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Has anyone started Saxon 3 by starting somewhere in the middle?


smg0918
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My twins, age 9, are behind in math (as I've posted about previously). We've been struggling to wrap our brains around Right Start C but have decided to throw in the towel. While my kids do like the abacus, none of us like the lessons and we find ourselves skipping math when we really need to be buckling down. I've finally decided on Saxon 3 to get them caught up and I'm waiting for it to arrive. Both kids need more work on the basics, but I don't think they need to start right at the beginning of the book. Is there any sort of guide that would help me to figure out where in level 3 I should start them? From the placement test I know they weren't ready for level 54, but they already know a lot of what is contained within level 3. I don't want to bore them to tears (and make them hate Saxon) by starting right at the beginning of level 3, but at the same time I don't want to jump so far ahead that I perpetuate the whole "they're behind where they should be" thing.

 

Any suggestions?

 

And for those of you who supplement with Singapore, which Singapore product would work well alongside Saxon 3?

 

Thanks!

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http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product_slideshow?sku=790161&actual_sku=790161&slide=1

 

This is a link to the table of contents - most of the first few lessons are a review in every level of Saxon. We routinely skipped them or just discussed the concepts to make sure everyone understood. It is hard to correlate Saxon and Singapore because they do things so differently. I drove myself crazy trying to correlate the two or doing two subjects daily and finally just let go of the Saxon because I like Singapore better and it was working fine for us. I was worried we would be missing something but after doing just Singapore for a while I think we are fine. Singpore has placement tests also, although they are really just a test of what the level covers. It doesn't hurt to go back a grade with Singapore to make sure your kids understand how the math is taught and what the method and thinking is.

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I've done the testing at the end of each unit and it works great. I would also encourage you to flip through the first sections and mark things your kids don't know such as skip counting or any other skill Saxon has you do. Do as much of that orally as you can while you are testing them.

 

I just do the regular Singapore book. Make sure you do a placement test on that too as they are ahead by at least a half a year. My method has been to do MWF on Saxon and TTH on Singapore but occassionally doing periods of just one or the other.

 

Of course I must set the record straight that I am now doing Miquon and Singapore with my youngest. I'm not sure what I'll do with her when we finish Miquon. I really don't want to do Saxon but I have fabout another year to decide.

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Several people here let their kids test through the first many chapters of the Saxon books. Just give them the tests and then start 5 chapters before where their scores drop below 90% (or whatever you decide is the cut off).

 

Great idea. Thank you!

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http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product_slideshow?sku=790161&actual_sku=790161&slide=1

 

This is a link to the table of contents - most of the first few lessons are a review in every level of Saxon. We routinely skipped them or just discussed the concepts to make sure everyone understood. It is hard to correlate Saxon and Singapore because they do things so differently. I drove myself crazy trying to correlate the two or doing two subjects daily and finally just let go of the Saxon because I like Singapore better and it was working fine for us. I was worried we would be missing something but after doing just Singapore for a while I think we are fine. Singpore has placement tests also, although they are really just a test of what the level covers. It doesn't hurt to go back a grade with Singapore to make sure your kids understand how the math is taught and what the method and thinking is.

 

Thanks so much for posting the Table of Contents -- that helps a lot. It looks like we may have to jump around a bit in Saxon because my kids know some of this and some of that, and not necessarily in the order that Saxon covers it.

 

I hear a lot about Singapore's word problems. Does Saxon have a good amount of word problems? If not, maybe I should include a book on Singapore's word problems. I'm going back a grade in Saxon so it makes sense to go back a grade with Singapore as well. I really want to focus on getting the basic facts down since both of my kids seem to be lacking in that regard.

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I've done the testing at the end of each unit and it works great. I would also encourage you to flip through the first sections and mark things your kids don't know such as skip counting or any other skill Saxon has you do. Do as much of that orally as you can while you are testing them.

 

I just do the regular Singapore book. Make sure you do a placement test on that too as they are ahead by at least a half a year. My method has been to do MWF on Saxon and TTH on Singapore but occassionally doing periods of just one or the other.

 

Of course I must set the record straight that I am now doing Miquon and Singapore with my youngest. I'm not sure what I'll do with her when we finish Miquon. I really don't want to do Saxon but I have fabout another year to decide.

 

I like this idea. That might help to avoid boredom issues with either program. Thanks!

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It looks like we may have to jump around a bit in Saxon

 

I would caution you not to skip around in Saxon, even if you encounter some concepts that are familiar. There is much introduced a little bit at at time, and you may miss some crucial Meetings that prepare the child for upcoming lesson concepts if you do that.

 

I'd just blow past a few of the first chapters, then work steadily. Perhaps giving the chapter tests is a good idea--but don't go too far into the book. And also, near the end of the book, say, the last 20 lessons or so, they rapidly introduce concepts that will come up again in 5/4. Don't expect mastery of these concepts yet, and don't be surprised at the lack of depth in those lessons--it's just a taste, a first exposure, of what's to come.

 

We loved Saxon 3! We used it a year ahead, and had to slow it down at one point just a touch, for about a month, but were still able to finish in plenty of time.

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It looks like we may have to jump around a bit in Saxon

 

I would caution you not to skip around in Saxon, even if you encounter some concepts that are familiar. There is much introduced a little bit at at time, and you may miss some crucial Meetings that prepare the child for upcoming lesson concepts if you do that.

 

I'd just blow past a few of the first chapters, then work steadily. Perhaps giving the chapter tests is a good idea--but don't go too far into the book. And also, near the end of the book, say, the last 20 lessons or so, they rapidly introduce concepts that will come up again in 5/4. Don't expect mastery of these concepts yet, and don't be surprised at the lack of depth in those lessons--it's just a taste, a first exposure, of what's to come.

 

We loved Saxon 3! We used it a year ahead, and had to slow it down at one point just a touch, for about a month, but were still able to finish in plenty of time.

 

Thanks so much for this advice, especially about the last 20 lessons not being covered in depth. That's good to know.

 

I think when the materials arrive I'll look everything over and determine at what point in the program my kids do not have a solid knowledge base and begin from there. Even if there are things scattered throughout that my kids have already mastered, it won't hurt to go over them again and we can move quickly through those areas if necessary.

 

I appreciate the advice everyone!

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