing" and I went with it until I knew it wouldn't work and got her tested again.  

Bless her heart!!! What a precious child. I could see my ds feeling that pressure. It's hard because it's like do you stomp them and tell the truth or protect them or... But the complete lack of awareness plus the willingness to try is something.

2 hours ago, bethben said:

She can't subtract 100-45 in her head or add 45+35 for example.

https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Dyscalculia-Difficulties-Number-Corwin/dp/1529767377/ref=pd_bxgy_d_sccl_2/141-4667361-4329840?pd_rd_w=Ssnwe&content-id=amzn1.sym.c51e3ad7-b551-4b1a-b43c-3cf69addb649&pf_rd_p=c51e3ad7-b551-4b1a-b43c-3cf69addb649&pf_rd_r=S00EMHDGS1MZK52DNWSP&pd_rd_wg=w59pD&pd_rd_r=71eb224c-c54c-4a56-bf30-e3629bad9cac&pd_rd_i=1529767377&psc=1

2 hours ago, bethben said:

-I need a program of some sort.

Ronit Bird also has a series of ebooks she made, only available for apple/itunes products I think (check?) that have clear teaching order and embedded videos to make it completely idiot proof. Given the severity of the disability and your request for complete hand holding, I think the small investment of $10 to see the print books brought to life might be worth it to you. 

Check to see if she has written more, but her initial three ebooks (Dots, C-Rods, and Fractions) covered the basic content of her lower level Toolkit book. So if you buy her ebooks they're going to flesh out in sort of a slower way what Overcoming is going to cover *very quickly*. Given the SEVERITY of what you're describing, those books might be money well spent just to wrap your brain around what it takes to get there. She CAN understand these concepts, but for my ds it was pretty astonishing how much we had to break it up. When he was 6, with a gifted IQ, we were doing the DOTS book, which covers things like "this is a 3, can you see 1 inside the 3, can you see 2 inside the 3"... That's where my ds functioned with his gifted IQ but really nasty dyscalculia. 

Dots is understanding single digits and basic +/-. C-rods covers of course cuisinaire rods and how to use them to visualize larger quantities (10+) and then how to multiply/divide. 

It would NOT be excessive to super quickly make sure she understands the concepts in Dots. I'm not saying she needs them, but it's possible. My ds at that age spent a MONTH on each lesson. Can she play dominoes? Can she look at the dominoes and tell quickly/easily how many dots are on there? If she cannot, for real that's your starting point. In fact, dot pattern recognition is being researched as a test for dyscalculia. It demonstrates part of the heart of the number sense disorder. Look at the toc, but Overcoming probably covers the content of Dots very quickly. If you want hand holding, want videos, or just want it spread out, that little $10 ebook would be the bomb.

For algebra, fractions, etc. we've had success taking Ronit Bird's concepts and extending them to some Didax fraction tiles books. Once she understands fractions better, then get a PRE-ALGEBRA book. Tell her we all do PRE-ALGEBRA before algebra. My ds has been doing well with a Math Mammoth book, I think grade 7, but we went through the RB stuff, a bunch of Lake Shore hands on kits for math, the Hands on Equations kits, that Didax fraction tiles book, etc. etc. 

I hear you on the life goals. You might want to do the consumer math with her yourself and spread it over 2 years. You might need to slow it down and allow her to learn how to use a calculator. She needs to do LESS WORK but with MORE FOCUS. So I would do *3* problems from the page, letting her use the calculator, and put it away.  If you do this, doing just *3 problems* from each lesson, taking it slowly, it won't hamper your ability to do the math intervention as well. If you run the two in parallel (math she does with accommodations and math she does to build number sense), you're allowing her to work at all the levels she functions at. She might not be all one or the other. 

[PeterPan]

I want to harp on this slowing down, not trying to do so much. You might look for a resource that has SMALL BITES for word problems. For instance, Evan Moor Daily math has a word problems series that is grade leveled. Lakeshore used to make these math problem cards where there were just a few problems on each card. So each day you might do 2-3 word problems from some sequential, efficient resource. Or take a 6th grade math book and do ONLY the word problems from the lesson, picking 2-3, kwim? 

Does she know how to translate the language of math into symbols? Sometimes you have to do that and I had found a really snazzy workbook that went through it. If she doesn't need that, good, but if she does it's out there.

I don't view math intervention with my ds as something we just do and are done with. I try to run it *parallel* to some more age typical things and some things that he can do when he uses tech. Let them function at multiple levels and do a bit of each each day.

Your education store will have some series of consumer math type books that would be more efficient/instructive than whatever the co-op is likely trying to use. I found a couple, maybe Rememdia. I probably have them downstairs. They tend to be a bit dry, which is why we've done better with word problem resource books/kits I can chunk. Maybe google her interest (shopping? cooking) and see how you can find some word problems for that. 

Kids' brains are funny. They can do something in one place and be completely clueless using the same skill in the next. I'm not saying you have to be all unschooly, but I would make some effort try to *apply* her math in the real world. Sur la Table for instance sells a set of measuring cups that have all the inbetween sizes. Nice Christmas present for her to explore with and maybe accidentally have to use. 😄 I've always needed to apply the math lots of ways with my ds.