help me pick a math curriculum

[SeekingSimplicity]

My 4th grader has a really yard time with math-- and I mean basic math, like 2+2. She just doesn't get it. I'll have her doing math with my 2nd grader this year. Right now, I have printed her out some 1st grade Math Mammoth worksheets, and those seem to be helping her memorize the basic addition facts, and then I'll give her the subtraction worksheets.

 

Im tryingto pick something out for them this coming up year, and trying to decide what to go with. What ever it is needs to be inexpensive. As of right now Math Mammoth is going OK, but both of them really hate worksheets. I've never used Miquon, or MUS and was wondering about those. I was thinking with MUS, having a nice man on tape to teach them math might be a nice change of pace. And I've seen where other people having math problems have liked Miquon.

[coffeefreak]

We struggled with simple addition and subtraction until we started doing touch math. We suspended all other math instruction and simply worked on addition and subtraction. In touch math, each number has a touch point or a "dot" (I have flash cards I purchased from Dianne Craft - www.diannecraft.org) Your child learns each number's points and adds that way. For subtraction, she learned to make tic marks and count down. so, for 10-8, she would say "8" and make a tic mark for 9 and 10. That way she could SEE 10-8=2. It's the only thing that made sense to my daughter. It sounds complicated, but it's GREAT for struggling math students where nothing else has worked. Two years ago, we worked on re-learning to add and subtract using these cards for about a month. Then, we eased back into a math program. Before this we had tried MUS, Singapore, Saxon, and Rod and Staff. Nothing worked because I had to find something she understood.

 

If I had it to do over, I wouldn't have jumped from math program to math program. I would have worked on teaching her basic addition and subtraction in whatever way I needed to. Then, once she was able to do that, I would have purchased a curriculum to move forward.

 

HTH!

Blessings!

Dorinda

[Guest]

I second TouchMath. It works! http://www.touchmath.com You just need the workbooks. A lifesaver here!

[Pegasus]

If you would like to use Math-U-See, which is excellent for students that need hands-on manipulatives to see why math works, you can pick up the older version very inexpensively. One level of the older version (Foundations) would last you 2 to 3 years.

 

We've used Foundations, Intermediate, and Advanced and now DD12 is using MUS Algebra. We've been very pleased with it. The newer versions do have some advantages but for the price, the older version gives you the most bang for your buck!

 

Pegasus

[coffeefreak]

I second TouchMath. It works! http://www.touchmath.com You just need the workbooks. A lifesaver here!

 

That is so totally cool! I didn't know there was a whole curriculum! I LOVE IT!

Thanks training5. I'm going to look at the division kit right now.

 

Blessings!

Dorinda

[Shelly in the Country]

I primarily use Singapore Math. But...before I delve into Singapore's way of doing things I supplement heavily with Miquon Math and Cuisinaire Rods. I use the rods with Singapore, too. I think the cuisinaire rods helped my kids visualize addition and substraction conceptually better than anything else we did. The Miquon worksheets are great as well, but I think the cuisinaire rods themselves are just a helpful manipulative. A loonngg time ago I found a link on a messageboard tying Miquon topics with Singapore topics. I don't know if such a thing exists for other math programs as well.

[lotsofpumpkins]

The book Games for Math by Peggy Kaye is good. And no worksheets!

[emmsmama]

I use Rightstart Math with both of my children and it works very well for us. Lessons are pretty quick and they focus on understanding why you do things and mastering concepts, but there is still plenty of review.