If you use Right Start please help!--esp. if you teach more than 1 level at a time!

[Sew happily ever after]

I am facing the dilemma that come next fall (this summer for us actually) I will have 3 DC using RS math--levels b, c, and d. I am wondering how on earth I will be able to do this...is it even do-able? This year I am teaching levels b and c and it takes quite a while. An hour and a half at the most, sometimes less, but next year it will for sure take me 2 hours. I work part time, so I'm beginning to think that we will have to go another route for the oldest.

 

I don't want to turn this into a thread about which math curric is best or better or whatever, I just want to know if teaching 3 levels with time restrictions is do-able, or if I should really pursue other math curric.

[partyof5]

Hi!

I am teaching 3 levels right now...RS Geometry, level C, and level A. It's a juggling act to be sure, but I plan it carefully, so that each child gets the one-on-one time they need. I plan on 2 girls working on other independent tasks while I teach math to the 3rd.

 

Sometimes, I teach the level C first (the most intense, IMO) and have her do her follow-up work near me while I teach A, so that I can answer questions if need be.

 

Also, I have my RS G dd play the the RS C cardgames with her sister so she can review these skills and it really frees me up to be with the youngest. This is a win-win in my eyes. This would definitely be possible since you'll be in B, C, and D and all can play the games together.

 

Like all things in homeschool life, just a wee bit of planning does the trick. It's not fool-proof but most days we make it work without too much trouble.

[prairiegirl]

I am teaching 3 levels now -- E,C and A. It takes me about an hour and a half to do all three. I start with my oldest. I am finding that the higher levels don't take as long to do. I teach her the lesson and then have her sit by me to do the worksheet if she needs any help. Then I move on to my ds. When my oldest is done then she does work on her own, like vocab, grammar, etc. After my ds is finished then I do my youngest.

 

It is do-able to do three at a time, it just may take awhile to find a rhythm that works.

[msjones]

I'm only doing two, Levels C & D. The Level D book seems to take less time than C. I thought C was the most time-consuming so far. A friend of mine is currently doing C and the Geometric Approach, and she says her time teaching has gone way down this year. So, I think it may get easier.

 

My thought is, by putting in all the time now, you'll be saving time later. RS is so effective that your kids will be very well-prepared for upper-level math and all that time will have been worth it!

[yslek]

I'm teaching levels A and C right now. I don't teach A every day (or most days) but find the time commitment difficult even so. My plan is to move T into Teaching Textbooks 4 after he has completed RS C. I've read some comments on this board from people who felt that the real strength of RS was in the B&C levels, so I feel comfortable moving on. That's my solution, anyway.;)

[Sarah CB]

If it makes you feel any better, you'll be spending one on one time with each dc no matter what math program you use.

 

My three older kids are all using different programs.

 

Dd(13) is using NEM 2 and 3 with a mentor who she meets with. Even though she's almost entirely independent, I still check in with her each day and probably spend about 5 to 10 minutes seeing where she's at and/or marking her work.

 

Ds(8) is using Singapore 3A. Ugh. Lately it's been long division and I spend *way* more time working with him than with any of the other kids.

 

Ds(6) is using RS B. I spend anywhere from ten minutes to thirty minutes working with him. I teach ds(8) the games so that they can play together - it's good reinforcement for older ds and it frees me up.

 

Since your dc are already using RS and are comfortable with it and know how it works I'd suggest sticking with RS. I would streamline it when possible, have the kids do the games together, and remember that all math takes time and that switching programs will not necessarily mean that you'll have more time.

[Mom0012]

Well, I could be wrong, but I think levels b and d only have 100 lessons each for the whole year. Maybe you could set a timer and only work for 20 - 30 minutes with the kids at each of those levels. You really wouldn't have to finish a complete lesson each day.

 

Lisa

[Sew happily ever after]

I have thought about moving oldest into TT4 after she finishes RS C also. My biggest concern is this: RS really gets the kids to understand math and they know their facts with little memorization--I really like the strategy approach and the no drill and kill. The games are fun too. I am afraid that by moving to TT I'll kill her with worksheets and drills. And that she'll have to memorize her division facts--level C barely touches on division. they cover multiplication, but not overly much, so she would still need work in that area. And she would definitely need work on division facts. I don't want her memorizing them...

 

I actually think i'll move her into D for the rest of the school year and into the summer. I'll hold off on starting B with dd5 since she is young and could benefit by waiting until she is 6--which will be this summer. I'll try to get DD9 as far through D as we can and then perhaps switch her to MUS or TT. DD7 will finish B in the next month or 2 and will easily transfer into C over the summer. Perhaps by then DD9 will have a good grasp of math facts and will be able to work a little more independently on a different program.

 

I'm glad to hear that level C is the most time intensive of them. That's how I feel but I haven't done level D yet or even ordered it, so I didn't know what to expect.

[siloam]

Rose,

 

Here is what I posted yesterday to the RS yahoo group:

 

 

I am currently teaching 4 levels of RS. Here is how I am doing it:

 

My oldest, who is a 5th grader, is also doing Singapore, so much of RS is

review. She just started level D and is doing two lessons a day. I have

her do the review, the lessons and the worksheets. She isn't playing the

games at the D level (one of my compromises).

 

My 2nd dd is in level C and is a 3rd grader. She does one lesson a day as

scheduled. When a new game is introduced at her level I play it with both

her and my oldest together, then after than they play it without me (more on

that later).

 

My 3rd dd is in level B and is a 2nd grader. She generally does a lesson a

day, but if she also has a worksheet I have her do it in a different day.

Just a time saver, she doesn't want to to them without me sitting right

there and I have a limited amount of time (another compromise). Again when

a new game comes up I play it with her (BTW when I play games with them I

don't do lessons that day). Recently because the end of B has been

challenging her and she seemed to be forgetting some of her fact (Christmas

break probably also played a part) I have been playing games with her every

Thursday.

 

My 4th child is doing level A and is a K student. He isn't super into

school yet and very wiggly, so he does a warm up one day, a lesson the next,

and a worksheet (if any) the third. Then on Mondays I always play a game

with him to keep his facts fresh.

 

Games. On Mondays I play a game with my ds and the three girls play a game

together. That means it has to be on the B level. On Tuesdays my ds and

youngest dd play a game together on the A level while my oldest two play a

game on the C level. On Wednesdays my the girls play a game on the B level

again. On Thursdays my oldest two play a game on the C level while I play a

game with my 3rd dd.

 

So far so good. All are making slow but steady progress. My oldest will

finish level D by fall and will probably just focus on Singapore after

that. RS has given her....fluency in math. A comfort level she didn't have

with Singapore alone. My 2nd dd should finsih with C and be on to D by the

start of 4th grade. Given she is the hands on learner I probably will

continue with E in 5th and Geometry in 6th. Then Algebra in 7th, which

would still put her a year ahead in algebra. My younger two are probably

on the same schedule as my 3rd dd.

 

Slow and steady wins the race...

 

 

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Heather

 

 

[KAM]

I am teaching A & C right now...we limit the lesson time to only 15-20 minutes for level C and pick up where we left off the next day, we almost never finish a lesson in one day. We are moving through the book at an okay pace this way.

 

I start off with Level C first thing, we play a game for 10 minutes and we're done. Then I move on to Level A (we only spend about 10 minutes on this plus a game). DD does any worksheets that go with the lesson while I work with DS, then she continues with her independent stuff (spelling, handwriting, etc.) until I'm available again.